Ooooh, shiny!

Hmm..i have to disagree with you Norm on this. It had the usual message that you expect from Maher but wasn't that funny!

this was actually not very good really. there have been many that were funnier and more brutally incisive. cant wait to dl the whole episode

It's not the best clip but, it is a shamethat everyone forgets that China is not a democracy and don't give a shit about human rights as long as they keep the factories runing. Bill is right, what do you expect from a 10buck toy made in a lawless comunist regime? The same goes with Europe as long as Russia keeps selling cheap natural gas. The west easily forgets about democracy and freedom when there is money involved.

I felt this one was very well put together, with the over all message that "you get what you pay for".

Oh yay! he so expressed my distain for those nasty Croc Shoes.

You can't really blame China for not having strict health and safety laws like ours.

Mattel should have known better. They still have a social responsibility to the American/European consumer, and they flouted this when they decided to work with a shoddy supplier.

If anybody were to have been injured by their toys then it would be "corporate manslaughter" in the UK. Anything similar in the US?

I bet their sales will fully recover within a couple of months. People forget.

Look at the evils Nestle do , and yet people have no qualms about buying their products. We're all sick.

we are not sick, we are simply divorced from the results of our actions because the harm comes from a degree of separation.

A perfect example is eating beef. Almost everyone eats beef, but few of us have ever seen, never mind slaughtered a steer. If we had to kill to eat that meet, I think many people would actually stop eating beef because it would disrupt our modern sensibilities too much. Just look at the dog killing cases to see how far society has gone in terms of our concern for animal cruelty. so why do we keep eating beef? Well...because it tastes good, and because the nasty aspect of it is hidden from our eyes. And the thing is, we dont want to know, we dont want to see, we just want that nice piece of stake in shrink wrap. And the providers know it! They serve customer needs.

So dont blame china. Its our greed and want for these products, its our drive to get a "bargain" that leads to all of this. If there were no demand for products made with child labor, then chances are child labor would go the way of the dodo. The ultimate responsibility lies with the consumer, not the producer, because the producer is amoral almost by default, the producer meets demand, how it meets the demand, is up to the customers.

EXAMPLE: dolphin free tuna.

Why do you feel it is better to absolve responsibility then to find a solution. Yes China is responsible, Yes Mattel is a part of the problem and cheep people to. The problem is laying blame and then feeling satisfied that we cared. Let's start seeing the forest for the tree's, we'll boy cot walmart, and stop eating chocolate that children died for. But most of all lets know where the problems are coming from so we can make those people liable.

I have not missed a Bill Maher show since the year 2000, so of course I had to watch the newest episode of Real Time on HBO. Being a libertarian, I rarely agree with what Maher says, but he is funny and I enjoy being entertained. Surprisingly, the debate on his most recent show was filled with intellectual honesty.

You can read my Review of the New Season’s First Episode at Copious Dissent - Your Daily Dose of Liberty

The comments here remind me of this Avery Ant rant.

Great clip. Should be required viewing.

who the hell couldnt kill an animal they were going to eat? good thing we didnt start as liberals or the human race woulda died out already.

Yeah, everyone I know who eats meat is perfectly comfortable killing the animals they eat. Yup, they routinely slaughter all of their own food. Uh-huh, only liberals don't like the sight of blood and offal.

Brian, you are a true genius.

Nah, anyone can learn to kill what they eat if they have to. The stomach cares little for the brain when it's time to eat. The stomach is stronger than sensibilities.

A few months in the deep bush can alter one's perspective about a lot of things. :) Being grossed out by the details of slaughtering and butchering wears no political tags. Almost everyone is grossed out about it until they get used to it.

Hunger has a way of tweaking our sensibilities, no matter what your political affiliations.

Nah, anyone can learn to kill what they eat if they have to. The stomach cares little for the brain when it's time to eat. The stomach is stronger than sensibilities.

A few months in the deep bush can alter one's perspective about a lot of things. :) Being grossed out by the details of slaughtering and butchering wears no political tags. Almost everyone is grossed out about it until they get used to it.

Hunger has a way of tweaking our sensibilities, no matter what your political affiliations.

His actual topic - the rant about Chinese products - is correct but pretty obvious.

The not black enough joke followed by the pan to a black person for an 'okay to laugh' reaction was pretty sad. The Spice Girl joke was lame.

And the 'joke' about the war - making fun of our soldiers saving babies in a war zone - just reveals the hatred for America every liberal like him spouts and constantly disavows. Hearing anything good about something they openly despise, like the members of our armed forces, fills them with anger and they have to ridicule it and re-focus on something negative.

Everything from this point on had some overt stereotype-based insult aimed at Americans: we're all lazy slobs (plastic shoes), we're too stupid to realize low-cost merchandise might be shoddy.

The subjects are always a framework for the same product: cynicism, misanthropy, and target-market researched American self-hatred. The only thing more sad than that is the fact that so many people eat that shit up and beg for seconds.

This is preacher/choir mentality. There's no dialogue taking place. For all the posturing about defiance of religion, seems to me everyone's still going to church.

I have to admit I cried a little after I shot my first dove. To make it worse, it wasn't dead when I finally found it and my dad made me break it's neck. When we got home, I had to pluck it. Thankfully, he did the rest. It was a miserable experience but mysteriously I got over it pretty quick - we went again the next week and I didn't have any problems.

I'm not one for forcing anyone to do anything but I think if everyone had to kill their own food once in a while, we would all gain a better understanding and respect for the world around us.

Tea for the Tillerman, yes! You've said almost everything that needs to be said about Bill Maher, the celebrity.

Here I was thinking that Norm had read all our psychic messages and decided to stop running Maher clips, but lo and behold (I don't live in the US so I didn't know) it was just a season to season hiatus.

I wish I could have recommended a couple of books for him to read during the break. And a list of cruise ships that were hiring.

t4t: even though you often make points that i agree with (in the little picture) in the big picture, your main point seems to be that liberals hate the u.s.a. this is just unbelievably stupid. i would call it "muddying the waters". please, just stop it.

syngas, your personal story is touching, and reminds me of my own experiences (i grew up in west virginia- the first day of deer season was considered a legitimate reason to miss school) but being honest in this "liberal" forum is just asking to have your head cut off by some "tolerant" "intellectual". still, i'd like to see someone argue with this:

if everyone had to kill their own food once in a while, we would all gain a better understanding and respect for the world around us.

remember, plants are people too. :)

So who is forcing you to watch Bill Maher? Comedy is the most subjective thing on earth and the most boring thing on earth is listening to someone talk about how they think something isn't funny. Just turn it off. That's what I do with douche bags like Dennis Miller.

This thing about the crappy Chinese toys highlights the serious flaws in globalization. We spent a century in America literally battling for workers' rights, environmental laws, product safety, and other consumer/citizen rights. Now people want to side-step these gains by citizens so they can buy a folding chair for $3 from some country that works under 19th century labor/safety/environmental laws (what conservatives call “less government”).

leftbanker, i don't know if your remarks were directed at me, but i should have pointed out (in the interest of staying on topic) that i agree with norm that this was one of mehers' funniest bits yet and his points about american consumer culture were right on. in israel, where i live (sort of) the equivilant would be: i like hashish, but i know that every gram i buy goes toward an ak47 for hizbullah.maybe it's better to stay straight. or, in americas' case, stay away from those 12 dollar chinese knockoff jeans. of course, if you don't buy them, the little girls who make them just go into prostitution. it's complicated, but terrific fodder for comedy and pays for mehers' trips to the playboy mansion. where at least the girls are over 18. its a sick world. if you can't laugh at it, youre dead meat.

northstar, I am a liberal, but you seem to be confusing the issue. The issue isnt liking the fact your killing something, it's that you don't like doing it, but do it anyway to survive. and yes obviously a relative few people kill their own food, no shit. and teafortillerman, jesus christ your so fucking hard headed, are you really defending plastic shoes? you will just defend anything and everything when it comes to saying anything against america.

and the joke about obama is very true, ive heard it countless time on the news, is obama black enough? regardless of them cutting to a black person laughing so the white people dont feel guilty, hell have u ever seen comedy central? yeah it's bullshit but it happens, it's not a big deal. and was he controlling the camera?

and about the baby joke, its that people like you see that and feel good, like hey we're doing such a great thing while ignoring the thouands of dead and mutilated, and millions of displaced people. but lets ignore that and celebrate that one baby. the invasion was all worth it now...

To jonathan becker:

I don’t know if English is your first language, but if it is, learn to use the upper case. I can’t understand what you are trying to communicate here. The rules of English grammar weren’t made to exclude, they were made to add clarity to the language.

To LeftBanker

I know another person, other than jonathan, who does not capitalize the first word in a sentence, and she, just like jonathan, has thought and ideas that are intelligent, interesting and fun to read.

I don't particularly like sentence fragments and run-on sentences either. I prefer when someone attempts to use good grammar, spelling and punctuation so that what they write is easier to understand. However, I've discovered that those whose punctuation is perfect don't always have the most interesting things to say. And many times those whose grammar, spelling and punctuation is very good, don't have anything enlightening to say.

Furthermore, everyone is apt to make a mistake here and there.

Suffice it to say that nit picking about grammar, spelling and punctuation results in ignoring what it is that the person had to say, which is what is most important after all.

And many times those whose grammar, spelling and punctuation is very good, don't have anything enlightening to say.

Ouf!

I meant to contrast this with the idea that those whose grammar, spelling and punctuation sucks sometimes have a lot to say that is interesting and/or humorous and intelligent.

I can’t understand what you are trying to communicate here. The rules of English grammar weren’t made to exclude, they were made to add clarity to the language.
-- leftbanker

Firstly, that's "I don't understand" -- not "can't."

Secondly, there are no rules in the English language. Only exceptions.

And thirdly -- unless you're abso-motherfucking-lutely sure that your mastery of a certain language is beyond question -- don't make glib, and infantile comments about a second language. M'kay?

I think "I can't understand" is acceptable as a contraction of "I cannot understand." In this instance I could not understand the point being made. There are plenty of rules in the English language; just ask people who are trying to learn it as their second language. Saying there are no rules is like playing basketball without a hoop, or a court.

To jonathan becker:

Sorry about that comment and I would have it stricken from the record if that power were vested in me. If it's any excuse, I wrote it quite late after a seriously tedious day of apartment hunting. Staring homelessness in the face makes me edgy. I'm not being a dick anymore because I found a place today.

leftbanker, what i DON'T understand is why, if you CAN'T understand what i'm saying, you would choose to attack me for what you apparently percieve as some sort of handicap.

i re-read my post that seemed to confuse you so much, and though i found much that could potentially be disagreed with, i couldn't find anything particularly difficult to understand. i've been reading your posts for over a year now and have no reason to doubt your general intelligence, understanding of english or even decency, though i suspect we may have some differences in the areas of politics and sense of humor. perhaps this is what, in a general sense, you find frustrating. i find it hard to believe that the use of lowercase would throw you off that much, and i'm always amazed at the negative reactions my choice to avoid capital letters sometimes elicits.

english is my first language, and i have a great love for it and, as you do, value clarity. i certainly have no intention to obfuscate my own ideas in writing, and i'll take your criticism seriously. but the lowercase issue, i'm afraid, will have to remain a point of contention if you can't find your way to a more charitable view of it.

i would point out also that some of the worlds greatest basketball players became great playing on "courts" and using "hoops" that would hardly be recognized as such in the world of professional basketball.

p.s. after i wrote this i saw your apology which of course i accept. i kind of figured you might be having a bad day. but i decided to post this anyway because i had fun writing it.

peace :)

and i'm glad you found a place. i've stared homelessness in the face more than a few times myself.

I agree, one of the best clips i've seen.

Why does consumerism and wal-mart have to be equated with america, kinda makes me sick to my stomach.

t4t: even though you often make points that i agree with (in the little picture) in the big picture, your main point seems to be that liberals hate the u.s.a.

Not all liberals hate America, just like not all conservatives eat babies. But on both sides there are the rabid idealogues who make any form of rational conversation impossible. I pick on liberals more because frankly the ultra-conservatives mock themselves. Liberalism has this automatic association with 'progress' and 'benefit' that allows a lot of ultra-liberal, or faux-liberal shady nonsense to go unchecked.

Seems to me that most people who call themselves 'liberals' are just self-centered, smug, ungrateful assholes who feel better about themselves by putting everyone else down. And, most irritating, they use their ideology as a shield. They insult America and Americans all day long, and when you call them out for it their response is always "I just want to call attention to our flaws ... I love this country, and I'm more of a patriot than you because I don't just blindly accept!" One has nothing to do with the other, and I'm tired of smug assholes spilling hate against the country that gave them everything they have, then adopting the wide-eyed "who, me?!?" attitude when called out.

Does Bill Maher even qualify as a liberal? He's a multi-millionaire businessman. So is Michael Moore. So is Al Gore. All these role models for 'liberalism' are quite successful capitalists. Heck, even Norm runs this site by selling 'liberal' merchandise.

and about the baby joke, its that people like you see that and feel good, like hey we're doing such a great thing while ignoring the thouands of dead and mutilated

That's precisely the mentality I mean: the assumption on your part that people can't read something positive and have the intelligence and mental ability to factor that in with the negative. That's so arrogant and rude, just like Bill's presentation of this 'joke'.

Our troops do a lot of good in Iraq on a daily basis, and all we hear about is the negative. That's propaganda just as much as only hearing positive news. We should be hearing the negative, but that doesn't mean hearing something positive is 'whitewashing the truth' or 'ignoring the reality'. It's showing the balance that is reality.

Liberalism has this automatic association with 'progress' and 'benefit' that allows a lot of ultra-liberal, or faux-liberal shady nonsense to go unchecked.

And let me be the first to thank you for providing us with the public service of of your presence on onegoodmove. lol

The not black enough joke followed by the pan to a black person for an 'okay to laugh' reaction was pretty sad

I just saw this clip again and this comment came to mind. The pan was of two people, and the camera returns to them on the joke about the Dour of London. On all of his shows the camera pans to his guests after his jokes.

Hmm..i have to agree with you Norm on this. Hey, I... 'm dominant...

Barack Star? Not a dancing 1, 1 senses [("square" root of negative)1 tends, meekly, to agree.].

:{

:)

Hmm..i have to agree with you Norm on this.

A little walk on the wild side is it, or as Frederich puts it, "I tell you: one must have chaos in one, to give birth to a dancing star. " Is the one an evil one.

TeaForTheTillerman:

OK, I get it. You are against every single idea that is presented here at OGM. Thank goodness we have you to tell it like it is. I just wonder where you turn for humor? What do you consider a good source of news since everything here is just the "liberal media."

By your reasoning, if rich people can't be liberal then poor and middle income folks can't be conservative.

"walk on the wild side," anamnesia? Encased like a Beatle of Personal responsibility, IF one did it:

Hell! O vacuum my old friend

I've come, too tall, quithue, a gain is a... laws such as the conservation of energy where e= the liberal media, i.e., the luminiferous ether (I didn't inhale)...

Or, I did*, I can't seem to remember... the subject, or, was it the object? I object! It was one my lawyers (speak of the devil ), Simon, and... the other guy).

.

.*I did, in Hell, where I've followed my (shiny)bliss to the end, blush,,,,,,:)

Oops, that was supposed to have gone with "Lost in Translation"...who am I? Am I Admirable-but-ultimately-grossly-unqualified Stockdale? I want to run with my mate, Perotin, it's sooo, like, Goth (eeek).

Wait a minute, wait a minute, he might not be "black," but,...

Barack IS beautiful...

i think 1 may have crossed a burning line here...oh well... he has ears to hear me with...

Tea at 3 o'clock...