Bill Maher: US Is Just Like Michael Jackson--"Fragile, Over-Indulgent, In Debt, Over The Hill" (VIDEO)

On "Real Time" Friday Bill Maher went on a diatribe about how the reason America mourned Michael Jackson so intensely--or as Maher put, lost its "collective shit" over Jackson--was because, well, "Michael Jackson is America." Maher argued that this was case by suggesting that both America and Jackson could be described as "fragile, over-indulgent, childish, in debt, on drugs, and over the hill."

WATCH [segement begins around the 1:45 mark.]

Comments

[VictoriaP]

I used to love Bill Maher but have grown sick of him. There is nothing funny about the death of Michael Jackson and his joke was a cheap shot. He should have made the same joke about any number of living white entertainers in Hollywood. Bill Maher stopped being clever and insightful and is just mean and boring. He is past his prime.

[mrfreeze]

Bill Maher "wasn't making fun of MJ's death. Far from it, he was using a literary tool called metaphor. Reading this thread convinces me that he could have added, sub-educated in his list of criticisms.

[scottarino]

Aren't you precious.

[mereader]

yeh, I bet you could top him

[trinidadgirl]

VictoriaP.­..hear,hea­r!

[o4tuna]

It is unfortunate that most white people don't understand the importance and meaning of Michael Jackson's passing is a large portion of black people. Very few black Americans reach the status, fame, celebrity that MJ did. That's not to say that he was the only one to become a celebrity or noted for being a great singer or actor or political figure. I doubt that MJ could walk down any street in any city in the world and not be recognized. I don't think Bill Maher was being completely dismissive about Michael Jackson. Bill loves satire. And satire does requires one to think about what is being said. In fact, I believe he complimented MJ not only once, but twice at the end of his monologue. But still, I don't think he is fully aware of what MJ's death means, not only to black people, but to the rest of his fans as well.

[harriscrl3]

Hmm interesting I always thought they were like Bill Maher an obnoxious know it all.

[Hirnlego]

Yes..which is why he says "I don't know..."

[RJII]

Bill is sounding whacker each session.

[SouthernYankeeBelle]

Love him or hate him he usually speaks the truth. Am overweight and I can't argue his point. I have lost and gain so much weight that I should have been a millionaire the amount of weight I lost. I usually believe in the majority of what he says. I also believe there is a god. I think god would see the humor in Maher. Religion does hurt alot of people through history.

[KLordsha]

yea...he's horrible. I stopped watching ever since he bashed Prez O and then went on a defensive tour in a lame attempt to up his ratings...

[CountryBeforeParty]

Actually he's never sounded more on the mark.

Truth hurts huh? Good morning sunshine!!!

[Ennis]

Is Bill Maher a has-been, or is he a never-was?

[Green-Zanto]

What did he say that was remotely incorrect?

[hopefull2008]

Lynn Cheney was critical of the President's speech in Egypt because he did not remind his audience of 'American exceptionalism' Now we hear this from Maher. We should be able to be self critical without being labeled 'UnAmerican'. How else can we improve ?

[Hirnlego]

"American exceptionalism" is in many ways a myth..

[JonathanStuartLeibowitz]

I don't know. The word "exceptional" has a certain semantic breadth.

[hangdogit]

It is not just A myth -- it is THE myth -- used to justify everything from torture to the Iraq War (if we do the same thing the bad guys do, it is OK because of our exceptionalism).

[wordvarc]

Agreed.

But we may be too "purpose driven" and "special" to be anything but exceptional.
"My life is good," sing Randy Newman. No need for improvement here.

[RJII]

Bill's analogy was a stretch and came off sour and ill intended to me. MJ wasn't "over the hill" and "a has been living off his earlier success". really didn't get all the h8 towards MJ on the show. I wasn't his biggest fan, but the man gave people around the world a good time on the dance floor for many decades and gave alot to charity regardless of all the accusations he was never found guilty. So he did drugs like 90% of Hollywood. surprise.

[AkashicRecords]

I thought the moonwalk "has been" reference was going too far. I was half offended, but I forgive Bill and give him lots of leeway cuz he is on the mark lots of the time.

[kennyboy757]

Right on!

[Haditup2here]

. . .Not to mention the fact that MJ was the entertainer that probably gave the most back in terms of charity and donations. He was also a very humbled person at times as indicative in this interview:

http://www.bvblackspin.com/2009/07/09/michael-jackson-ebony-jet-interview/

Bill Mah.er could learn a lot about being humble and having some tact. Although he, (Bill) thinks his commentary is based on parody of social thinking, he doesn't even come close to the depth and analysis of Ge.orge Carlton.

[mrfreeze]

George Carlin's insights into Life were, indeed, socially adept.....­..........­but I think you haven't listened to Carlin enough. He could be meaner and nastier than just about any comic. If fact, he was far less tactful and "clever" than Maher. Both are comics and, as such, they make us laugh and, occasionally, offend us. So what's the big deal?

[Hirnlego]

Carlin was a great fan of Maher's show.. he even appeared at least once personally­..

[CountryBeforeParty]

He was a "has been". No matter how much success he HAD, and I liked his music, when was his last hit?

And as far as "So he did drugs like 90% of Hollywood. surprise."­, that's part of the point. Nice to see you completely missed it.

[MESGAIN26]

that has been?? ?sold out 50 concerts in a matter of 30 mins name any one who did this

[MESGAIN26]

a has been ?? don't sale out 50 concerts in 30 mins duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[octopi]

If you take "over the hill" to mean over age 40, then Maher was right about MJ in that respect. I don't know how that applies to a nation, though. But yeah, a lot of people (not just fans) were really wondering what MJ had planned next after winning that awful child molestation battle. I think even a modest success on his last tour would have worked out well for him.

I haven't watched the video because I've read enough to see I wouldn't like it, but if Maher said ANYTHING disparaging about MJ's supposed drug use, Maher would be the biggest hypocrite in show business.

[DatelessNerd]

When future archeologists dig through the rubble of this society, at least they'll know that we were warned.

[Dailyfare]

How do the tributes to Michael Jackson hurt Bill Maher, or anyone else for that matter? I don't understand the need to rag on MJ or his fans. If you don't like the tributes, turn the channel.

[AkashicRecords]

I agree...pe­ople get jealous when their air time is stolen, except Obama enjoyed the break.

[freeethnkr]

Yeah - you're soooo right ... I'll change the channel from "E" to CNN, oh wait, CNN covered MJ for a week ... ok from CNN to any network ... crap ... ok from any network to MTV errrr VH1 errrrr BET ok ok ok to PBS -- nope not even safe there. Turn off the tv and listen to NPR?? Nope, still stuck with MJ coverage. So yeah, I guess you're right, if you're willing to stick with Animal Planet there are no worries. Except for the fact that the "free press" in this country is worthless.

[larissa68]

You know, I'm sorry but I have had no problem avoiding MJ tributes but maybe that's because I don't watch reality shows which are a favorite for E, MTV/VH1 and since CNN gets a majority of its programming from twitter and facebook, I wrote them off long ago.

[JonathanStuartLeibowitz]

That's the problem. No channel left to turn to.

[tanustar]

Try Fox

[neonchez]

it isn't the tributes maher was referring too. maher was talking about the media coverage of MJ's death. the media reported the death, job well done. but thats where the media's role should have ended. no one needs an update on MJ's death ever half hour. i love MJ's music but we have much more important things going on in this country than the death of one pop star.

[Hirnlego]

Face it, the media is all too focused on infotainment. They broadcast whatever makes them money.. in part this is of course the fault of people who continue to watch it despite the content but you'd think the media would do its job a bit more seriously and report on more important things.

[sheriwriter]

Sooooo cynical!!

[roger37]

Cynical, yes. But Maher's right. People just have to face up to it.

[AkashicRecords]

Bill's like I was, he's not a hundred percent sure Michael is innocent.

Bill, read Fisher's article from 1994 in GQ called "was michael jackson framed?"

After you read that, you will feel ashamed for not giving him the benefit of the doubt.

[PersonaNonGrated]

People are so eager to jump on Bill Maher for essentially making a brilliant analogy that clearly struck a nerve with a lot of people, that they've completely missed the point of his monologue.

America needs to, to continue with Bill's analogy, bounce back like Britney.

[octopi]

Actually, his analogy as reported in the blurb makes little sense. America was not murdered as MJ may have been and the nation is still alive and well. The final tour rehearsal video shows that MJ was not fragile but still quite good a pulling off surprising moves. MJ was not childish, he was eccentric. Even though he was in debt, his catalog was still bringing in the dough every year.

[GeminiMoon]

It was NOT brilliant. It was cheap and in poor taste.

[akklo]

This guy has to resort to over the top things to get pub. In fact, people like Maher are the problem with America. Maher preaches tolerance but bashes people who dont value the same things he does. I myself am not religious but he goes after those who do believe relentlessly. And this MJ thing is in line with his past acts. Remember the Steve Irwin Halloween costume.

[VictoriaP]

Totally agree. He is desperate for ratings and has stopped being clever and is just mean. His show won't last much longer at this rate.

[mick7191]

Do you think he cares about "pub"? It's not about "pub". He's not a shallow republican. He says what he thinks and that is something that is lost nowadays. And if it offends, deal with it.

[trinidadgirl]

Bill Maher gets his jollies off by insulting people.. and just generally being vulgar.
As said before I used to watch his show but I find him increasingly hard to stomach these days. Why decimate people's character all the time. Is that all you got Bill?

[President Decider]

Very entertaining clip. Personally, I think Maher is spot on. I realize many don't want to hear it or belive it, but he makes a pretty compelling case in a very humorous way.

The last 30 or so seconds should really make you think. There's no question we're at a crossroads in this country ..... The question we as a nation must ask is, "Which way are we going to go?"

[FrankenPC]

To give you an idea of how much a trillion dollars is, take the value of your home and add one trillion dollars

HAHAHA!! wait... WAAAHHHHH!!!

[Ascoli]

America ....look in the mirror.
Bill did.

[piggybackmom]

I do agree with you that the US at times acts as a dysfunctional entity. I chuckled at your analogy. BUT...I don't think the USA is in that bad of a shape....a­t least I hope we haven't reached that point were ALL of the family members show signs of being dysfunctional- or mentally ill.

The US has made great advances in medicine and technology since the landing of the moon. I do think that this will continue, and that we are at a turning point in history. Our educated younger generation is what will keep US from sinking into that dysfunctional abyss.

I also hope that the US realizes that instead of having the taxpayers pay for an extravagant funeral, in this case WAR, it needs to put its money in education, technology, and stable growth.