Ben Affleck/Bill Maher/Sam Harris 'Real Time' Controversy

[BoSoxGal]

Real Time with Bill Maher is one of the shows (along with John Oliver's Last Week Tonight) that I would happily pay HBO $3/episode to watch, if I could watch it within a week of airtime.

In any case, I've been reading about the controversy over this week's episode, so I found a source to watch it at: http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/can- ... rom-itself

Now admittedly, I'm a big fan of Sam Harris. When I read his first book years ago, it gave voice to all of my frustrations with organized religion and basically solidified my position as a spiritual atheist.

I sometimes love Bill Maher, and other times would happily bitch slap him.

But Ben Affleck in this segment? What a horse's ass! He needs to shut up and act (another thing he's not great at, although in recent years he's gotten somewhat better).

He's parroting the party line of the uber-'liberal' (not in the founding fathers liberal sense, but in the modern sense that makes liberal a bad name) which basically espouses that you can't criticize people of another religion AT ALL - it's 'gross and racist'. What a DOPE! I bet he doesn't hesitate to criticize and make fun of white American Christians at his dinner parties with his Hollywood friends.

[Long Run]

I though it was odd that Maher selected Affleck for that role. A person is kind of asking for it if they go on Maher, Stewart or Colbert. So Affleck was asking for it, and reading the transcript, it's not like they really disagree on a lot other than how culpable the religion was in causing the extremist behavior.

[rubato]

Television manufactures conflict out of nothing to make money off of your gullibility.


yrs,
rubato

[Big RR]

I'll admit I didn't see the show, nor do I have time to watch it right now, but from accounts I read, Harris began criticizing islam as a motherlode of bad ideas, and Affleck suggested limiting criticism to the persons who espouse those ideas and not islam as a whole. that doesn't seem to be particularly ultraliberal, more common sense (kind of like criticize idiotic Christians, not all chrisitianity).

Now I'm no fan of Affleck (acting or otherwise), and I doubt he was quite as polished as Harris or Mayer, but I don't find that position indefensible.

[Lord Jim]

Big RR, I recommend watching the clip...

A lot of intelligent, meaningful distinctions and points are made by folks who obviously know a lot about the subject, and Affleck comes across as an ignorant jackass who can't seem to grasp the arguments, or even understand what's being talked about . (Which doesn't serve as any sort of impediment to his sneering, arrogant, know-nothing responses)

Really trying to punch way above his intellectual weight class....

And he didn't have the sense to realize it.

[Big RR]

I'll try Jim; I am not surprised with him come off as a jackass, but I do think far too many people try to stereotype and say "All jews, Christians, moslems, etc." have the same belief, which is clearly not the case. And it was that point in the quotes I read that made sense to me.

[wesw]

yeah the account you recounted was not really what I saw RR

[Lord Jim]

I do think far too many people try to stereotype and say "All jews, Christians, moslems, etc." have the same belief

When you watch the clip, you'll see that the arguments being made are much more complex and nuanced then that.

[oldr_n_wsr]

When I need points of view about religion (or politics, or health or just about anything besides acting) I do not go to actors/actresses.

Must have been a slow news day.
ETA
And my wife and I went on a date last wednesday and saw Girl Gone (or was it Gone Girl) starring BA. Wierd movie and it didn't suck, but certainly not worth the price (and we snuck in candy and soda).