Bill Maher Has a Rare Moment of Coherency – And Fails to Offend Anyone in His Defense of Offending Everyone

Good Advice – Sure to Be Rejected

The Comedian Bill Maher is often hard to take, much like the pretend comedian Rush Limbaugh, who of course is impossible to take.  So it is with some surprise that Mr. Maher writes about the lack of insensitivity (yes, his piece is a plea for insensitivity in the form of people being far less sensitive) in a rational and engaging manner in the New York Times.  His winning title, Please Stop Apologizing.

His point, people are far too sensitive and far too easily offended.  His message, other people are going to be offensive, get used to it.

When did we get it in our heads that we have the right to never hear anything we don’t like? In the last year, we’ve been shocked and appalled by the unbelievable insensitivity of Nike shoes, the Fighting Sioux, Hank Williams Jr., Cee Lo Green, Ashton Kutcher, Tracy Morgan, Don Imus, Kirk Cameron, Gilbert Gottfried, the Super Bowl halftime show and the ESPN guys who used the wrong cliché for Jeremy Lin after everyone else used all the others. Who can keep up?

According to Mr. Maher people have to stop demanding other people apologize.

If it weren’t for throwing conniption fits, we wouldn’t get any exercise at all.

I have a better idea. Let’s have an amnesty — from the left and the right — on every made-up, fake, totally insincere, playacted hurt, insult, slight and affront. Let’s make this Sunday the National Day of No Outrage. One day a year when you will not find some tiny thing someone did or said and pretend you can barely continue functioning until they apologize.

Here is the very logical response to Rush Limbaugh, you don’t demand an apology you do this.

For example, I find Rush Limbaugh obnoxious, but I’ve been able to coexist comfortably with him for 20 years by using this simple method: I never listen to his program. The only time I hear him is when I’m at a stoplight next to a pickup truck.

Now obviously this call for a thicker skin is relevant to this Forum here.  But we would like you to know that it is entirely permissible for readers to be offended by what is presented here.  It’s what we try to do.