On Friday night, social media began to light up with news of the controversial “Real Time With Bill Maher” host’s latest antic.
Just after Kathy Griffin held a news conference about being “broken” by number 45, HBO host Bill Maher quickly told Griffin and all others seeking controversy to hold his beer real quick. No stranger to controversy, Maher was interviewing Republic Senator Ben Sessa about his new book when things took a very interesting turn. In the conversation, Maher mentioned having to get to Nebraska more often, Sasse told him he would be welcome, adding, “We’d love to have you work in the field with us.”
THE FIELD
Maher shook his head, saying “Work in the fields?” Then he quickly threw up his hands and said, “Senator, I’m a house nigger”. Don’t be worried, Maher immediately expressed some contrition in stating that the quip was “just a joke”. That’s right, making a racist, tasteless, joke about a racial stigma that has existed for hundreds of years can simply be brushed off as a joke.
While many on the internet have demanded Maher be fired, I couldn’t help but have my curiosity rage on and on. I have always been a fan of Bill Maher, and like most of his fans, I quickly brush off his sometime racist antics as “jokes” far too often. After Friday’s episode I was offended, but couldn’t put my finger on why I was so jaded not to take such a deep offense countless times before. Then it stood out to me. I was blinded in the guise of Bill Maher being an ally. We all know how that works, right?
You have a white person who is liberal in values that hangs with elite philosophers who value black lives, and BOOM – suddenly the values of the elite are now reflected on to the aforementioned white person. Unfortunately, that is not the way these things work.
With great guests like Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Dr. Cornel West, and even Malcolm Nance, one could quickly imagine that Bill Maher could be a voice for the struggle. But fuck that. Bill Maher should be held to the same standards that any professional should. No, you can’t say racist things at your place of employment and blame it on a lack of sleep, or use your past interactions with leaders to dignify your racist actions. Friday’s situation with Bill Maher is a reflection of a daily battle within the Black community.
We yearn so often to have an equal place in mainstream society, that we quickly brush over things that are disrespectful to us with the hopes of having our reserved seat at the table. On top of that, we are just as quick to ignore the disrespect given to other groups of people as long as it’s funny. But when the table turns, and racial jokes smack us in the face, what is our response? The right response is to hold that person accountable for their actions, recognize their ignorance, and educate them on WHY their actions are intolerable. Instead, there a larger group of blacks that seem to fall into the category of the same racial epithet that Maher used.
Michael Eric Dyson stated that Maher “will use this opportunity to strengthen his role as an ally to black people”. Ha. Then there’s Donna Brazile who summed up her opinion in stating that, “we should all move on”. Yes, we should all move on, but whether Bill Maher’s show should continue to move on will be the decision of HBO. Given that Maher has since apologized (while discussing the lack of sleep he has experienced) it should be expected that he will keep his job and continue to make questionable comments in the future with no repercussions – cause, white.
Hold others accountable for their poor decisions, and stop letting their interactions with people of color be an excuse for their ignorance. Being an ally to people of color doesn’t give you the right to insult those same people.
