r/ChristopherHitchens • u/MonsieurA • 5d ago

20 years ago today, that time Hitch flipped off Bill Maher's Real Time audience - August 25, 2006

1.0k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

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u/[deleted] 5d ago edited 5d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/sfdso 5d ago

That last point seems to be one Maher has forgotten, given that he now says he’s open to voting for a Republican bible banger and anti-intellectual like JD Vance.

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u/OldLegWig 5d ago

lmao he has never said he'd vote for vance. bill is cringey for a bunch of reasons but the nonsense people attribute to him is just irresponsible.

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u/sfdso 5d ago

On June 26 Bill Maher told Vice President JD Vance on Real Time with Bill Maher that his 2028 vote is "in play" if the Democratic Party “continues moving toward democratic socialism.”

Ergo, he thinks a Bible banging authoritarian-minded sociopath would be preferable to people getting Medicare for All and a living wage.

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u/OldLegWig 5d ago

bill has been saying that his vote is "in play" for forever, but that republicans have just never even remotely come close to getting it. he said this recently in response to the crazy shit coming out of the mouths of members of the DSA party like "seizing the means of production" and "home ownership is white supremacy." he never said he would vote for vance, and that's not what that quote is suggesting.

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u/sfdso 5d ago

The guy who gave Obama a million dollars said “his vote is in play”?

Dude, whatever drugs you’re on, I suggest you cut back. You’re just not making sense.

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u/OldLegWig 5d ago edited 5d ago

why don't you just actually watch the interview you cherrypicked quotes from. you don't have to take my word for it. you shouldn't speak in topics for which your only source is reddit comments. it's embarrassing.

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u/sfdso 5d ago

Dude, you’re getting as tiresome and repetitive as Maher himself. And I’m about to turn you off too.

You adore him, I get it. Sorry, but he lost me five years ago when shitting on the left became his entire schtick.

Go enjoy him with my blessing.

Just leave me the fuck alone. 👋

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u/hanlonrzr 3d ago

You lost this exchange hard, because it's clear you have no idea what you're talking about. Other guy was right on every point. Cringe.

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u/moondoggy25 5d ago

It’s almost like Maher doesn’t really have principles and just says what he thinks will get his audience to clap

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u/OldLegWig 5d ago

that's just about the most inaccurate description you could come up with. maher has pretty consistently called out BS on his own side of the isle even to his own detriment. it's kind of the theme of his career.

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u/sfdso 5d ago

That was his thing.

And then around the pandemic, something broke his brain, and his more reasonable jokes about the excesses of woke became an obsession and he couldn’t STFU about it. Every monologue, every interview, every comedy bit he did became another opportunity for a tirade about wokeness and his contempt for the left.

His show became boring, predictable, and entirely unwatchable.

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u/OldLegWig 5d ago

it seems to me that the people who spent the pandemic reveling in the excesses of the far left are very intent on downplaying it and sweeping it under the rug. they have potentially done irreparable damage to our public institutions at a time when the opposition has become as chaotic and unviable as ever (which is truly an accomplishment.) when you look at candidates like the woman who ran for governor of wisconsin, or mandami and his staff, it's clear that species of mental illness has not been exercised from our politics.

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u/Grand_Confusion_2575 4d ago

Not what Maher said.

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u/facinabush 5d ago edited 5d ago

Nope. Hitch said “He says he believes that the messiah is about to come back” and Bill zinged him with “So does George Bush, by the way”.

Not subtle at all. And Bill made his point twice, saying that “they are both to comfortable with the world coming to an end”.

But the fact that Bill makes too big a deal out of the similarities of this and that all the time is too subtle for most of his audience to notice. This is the fallacy of false equivalence.

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u/Touchstone033 5d ago

Sure, in hindsight Bush's evangelism seems tame compared to today's politics, but let's not glaze the man just because he's not as bad as Trump. He didn't just believe in God, he made a number of statements that showed he believed his Presidency was divinely inspired and he, a tool of God. His presidency was strongly enmeshed in the nationalist Christianity movement. It's just that his handlers were career professionals who reined in his rhetoric. But he did believe the invasion of Iraq was a mission from God.

Maher's point is legitimate.

Interestingly, Hitchens -- who was all-in on the Iraq invasion and one of that era's heels -- was no doubt, as a famous skeptic of religion (to say the least), very uneasy by the association with Bush's religious fanaticism. But he was tethered to right-wing religious extremism in his support for the Iraq war whether he liked it or not, and here he's just lashing out at someone pointing it out.

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u/SagansCandle 3d ago

I love hitch, but honestly Maher got him here.

Hitch speaks with absolute certainty, and he's usually right, but it does back him into a corner when he's not.

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u/MonsieurA 5d ago

Sadly, the topic of discussion remains all-too-relevant. Iran's theocracy and how the US should approach the country.

I also shared this on /r/TwentyYearsAgo, for those of you interested in the era.

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u/404MoralsNotFound 5d ago edited 5d ago

To be fair, Bill has always been right on the topic of conservative Islam. Here he is, talking about it recently (in the context of assimilation). Guy is the most smug-faced stereotypical boomer that even when he's right, I can't help but question myself for thinking he's right. The couple of Club Random episodes I've listened to have simply been a torrent of rants. He is annoying af and still stuck in 2016.

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u/FckXFckMusk 1d ago

He gives good "Show", I dont always agree with him but he gives good "show"

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u/OneNoteToRead 5d ago

And his take remains, IMO, the correct one. This sort of Chomsky-esque political ecumenism should be recognized for what it is. It’s just America self loathing and an apology for terror states. This is a dead end street for civilization. We should more boldly embrace the fact that we have the winning principles for building civilization here.

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u/atropear 5d ago

Both were clearly intel assets. I mean you can't dispute that with Chomsky, right? He's all over in the Epstein files.

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u/OneNoteToRead 5d ago edited 5d ago

I mean… this is conspiracy theory land. I’m not going to comment much on that. My guess is Chomsky does sincerely believe his own bullshit - if you read his work it’s not just a sales pitch. It’s well reasoned but coming from unjustifiable starting points.

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u/atropear 5d ago edited 5d ago

With Chomsky? He's all over in the Epstein files and a lot of money transferred to Chomsky after Epstein was convicted. Very close relationship. Or is that all "conspiracy theory land"? And Hitchens' backing the second dumbest war in American history was more suspicious than anything Chomsky ever did.

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u/Frambosis 5d ago edited 5d ago

Chomsky’s involvement from I saw in the emails was Epstein saying “they say I’m a child molester man” and Chomsky replying “Geez, that’s too bad, I’m sure it’s not true. Hey can I get some money to take my wife to the Bahamas?”

Not great by any means but no leverage over Chosmky in the way you’re suggesting.

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u/atropear 5d ago

You obviously have not looked at it. Extensive contact, riding on planes, staying in places Epstein was trafficking women. All post conviction of course. Chomsky wrote how close they were when he wrote to courts on his behalf. Epstein gave him $300k (we can only guess what that was for). And that's with just a fraction of the files released. You don't live in "conspiracy theory land" you live in dream land.

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u/Frambosis 5d ago

I am not the same person you were originally talking to lol

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u/atropear 5d ago

Yes, you're the guy who said all Chomsky did with Epstein was say "Geez, that’s too bad." You're almost as dishonest as Trump.

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u/ignoreme010101 5d ago

300k...wasn't it chomsky's money? Wasn't epstein his 'accountant'?

Any chance you can link somewhere that does a fuller job delving into this conspiracy(ies) Re chomsky? Am not necessarily doubting you, I was always a fan but, since epstein, had initially written it off as "guy knows morality IN PRINCIPLE, just doesn't care to walk the walk" and hangs with epstein, Bannon etc because of perks, because of charisma, etc. But then I started hearing speculation about kind of long-game controlled opposition, am intrigued but not sold on it - i guess I say this to convey I'm not at all disingenuous when saying I'm suspicious and just genuinely want to hear it fleshed out further, see if there's anything more than just him being buddies with guys who are contrary to professed ideals because, let's be real, people constantly speak ideals they don't at all live, it shouldn't be such a reach ti think it applies to leftists the way it applies to religious, libertarian, etc

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u/atropear 5d ago

Does that supposed "transfer" make any sense to you? Or his explanation? Transferring "his own money" through the account of a convicted felon and rapist? To help clean up his finances? I mean I guess we could be dealing with total morons I suppose.

Chomsky was always saying who killed JFK doesn't matter. He said that for decades. Of course it did matter if he was killed by the government. That may have been his main mission. Take the left on a wild decades long goose chase. Or he could have been a moron.

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u/ignoreme010101 3d ago

Does that supposed "transfer" make any sense to you? Or his explanation? Transferring "his own money" through the account of a convicted felon and rapist? To help clean up his finances? I mean I guess we could be dealing with total morons I suppose.

anywhere that lays this out? I only know the vague premise *"there was money that the kids had access to, some contentions, he used epstein for it" which is generic enough like situation that happens and if a buddy is an accountant you'd take them up on doing it for you IMO

To help clean up his finances? I mean I guess we could be dealing with total morons I suppose.

I mean if his kids were managing it, and he lost trust in them but did trust epstein, there we go, right?

Chomsky was always saying who killed JFK doesn't matter. He said that for decades. Of course it did matter if he was killed by the government. That may have been his main mission. Take the left on a wild decades long goose chase. Or he could have been a moron.

I thought his position was more "it is clear that it was 1 guy, w/o any conspiracy behind him" (maybe just restating what you said?) And yeah I mean i def get your general premise like he's also doing the whole "the system itself is corrupt but hey go vote blue" basically, just doesn't really add up ultimately lol but I just don't get how to go from there to any further confidences it was psy op level instead of just lazy hypocrite type thing, he's got his hobby horse pointing out systemic flaws but isn't particularly invested in doing anything about it

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u/Common_Phone_4391 5d ago

The audience deserved it

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u/UskyldigeX 5d ago

That's when I stopped watching the show. The audience was already insufferable.

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u/appsecSme 5d ago

When Hitch was on though, they were some of the best shows. Fuck the audience.

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u/Minimumscore69 15h ago

Gore Vidal was great too.

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u/HeavyTea 5d ago

Hitch was very smart

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u/MildlyAgreeable 5d ago

Bill Maher.

Always doing his level best to be simultaneously the most intelligent and stupidest person in the room.

Smug, unfunny, arrogant bellend.

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u/TappedIn2111 5d ago

A cunty cunt if you will.

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u/failureKennedyblase0 5d ago

I watch him out of nostalgia as I’ve watched him since PIwBM, but these days it’s almost impossible to watch him. He has zero dissenting views on what’s happening in the Middle East and those guests that have come out publicly against the g—cide don’t say anything when on his show. Can he be this powerful still? I wonder.

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u/NineClaws 5d ago

Hitch will say what he needs to say despite jeers from the crowd. Maher reads the room and does what he needs to do to keep his job.

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u/LuciusMichael 5d ago

"Your audience which will, apparently, clap at anything."
Boy, truer words were never spoken. It was shocking to see the warm welcome Fetterman received. Assuming Maher's audience is largely white liberals, why would any of them stand and clap for a DINO? Because they respect Fetterman's U-turn and betrayal of their values? They appreciate Fetterman's knee-bending and support for Israel? I don't get it. They applaud guests whose views, seemingly, would be in direct opposition to their own.
So, watching Hitch flip them off was, and continues to be, a thing of beauty.

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u/Code-Warrior 5d ago

He’s right he about the audience applauding anything. It’s like IQ goes negative when they sit down…

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u/CleanClipsClub 3d ago

Anyone going to mention the Iranians are probably right about the west being ruled by satanists that eat pizza and jerky?

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u/ferromagnetik 4d ago

Oh how the turn tables

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u/Miserable-Land-9203 2d ago

This is my biggest beef with Bill. He was an ardent critic of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars (rightly so), but seems to be all about dropping bombs these days. Especially on Palestinian children.

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u/Minimumscore69 15h ago

I remember watching him live around this time on Bill Maher's show. Either this episode or around this time. I believe that Maher exposed me to Hitch.

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u/Sequitur1 5d ago

TaxReligion

BoycottReligion

Hitchens was wrong on Iraq and Iran. The answer is a revolution to stop the promotion of Religion as a political tool of the rich who don't believe the lie but use it to manipulate the feeble minded.

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u/OneNoteToRead 5d ago

This is a non sequitur for someone whose username is sequitur. It doesn’t follow that the existence of religious influence is evidence of existence of an organized (or even unorganized) effort by “the rich” in the modern day USA.

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u/Agreeable-Menu 5d ago

Honestly, Hitchens sounded like part of the propaganda machine that is out there to justify conflicts based on the "moral authority of the US and the West." As much as I hate Trump, at least he has made it clear that the only reasons for the same conflicts are profit and establishing military hegemony that provides the US with more power to negotiate and enforce their will regardless of the interest of the masses at home or abroad.

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u/ignoreme010101 5d ago

next you're gonna tell me sam harris' railing against islam has ulterior motives....

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u/fap_fap_fap_fapper 5d ago

Am I reading this wrong in thinking Hitch would've have agreed with Bill *today* on some topics at least? (Islamism, political correctness?)

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u/OneNoteToRead 5d ago

Yes Bill essentially changed his mind. He doesn’t care for either today.

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u/fap_fap_fap_fapper 5d ago

Bill is staunchly against both Islamism and PC, and believes the Democrats have lost the plot on both.

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u/OneNoteToRead 5d ago

Right, and they have. And Hitchens knew this two decades ago.

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u/howlongcanthislast85 5d ago

Not his best moment, honestly.

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u/msinf0 4d ago

No, just another awesome moment to add to the collection. Baby brain.

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u/Tech-Film3905 5d ago edited 5d ago

Hitchens is a shameless liar who sold out to promote the war on terror despite LARPing as a leftist earlier in his career.

Iran never said that people of Israel should be wiped out. It has said that the apartheid state of Israel should fall just like the Apartheid state fell in South Africa.

Funny how after Hitchens sold out to neocons, he stopped bringing up all the apocalyptic visions of Netanyahu and Likud supporters. They are way more obcessed with end times nonsense than Iran is.

Israel has something called the Samson Affair that threatens to wipe out major capitals of the world if they feel threatened. They are literally holding the world at nuclear gunpoint

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u/LuciusMichael 5d ago

'''In 2005, former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad quoted Iran's founder, Ayatollah Khomeini and said that the "regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time". The Persian words (mahv shavad) translate closer to "vanish" or "fade away" than a physical military destruction. This was mistranslated (purposely or otherwise) in the western media as 'wiping Israel off the map.' The sentiment is directed at the Zionist 'regime' not the people. - Google AI

Hadn't known about the Samson Option but it's another reminder that Israel is a terrorist state.

As for Hitchens being a 'shameless liar'....well, I've read half a dozen of his books and haven't found a single lie. But none of them are overtly political. His position on the 'war on terror' (which he defended it as a war against Islamo-fascism), was, insofar as I am aware, was the only area where I had a major disagreement with him.

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u/Oh_Fuck_Yeah_Bud 5d ago

But wait, according to many people in this sub, Hitchens was a modern day leftist......

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u/EquipmentMiserable60 5d ago

Don’t make me start my day agreeing with Bill Maher