In “Real Time”, Bill Maher talks about a professor who resigned after calling the state of Portland a “social justice factory”



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It’s not uncommon for Bill Maher to laugh at Portland, or for the host of HBO’s “Real Time” to get in trouble with the critics. The two performed on the Friday edition of the show, which featured Maher bringing up school policies on diversity and criticizing Alicia Keys’ choice to blackmail “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” long referred to as the black national anthem, during an NFL game Thursday.

In his latest reference to Portland, Maher brought up the case of Peter Boghossian, an associate professor at Portland State University who resigned Wednesday. Boghossian’s letter explaining his decision was posted on the Substack site of Bari Weiss, an op-ed journalist who herself resigned from the New York Times for reasons that included what she called “intimidation by colleagues “and an” illiberal environment “.

In his resignation letter, Boghossian, who has taught philosophy in the State of Portland for the past decade, wrote, in part, that the university “has turned a stronghold of free inquiry into a factory of social justice. whose only contributions were race, gender and victimization and whose only outcomes were grievance and division.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63S_wnaqkVU

As the OPB reported, PSU subsequently issued a statement saying, “The State of Portland has always been and will continue to be a welcoming home for free speech and academic freedom. We believe these practices do not conflict with our core institutional values ​​of student success; racial justice and equity; and proactive engagement with our community.

In her Friday episode “Real Time,” Maher interviewed guests George F. Will, the Washington Post opinion columnist, and Christina Bellantoni, a reporter who now teaches at the University of Southern California, about these issues. education, suggesting they could lead voters to oppose Liberal candidates.

“The battleground for the next election is moving into the classrooms,” Maher said, before quoting Boghossian’s resignation letter and quoting remarks from other instructors who have left their posts.

Will said: “Orwellian is an overused adjective, but here it applies.” The columnist cited Orwell’s “1984” and the author’s warning to watch what happens when language is “turned upside down”, and love means hate, and war means the peace.

“On campus today,” said Will, “diversity means forced conformity.”

Bellantoni said the perception that academia is, in general, very liberal is not incorrect. But she said in her experience diversity of thought is important on campus, adding that the “Portland State Professor” has, for example, challenged the school for a long time.

Social media users were very critical of another of Maher’s points in Friday’s episode, where the host just appeared to have learned that “Lift Every Voice and Sing” is being considered the anthem. national black. Maher suggested that practices such as having two national anthems emphasize the racial differences that contribute to the decline of society in the days of apartheid.

Bellantoni spoke up for students who are criticized for being too “awake” and said they recognize that “others have different lived experiences.” She added that the young people she meets show “a lot of empathy for others” and want to improve an imperfect world.

After the show, many Twitter users spoke about Maher and, in particular, his comments on breed and “Lift Every Voice and Sing”.

Another user accepted:

Others echoed this view, noting that Maher was discussing racial issues with an exclusively white panel: “@billmaher should hire people who are not like him to work on his show and stop discussing diversity with people who are just like him.

Another user wrote: “Bill Maher is a white supremacist for the Liberals. “

This opinion was shared by one user who wrote: “I quit watching Bill Maher last year. As he got older he became clearer that deep down he is a white supremacist. Watch him interrupt and “whiteness complaining every time a black woman is a guest on the panel.”

A few Twitter posts have also compared Maher to Dennis Miller, a comedian with conservative views: “Bill Maher becomes Dennis Miller,” one wrote. “It’s not a good move.”

His criticisms may be harsh, but Maher is not going anywhere. As HBO announced earlier on Friday, “Real Time” has been renewed for two more seasons and will air until 2024.

In the press release, Nina Rosenstein, executive vice president of programming for HBO, said: “After 19 seasons, ‘Real Time With Bill Maher’ remains a Friday night destination for new perspectives and a smart conversation about most relevant issues today. “adding,” His weekly editorials are insightful, must-see in his signature voice, and we are proud to continue our relationship with Bill and the amazing team at Real Time. “

– Kristi Turnquist

[email protected] 503-221-8227 @Kristitturnquist



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