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Affleck, Maher in heated debate about Islam

Hamster Buddha

Hamster Buddha

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At this point, it's not really news to anyone that Maher has no love for the state of Islam today. Well, recently he had on Ben Affleck as well as author Sam Harris (who has been critical about Islam in his books) and there was a heated exchange when the discussion of Islam came up:



Of course it didn't take long for Affleck to throw in the "Racism" card as Maher and Harris demonstrated just how large the issue is of Radical Islam is today. Look, I think it's admirable that Liberals want to be inclusive and not judge others. But the problem with Liberals (as a whole, but more importantly, in regards to the issue of Islam) is when they buy into moral relativism, they begin to lose sight of what is right and what is wrong. And what is going on the ME and more specifically, Islam today, is clearly wrong. If it was Christianity that was responsible for such human rights abuses, Liberals would be up in arm. Oh wait....



You think Oliver is going to do a video detailing these same horrors that are being perpetrated in the name of Islam? Not unless he wants to gamble with his and his family's lives. We've seen time after time what happens to people who speak out against Islam. It's why as Maher pointed out that he has to walk around with body guards. We as a country are still living under the naive belief that Muslims in the Middle East are just like us and that if given the chance, they just just want be like us. There not, and multiple polls have shown us that. More to the point, recent history has demonstrated this clearly time and time again.

Until we realize this simple truth, we're going to keep shooting ourselves in the foot when it comes to the policy making in the ME.
 
I like Ben Affleck because he is really cool.

I thought that Argo was a superb film and a showcase of Bens talents and abilities. Not since Good Will Hunting have we seen that special Affleck brilliance in screenwriting/directing. I know that Bens good buddy Matt Damon is also a brilliant screen writer/director type. Ben and Matt were able to write Good Will Hunting at such a young age and when one considers how complex the storyline and themes in Good Will Hunting are it becomes clear that these two are Hollywood genius. Sure we have gotten The Town and Gone Baby Gone from Affleck since Good Will Hunting and they were great in their own ways but most would agree not on the same level as Good Will Hunting. The return to form that was Argo for Affleck cements Afflecks status as one of the all-time great film directors of all time. Affleck was very fair to the people of Iran with the Argo script and the script was true to the events that took place. I fully believe that he has a deep concern for all Muslims and I think that it is admirable that the guy is willing to stand up for what is right and do what he can to protect the Muslim community from racism and stereotyping.
 
No time to watch the video now but even if it got heated, that's ok, in that is shows that just because people are of the same political lean, it doesn't mean they think alike on every issue.
 
HA! I my god I am funny. Send me some money!
 
It was a pleasure watching Affleck's head explode, what a ignorant fool he is.
 
Affleck is an emotional wreck. How embarassing.
 
It seemes like a reaction on Afflecks part.

Like he didn't have time to think about what was actually being said or why it was being said.

he heard somebody say something negative about Muslims, and he reacted without forethought.

That shows heavy conditioning from somewhere.
 
Hamster Buddha said:
At this point, it's not really news to anyone that Maher has no love for the state of Islam today. Well, recently he had on Ben Affleck as well as author Sam Harris (who has been critical about Islam in his books) and there was a heated exchange when the discussion of Islam came up:



Of course it didn't take long for Affleck to throw in the "Racism" card as Maher and Harris demonstrated just how large the issue is of Radical Islam is today. Look, I think it's admirable that Liberals want to be inclusive and not judge others. But the problem with Liberals (as a whole, but more importantly, in regards to the issue of Islam) is when they buy into moral relativism, they begin to lose sight of what is right and what is wrong. And what is going on the ME and more specifically, Islam today, is clearly wrong. If it was Christianity that was responsible for such human rights abuses, Liberals would be up in arm. Oh wait....



You think Oliver is going to do a video detailing these same horrors that are being perpetrated in the name of Islam? Not unless he wants to gamble with his and his family's lives. We've seen time after time what happens to people who speak out against Islam. It's why as Maher pointed out that he has to walk around with body guards. We as a country are still living under the naive belief that Muslims in the Middle East are just like us and that if given the chance, they just just want be like us. There not, and multiple polls have shown us that. More to the point, recent history has demonstrated this clearly time and time again.

Until we realize this simple truth, we're going to keep shooting ourselves in the foot when it comes to the policy making in the ME.
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It is true that many liberals have indeed lost sight of their own principles and have forgotten that Islam as practiced in Muslim nations doesn't represent nearly any liberal ideals. That being said, it is also up to conservatives to clean up their language and avoid making blatantly false and bigoted statements of their own, e.g. Muslims are silent about violent extremism, Muslims want to kill and convert everybody, etc. Liberals need to understand that multiculturalism is all very well and good, but have to be honest with themselves: are liberal ideals good or not? If they are inherently positive, don't identify so strongly with principles that are by definition not liberal at all. And Conservatives need to take responsibility for adding unnecessarily incendiary rhetoric that doesn't help anybody at all. Both sides are making the issue so schizophrenic that it is extremely difficult for any rational discussion to take place.
 
Affleck is unwittingly proving Harris's point about liberal downplaying of Islam's ugly side. He just hears Harris say something negative about liberals and Islam and he shuts off.

Why Maher keeps bringing celebrities on to weigh in on politics is beyond me. It's just embarrassing. It's like Mos Def vs Hitchens on nuclear Iran all over again.
 
the_recruit said:
Affleck is unwittingly proving Harris's point about liberal downplaying of Islam's ugly side. He just hears Harris say something negative about liberals and Islam and he shuts off.
.
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:yt


Now I have to write something or the message is too short.
 
Jesse Booth said:
Bill Maher isn't as repulsive as Greg Gutfeld makes him out to be. That's all.
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Let's be fair, here: Maher's biggest crimes are that he comes across as smug and he laughs at his own jokes. Take those away and you actually have a pretty alright guy who's consistent with his principles.
 
csbrown28 said:
:yt


Now I have to write something or the message is too short.
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Have you read any of Harris's books? I figure you'd be a fan of his ideas on morality.
 
the_recruit said:
Have you read any of Harris's books? I figure you'd be a fan of his ideas on morality.
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Yes. The End of Faith and as you guessed he has been very influential on my ideas of morality with the book, The Moral Landscape.

There are also several really good YouTuber's that I follow as well. Theoretical Bullsh*t, and probably my favorite in the areas of understanding of behavior, AntiCitizenX. I've gleaned a lot from them all.
 
Cardinal said:
Let's be fair, here: Maher's biggest crimes are that he comes across as smug and he laughs at his own jokes. Take those away and you actually have a pretty alright guy who's consistent with his principles.
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.....no. You have a sarcastic a-hole who is consistent with his principles. Although being consistent with your principles is odd enough that it is sometimes breathtakingly surprising. His best suit is that he really does mean it when he says he's committed to Liberal (big L) ideas, even at the expense of multiculturalism.
 
cpwill said:
.....no. You have a sarcastic a-hole who is consistent with his principles. Although being consistent with your principles is odd enough that it is sometimes breathtakingly surprising. His best suit is that he really does mean it when he says he's committed to Liberal (big L) ideas, even at the expense of multiculturalism.
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The only valid criticism in your post is that he's sarcastic, though I personally lump that in with "smug."
 
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