“Someone needs to tell the people who block traffic in the name of a cause, ‘no one likes you, and you’re probably hurting your cause.’”
While maybe late-night host Bill Maher and I don’t agree on everything, I can’t even attempt to disagree with his take on protesters using activism to fuel their narcissism.
During one of his monologues on “Real Time” on Friday, Maher spent nearly eight minutes lamenting how annoying and self-serving liberal protesters are. Of course, at the end he took some crude shots at former President Donald Trump. But other than those final 30 seconds, he made some excellent points.
Warning: The clip below contains graphic language that might offend some viewers.
When “activism” merges with narcissism, it’s less about the cause and more about the ego. pic.twitter.com/Ndfa7Sm0gQ
— Bill Maher (@billmaher) April 27, 2024
He spoke of recent protests where pro-Hamas activists blocked major roads throughout the United States, seemingly believing that by inconveniencing everyday Americans, they would be advancing their cause.
However, as he noted, these actions accomplish absolutely nothing except irritating people attempting to go about their day.
Maher also touched on a point far less discussed, claiming that these activists were showing their privilege by being able to waste everybody’s time instead of working or doing anything productive.
Is Bill Maher correct that for protesters it’s about ego, not the cause?
“I have a kid. I have a job and yes, I’m sure there are injustices on both sides in the Middle East, as there are injustices all over the world, but I’m going to be late for work,” he said. “Something you protestors on the bridge seem to have the luxury of not having to worry about which seems kind of privilege-ey.”
“You can glue your hands to the street because your hands don’t have to do any work today.”
Maher is a staunch liberal but one of the few who will use his platform to hit the left on topics like abortion and illegal immigration in ways that have given him a reputation as an independent thinker. His monologues have been known to make news, but Friday’s — given its timely nature and likely resonance with everyday Americans of all political persuasions — might have been his best ever.
Maher also hits on the weird attachment that “social justice warriors” have to Che Guevara, a figure that many activists praise as a revolutionist hero.
Of course, as the host pointed out, the reality is that Guevara was a “sadistic, racist monster,” but as none of these people ever bother to look into any matter in the slightest, they wouldn’t know that.
Not looking into anything seems to be an overarching theme of activists, as Maher noted.
It just becomes a game for them. “Which new cause can I champion so that I get lots of attention and can feel good about myself,” they ask themselves.
It’s not about what issue is the most pressing and actually affects the most people, it’s about which one they can glob onto to accumulate the most clicks, likes, and thumbs-ups on social media.
Maher noted many other causes harm far more lives than the war in Gaza — causes such as North Korean oppression, Chinese concentration camps, religious oppression and more.
Why aren’t progressives up in arms about these?
Why is Gaza so extremely important to them, enough to where they’ll block roads and risk other people’s jobs?
The answer is simple. It’s not about the cause; it is about themselves.
Narcissism has completely overtaken the left, and that takes us back to those clicks, likes, and thumbs up.
While the Gaza protests are front and center now, there will be another cause for attention seekers to rally behind tomorrow.
So what’s the solution? We need something that replaces narcissism and humility, and there’s only one thing that’s ever been able to reliably do that on an individual level — faith.
Revival could demolish this rampant narcissism. Short of that, we have to root out the arrogance, envy, and resentment being taught in every educational institution in America.
If we could replace that narcissistic stew with humility, charity, and love (not squishy “love,” but powerful love that wants what’s best for the other even when it’s not pleasant in the beginning), we could make incredible progress.
But that solution will take generations because the narcissists we’ve already created will have to die out. Revival is clearly the better option. So while they’re out there protesting, it’s time we got to work sharing the Gospel.
