by Ian Hanchett
During his closing monologue on Friday’s broadcast of HBO’s “Real Time,” host Bill Maher stated that “Celebrities don’t know about the real world.” And told them that “being talented, which you are, isn’t the same as knowing things or having the credibility to advise people on their politics. You rail against privilege, but you avail yourself of the greatest privilege of all, to remain clueless.”
Maher said that while celebrities have every right to speak their mind, they shouldn’t. He added that most celebrities — with the exception of Bruce Springsteen and some others — don’t seem to be in touch, and “being talented, which you are, isn’t the same as knowing things or having the credibility to advise people on their politics. You rail against privilege, but you avail yourself of the greatest privilege of all, to remain clueless. Dave Chappelle lashed out at me last month because I called him out for saying there was more free speech in Saudi Arabia than here. Well, I was right. What he said was stupid. America has many problems, including free speech issues on both left and right. But we’re real different than Saudi Arabia. If you don’t believe me, try opening a lesbian art gallery there or wearing a t-shirt that says ‘Jesus is the one true God.’ Ricky [Gervais is] right. Celebrities don’t know about the real world.”