I regret to inform you that
Bill Maher is at it again.On Friday night, after a softball interview with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and a few other chummy chats,
the Real Time host aired his latest “New Rule” segment. And it was focused on how Americans should be able to call COVID-19 the “Chinese virus.”
(Yes, Maher does not even know that the Spanish Flu
did not originate in Spain. Also, it occurred over a century ago and was not named such at a time when its people were being targeted in racist attacks, but more on that later.)
(
Note: Milan is not a country.)He added,
Oh, he also invoked the “PC Police” for good measure
There was more of course, like comparing the animals sold at China’s wet markets to nuclear bombs, and various other dog-whistles that would be more at home on Fox News.
Maher conveniently failed to mention the reason(s) why many politicians are advising against calling it the “Chinese virus,” naming it after an entire country: the numerous hate crimes that have been reported against Asian-Americans in the wake of COVID-19. Storefront windows of Asian-owned business
have been smashed and vandalized. People have been regularly taunted with
racist “go back to China” heckles. The FBI has warned of
a surge in hate crimes against Asian-Americans. Racially-motivated attacks on Asian-Americans
have risen to 100 a day in the midst of the pandemic.
Yes, Bill Maher, there
will always be idiots out there who want to indulge their prejudices. And tonight, that idiot was you.