Bill Maher is a liberal. He says it loud and clear, and is not apologetic about it. There used to be many liberals who had the same opinions as Bill Maher, and were clearly pro-Israel. But, amazingly, in less than a decade or so, to be a pro-Israel liberal has fallen out of style. Why is that? How can a true liberal explain that they actually support a terrorist organization that rains down thousands of missiles on the State of Israel? How can a true liberal support – in any way – an organization that has a declared aim of destroying the State of Israel?
The answer is that true liberal people are fast becoming an endangered species. Nearly every young person who espouses seemingly liberal values is not liberal at all. If cancelling free speech is a lofty value, that is as anti-liberal a value as can be. If supporting an organization that declares openly that they believe in indiscriminate killing of civilians in order to accomplish political aims, that is as anti-liberal a value as can be. Alan Dershowitz, Bill Maher, and a smattering of other genuine liberals understand this. But their voices are cancelled by so many who think that supporting Israel is an anti-liberal value. After all, what about the feelings of the poor Palestinian children?
Clarity of mind has become a rare asset in the world dominated by tik-tok and instagram. Bill Maher is spot-on in saying that you can’t learn history via super-short video clips. The closing of the American mind has not happened due to television half as much as it has due to social media. What is ironic is that social media has brought hundreds of millions into a more aware mindset of world values. But nonetheless, more damage than good has come from the superficial understanding that so many people have on so many issues. A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing.