I feel like Bill Maher



Bill Maher's TV series, Real Time with Bill Maher , is currently on hiatus. At the end of each show, he introduces his "new rules," which are usually gleaned from the headlines of our newspapers. They can range from the whimsical ("New rule: cornbread isn't bread. It's cake.") to the cultural ("If you're watching people play cards on TV, you either need a better hobby or a drinking problem. First, there was "Celebrity Poker." Then there was "Celebrity Blackjack." I saw one show that was just Camryn Mannheim scratching lottery tickets. What's on TV has to be at least as interesting as what's on the average security monitor at a convenience store.") to the political ("Don't make people who hate you, hug you. Whatever the Bush Administration is blackmailing John McCain with, stop!")

Well, there was a news item last week that made me want to provide this new rule: if you want to protest the unfair portrayal of a group you belong to in entertainment or the media, don't let the protest turn into the way they're portraying you.

A group of Sikhs were protesting a play in London, set in a Sikh temple, that includes rape and murder. This upset the Sikhs so much, that the protests turned violent. Hello? If you want to tell the world that you're not the violent people portrayed in this play, don't let the protest turn violent!

Posted: Wed - December 29, 2004 at 10:44 PM        

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