Over the years, artists Bill Maher, Jon Stewart and Lin Manuel Miranda have been hugely popular figures on the progressive left. Maher, an irreverent comedian whose harsh words about Republicans, conservatives and religion delighted his infamously leftist audience. Stewart has made it fashionable for late-night comedians to act as partisan commentators who strongly favor one tribe over another (several of those who sling his schtick offer a less refined, and certainly less comical, version of this). And Miranda quickly rose to fame by inventing Monster, a brilliant Broadway hit about the founding of a country, Hamilton. Neither man can anymore bask in their content status among their many traveling companions as the cheers turn to complaints – and even outright hostility.
Maher has been increasingly at odds with his tribe, expressing his views on issues ranging from COVID to Israel which are the curse of the challenging left. Every week he uses his HBO platform to wage war on the runaway consciousness, and he willingly joins the fight. These days, after virtually every show, Very Online leftists complain bitterly and rage about his comments; one Squad member famously boycotted his show, echoing the right-wing pressure campaign long ago. In the face of criticism and opposition, Maher’s approach proved defiant and uncompromising. He seems to enjoy the fight, and if there’s going to be a culture war on the left, he wants to facilitate fight it. Here the latest example his verbal spats in which he lashed out at newborn proponents of the wokester movement who seem to have no knowledge of history or, ironically, no appreciation of real progress:
If you think America is more racist now than ever, more sexist than before women could vote, and more homophobic than when blowjobs were a crime, then #Progressophobia and you should adjust your mask because it’s covering your eyes. #BY photo:twitter.com/qFUFwO3eNJ
— Bill Maher (@billmaher) June 12, 2021
“Now, kids: there was a world before you got here.” Miranda seems confused and a little lost when the same kids target him. He is constantly criticized by a growing leftist coalition of true radicals, self-satisfied fixers, constantly nagging “problem” cops, and envious people – whose presence in such wagons involves dragging others down as a form of destructive therapy to soothe their own gnawing feelings of inadequacy. Facing an avalanche of moans and scolding – na Hamilton failing the “equality” tests and being too pro-American, does not perform necessary changes for social justice and not satisfy niche requirements of diminutive corners of the woke peanut gallery – Miranda seems to consistently adopt a groveling “duck and cover” response. The apologies pile up:
?? “Your obedient servant…” pic.twitter.com/8nGqIPfmwa
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) June 15, 2021
Criticism is “everything is critical“and I am very sorry that I did not keep my word,” he pleads, inviting further rounds of slander from the insatiable crowd full of bad faith. Hate and mockery of him, apparently become entertainment among the leftist gen. Zeros who undoubtedly like to extract and not accept apology after apology that only deepens the “shudder”:
[The era of peak Miranda popularity] It’s a startling contrast to the current situation, where a snarky Miranda on the internet, at least among a certain caustic demographic, is likely to spawn a flood of relentless memes, largely revolving around the infamous selfie series in which Miranda rather dramatically bites his lips, or the delighted mockery of some Hamilton demo songs, all sung by Miranda, whose vocals failed to impress TikTokers who had recently discovered her. At first glance, Miranda, like her skinny jeans and side partings, seems to be the victim of an intergenerational feud between millennials and Generation Z, in which the former’s popular culture becomes fodder for the latter’s culture of embarrassment…Miranda wasn’t the only one who was re-examined. Release Hamilton on Disney+ last summer made audiences rethink the musical.
It was precisely this form of liberalism that prevailed among HamiltonThe often very white, millennial audience has undergone a reckoning. In the wake of Black Lives Matter protests and Donald Trump’s presidency, American conversations about race have become more honest. In 2019, writer Ishmael Reed expressed his criticism of the musical by writing the play: The haunting of Lin-Manuel MirandaAND Ccompared Hamilton to Ohio kidnapper Ariel Castro, who held three women captive in his basement. And when the musical finally came to Puerto Rico in 2019, it was not received with enthusiasm. “It is true that Miranda met with some resistance when he brought Hamilton to Puerto Rico, but it mainly came from a younger, more activist group…” The torrent of praise for the musical’s diversity gave way criticism of the fact that it lionized the Founding Fathers and covered up their involvement in slavery. The idealistic celebration of immigrants as America’s founders seemed disingenuous to critics due to the series focusing on slaves and colonizers as “young, brave and hungry” heroes.
Miranda learns the same lesson as in a disgusting way directed at Tom Hanks in a recent article published by NPR: With this crowd, nothing is ever good enough. Literally:
It’s great that Hanks has taken the initiative to support the teaching of race massacre – indirectly opposing all the over-examination of critical race theory, which too often serves to gloss over such lessons about the darkest chapters in American history. But that’s not enough… He’s a baby boomer star who has built much of his career on stories about American white men “doing the right thing.” …For those of us who often speak out on these issues, one of the hardest things to do is go to a white person who is trying so challenging to be an ally and tell them they need to do more… That’s why I’m saying It’s time for people like Hanks to become anti-racists. If he really wants to make a difference, Hanks and other stars need to be specific about how their work has contributed to these issues. and how they will change.
Those who wish to please the beast volunteer to be enslaved by its capricious and ever-changing whims. That’s why it seems Maher has decided to stand up and fight. Which brings us to Stewart, who has long Daily show host who is being ridiculed by some leftists for his hilariously manic tirade on Stephen Colbert’s show about COVID and the Wuhan lab leak theory. To accept this theory as feasible, plausible or likely, as it seems, is an “anti-scientific” right-wing “conspiracy theory.” They also claim that thinking or speaking critically about the actions of the Chinese Communist Party is tantamount to endangering Asian Americans. Many of these same people do not hesitate to criticize Israel even as Western Jews are beaten in the streets, but this is different. Of course, the lab leak theory has always been realistic and plausible, if not probable. Those who publicly entertained it – even prominent scientists – were ridiculed or endangered. But now it’s becoming much more common because these rejection-sniffing they don’t stick. It was a revelatory episode for the media, the self-appointed guardians of “disinformation” and the cozy and smug guardians of conventional liberal-left wisdom. But it obsolete “wisdom” has apparently become deeply ingrained among many leftists, who recoil in horror when one of their long-time favorites takes the “wrong” side while distorting the irrationality of “right-wing” thinkers like themselves. Here is Stewart committing the sin against the High Church of the dogmatic leftist:
Right now: Jon Stewart on the Covid Lab Leak ‘theory’ is a solid laugh pic.twitter.com/WlRX35p9WK
— siskin.eth (@mns) June 15, 2021
Colbert cheesy zinger about Senator Ron Johnson is just icing on the cake. There were fans they’re bad. How could he do this to us and agree with… them?they stammer, seemingly impervious to the growing chorus of voices that the conspiracy theory they associate with Bads is, in fact, entirely possible. The narrative is deeply rooted. How will Stewart react, if at all? Will he stand his ground and even double down, Maher-style, or will he try to serene the incensed hordes?
