Exactly, and he hasn’t gotten more “violent” in his rhetoric either. He used to have a bit about jumping over the fences of the gated communities where the bankers live.
Musk just walked into the teeth of his jokes. I mean, how do you not make fun of the guy? He’s a cartoon villain…
Bill Burr, along with anyone and everyone, has the right to utter any danged thing they want to say. And if they happen to be public figures they should be prepared to be asked to extrapolate on the topics they have commented on. That’s all.
If he doesn’t want to be challenged by people with cameras and mics about his political comments then he may want to think about not making political statements on stage and in front of audiences. Save the politics for dinner party chats, Bill. Especially because you freely admit you don’t know anything about political happenings.
Bill Burr isn't as easy to figure out as RATM. He has always seemed liberal about some things, but he as also been an anti-feminist and against political correctness.
As for the "actually funny" point, the funniest man I can think of is Norm Macdonald, who was rather conservative, but empathetic as well.
I'm pretty confident Bill Burr is not anti-feminist. He does plenty of jokes where he makes fun of women and the things they do, but that is not the same thing.
Similarly, Norm Macdonald never struck me as a champion of misogyny, isolationism, racism, or oligarchy. Politically, I’d place him somewhere near Bill Maher—who, despite his conservative demeanor, is still a Democrat (albeit one who relentlessly critiques them, as he should when they’re as ineffectual as they are these days).
Both Burr and Macdonald may have relatively conservative viewpoints, but neither can be classified as alt-right by any stretch. Conservative does not mean alt-right, nor does it necessarily mean Republican—though the overlap is significant.
As for the "actually funny" point I'm making: I have a theory that there can be no genuinely talented comedians on the alt-right. Sure, there are so-called "alt-right comedians," but they don’t write or deliver actual comedy. Their routines are little more than mean-spirited rants, punching down at weaker targets and earning applause from an audience that shares their grievances.
Greg Gutfeld is often touted as the right-wing equivalent of Jon Stewart, but the difference is vast—and not just politically. Stewart has charisma, wit, knowledge, and comedic craft. Gutfeld, on the other hand, is just a talking head regurgitating conservative talking points.
Agree with the overall point. But I would guess the spark of animosity towards Burr from the so-called “right” (I loathe these labels but it’s what I have to use, I guess) stems more from his Israel jokes, not so much the billionaire takes. The whole “if they’re using babies as human shields, maybe you should work around that - I can’t go kick my neighbor’s ass if he’s holding a baby in his arms” was very funny and cuts at one of their main sacred cow arguments.
Alright, I gotta jump in here. As a card-carrying Democrat and a huge fan of Bill Burr, Tom Segura, and pretty much anyone else who has the guts to kick societal norms in the shins, let’s not start pretending all left-leaning folks are sitting around clutching pearls and canceling comedians over swear words. That’s lazy, and frankly, it’s just not true. Some of us on the left actually like being challenged. We grew up on George Carlin and Richard Pryor. Our comedy diet included truth, grit, and the occasional verbal gut punch. You don’t have to be a MAGA hat-wearer to appreciate someone who calls out bullshit.
Now, as for the decline of late-night talk shows? C’mon, man. It’s not because Colbert said something too woke or Fallon laughed too hard at a Biden joke. It’s because we’re not staying up ‘til the crack of dawn to catch it live anymore. We’re watching the best five minutes on YouTube over coffee the next morning. I haven’t watched anything on cable in real-time since my remote control still had a wire. The game changed. It's not about people turning on comedy, it’s about people turning off the TV and watching it on their terms. There's a difference.
And let’s stop pretending Burr is some new anti-woke hero. He’s been the same exact guy for decades ... smart, abrasive, hilarious, and unfiltered. The only difference is now there’s a bunch of people online trying to use him like a political action figure. He doesn’t play for your team, he plays for the truth, as he sees it. That’s why we love him. Not because he’s saying what we want to hear, but because he says it even when we don’t.
So yeah, some of us out here are liberal, love free speech, and still know how to laugh at ourselves. Weird, right?
How about you don't take any comedian seriously, about anything. If ever they get called out, they'll be the first to tell you that they were just having a laugh.
Yup, I love me some George Carlin. Like I LOVE George Carlin. He could have taken my first born and raised him on an undisclosed compound somewhere and I'd be fine knowing he was in good hands.
But whenever someone uses him as an excuse to never vote I'm just like "Dude. You're not supposed to take every word he says literally."
The point was to point how how useless the political system is, not to give you an excuse to never fix it.
I love Bill Burr — been listening to his Monday Morning podcast for over a decade at this point, and I’m giddily cheering him on over his latest billionaire fixation.
I’d only argue that I don’t think this is a ‘pivot’ from him, which makes it seem like a conscious strategic move on his part. He has always popped off over societal issues that he can’t make sense of, often with little regard about career mobility for himself.
Great piece--I knew when Shapiro started dissecting the literal implications of Burr's jokes that Bill had gotten in his head. reminds me of the book entitled "Everything I Hate is Woke: A Simple Guide for Dickheads". Bill is the canary in the coal mine of where our culture is headed
Yep, I like Bill Burr, he just seems to get funnier and funnier, poking a stick, and to my mind good naturedly, or only mean enough to get his point across. Not being in the us I don't see enough Colbert or the other guy to know if they rowed back against progressive liberal sanctimonious positions or not. I'm guessing from the article not. But what I can say is that for comic effect the Colbert dancing vaccine number to the tune of "Tequila" should have had the chorus "Corona!" for both appropriateness and because it scans, goddammit. Also, not being in the US, I say that a government of oligarchs cutting taxes for the rich and services for the rest, is not a good look. Yes, you've got a looming fiscal cliff. But the croupier-like garnering of wealth to the already rich, isn't good for the country.
Burr is a fucking genius. He pulls no punches and even if what he’s saying rankles with you personally, you can’t quite find exactly where he’s wrong. Solid point, every goddamned time. Never have I heard a man speak who was so hard to agree with and yet so impossible to disagree with. Bill Burr is today’s George Carlin and we are lucky to have him.
Bill Burr didn’t really pivot, he’s always been against tech bros. He had a whole run of jokes about Steve Jobs just after he died.
Exactly, and he hasn’t gotten more “violent” in his rhetoric either. He used to have a bit about jumping over the fences of the gated communities where the bankers live.
Musk just walked into the teeth of his jokes. I mean, how do you not make fun of the guy? He’s a cartoon villain…
Second that. He's always been an equal-opportunity offender.
Bill Burr, along with anyone and everyone, has the right to utter any danged thing they want to say. And if they happen to be public figures they should be prepared to be asked to extrapolate on the topics they have commented on. That’s all.
If he doesn’t want to be challenged by people with cameras and mics about his political comments then he may want to think about not making political statements on stage and in front of audiences. Save the politics for dinner party chats, Bill. Especially because you freely admit you don’t know anything about political happenings.
Stick to what you’re good at professionally.
Shouldn’t Elon Musk stick to making cars, satellites, and anything but politics by that very logic?
He is
I love Burr. My two favorite comedians are named Bill. There will never be another Hicks.
What surprises me, is that only NOW do the alt-right turn on Bill Burr. It has always been obvious that he is about as progressive as they come.
You can tell by the fact that he:
1. Has empathy and social intelligence enough to make his living on the proverbial line, not by crossing it.
2. Is actually funny.
3. Is not afraid of making fun of his own tribe.
The fact that they thought he was on "their side" is as dumb as when they thought the same thing about Rage Against The Machine.
Bill Burr isn't as easy to figure out as RATM. He has always seemed liberal about some things, but he as also been an anti-feminist and against political correctness.
As for the "actually funny" point, the funniest man I can think of is Norm Macdonald, who was rather conservative, but empathetic as well.
Perhaps. But...
I'm pretty confident Bill Burr is not anti-feminist. He does plenty of jokes where he makes fun of women and the things they do, but that is not the same thing.
Similarly, Norm Macdonald never struck me as a champion of misogyny, isolationism, racism, or oligarchy. Politically, I’d place him somewhere near Bill Maher—who, despite his conservative demeanor, is still a Democrat (albeit one who relentlessly critiques them, as he should when they’re as ineffectual as they are these days).
Both Burr and Macdonald may have relatively conservative viewpoints, but neither can be classified as alt-right by any stretch. Conservative does not mean alt-right, nor does it necessarily mean Republican—though the overlap is significant.
As for the "actually funny" point I'm making: I have a theory that there can be no genuinely talented comedians on the alt-right. Sure, there are so-called "alt-right comedians," but they don’t write or deliver actual comedy. Their routines are little more than mean-spirited rants, punching down at weaker targets and earning applause from an audience that shares their grievances.
Greg Gutfeld is often touted as the right-wing equivalent of Jon Stewart, but the difference is vast—and not just politically. Stewart has charisma, wit, knowledge, and comedic craft. Gutfeld, on the other hand, is just a talking head regurgitating conservative talking points.
Agree with the overall point. But I would guess the spark of animosity towards Burr from the so-called “right” (I loathe these labels but it’s what I have to use, I guess) stems more from his Israel jokes, not so much the billionaire takes. The whole “if they’re using babies as human shields, maybe you should work around that - I can’t go kick my neighbor’s ass if he’s holding a baby in his arms” was very funny and cuts at one of their main sacred cow arguments.
Alright, I gotta jump in here. As a card-carrying Democrat and a huge fan of Bill Burr, Tom Segura, and pretty much anyone else who has the guts to kick societal norms in the shins, let’s not start pretending all left-leaning folks are sitting around clutching pearls and canceling comedians over swear words. That’s lazy, and frankly, it’s just not true. Some of us on the left actually like being challenged. We grew up on George Carlin and Richard Pryor. Our comedy diet included truth, grit, and the occasional verbal gut punch. You don’t have to be a MAGA hat-wearer to appreciate someone who calls out bullshit.
Now, as for the decline of late-night talk shows? C’mon, man. It’s not because Colbert said something too woke or Fallon laughed too hard at a Biden joke. It’s because we’re not staying up ‘til the crack of dawn to catch it live anymore. We’re watching the best five minutes on YouTube over coffee the next morning. I haven’t watched anything on cable in real-time since my remote control still had a wire. The game changed. It's not about people turning on comedy, it’s about people turning off the TV and watching it on their terms. There's a difference.
And let’s stop pretending Burr is some new anti-woke hero. He’s been the same exact guy for decades ... smart, abrasive, hilarious, and unfiltered. The only difference is now there’s a bunch of people online trying to use him like a political action figure. He doesn’t play for your team, he plays for the truth, as he sees it. That’s why we love him. Not because he’s saying what we want to hear, but because he says it even when we don’t.
So yeah, some of us out here are liberal, love free speech, and still know how to laugh at ourselves. Weird, right?
How about you don't take any comedian seriously, about anything. If ever they get called out, they'll be the first to tell you that they were just having a laugh.
Yup, I love me some George Carlin. Like I LOVE George Carlin. He could have taken my first born and raised him on an undisclosed compound somewhere and I'd be fine knowing he was in good hands.
But whenever someone uses him as an excuse to never vote I'm just like "Dude. You're not supposed to take every word he says literally."
The point was to point how how useless the political system is, not to give you an excuse to never fix it.
I love Bill Burr — been listening to his Monday Morning podcast for over a decade at this point, and I’m giddily cheering him on over his latest billionaire fixation.
I’d only argue that I don’t think this is a ‘pivot’ from him, which makes it seem like a conscious strategic move on his part. He has always popped off over societal issues that he can’t make sense of, often with little regard about career mobility for himself.
Agreed, I don’t see him pivoting at all.
Great piece--I knew when Shapiro started dissecting the literal implications of Burr's jokes that Bill had gotten in his head. reminds me of the book entitled "Everything I Hate is Woke: A Simple Guide for Dickheads". Bill is the canary in the coal mine of where our culture is headed
I’m as lefty as they come, and I’ve always loved Burr. He’s a TRUTH TELLER, and if that makes you uncomfortable, that’s your problem.
Yep, I like Bill Burr, he just seems to get funnier and funnier, poking a stick, and to my mind good naturedly, or only mean enough to get his point across. Not being in the us I don't see enough Colbert or the other guy to know if they rowed back against progressive liberal sanctimonious positions or not. I'm guessing from the article not. But what I can say is that for comic effect the Colbert dancing vaccine number to the tune of "Tequila" should have had the chorus "Corona!" for both appropriateness and because it scans, goddammit. Also, not being in the US, I say that a government of oligarchs cutting taxes for the rich and services for the rest, is not a good look. Yes, you've got a looming fiscal cliff. But the croupier-like garnering of wealth to the already rich, isn't good for the country.
Burr is a fucking genius. He pulls no punches and even if what he’s saying rankles with you personally, you can’t quite find exactly where he’s wrong. Solid point, every goddamned time. Never have I heard a man speak who was so hard to agree with and yet so impossible to disagree with. Bill Burr is today’s George Carlin and we are lucky to have him.
So funny to hear Matt Taibi and Walter Kirn seething mad at Bill Burr for not bowing to their Orange master.
Link? I really like Matt Taibi, that’s surprising to hear
Matt Taibbi became a propagandist. He hasn't been credible in close to a decade.
+1
America This Week Livestream.
I love bill burr
Bill Burr is the best!!Give em Hell Bill!!!
Bill Burr is NPR approved bro comedy, like Kendrick Lamar is for rap. That's why Matt Taibbi and Walter Kirn don't like him.
Dude, I love Bill Burr!