Special to L. Neil Smith’s The Libertarian Enterprise

In my last article “Stan Lee: A Tribute”, I made a brief mention of how Bill Maher decided to belittle those who mourned the passing of Stan Lee. He also blamed both Lee and millions of comic book readers for the election of Donald Trump. If you are wondering how comic books and the election of Donald Trump are even connected, then you are not alone. It would seem ridiculous to suggest that Stan Lee or anyone else at Marvel would try to influence its readers to vote for Donald Trump, since Lee was always a staunch liberal and Marvel is hardly what you would call a Right-Wing company (understatement of the century). I think what Maher was really trying to say was that millions of voters were dumbed down by both comic books and the movies based on them. I suppose that was what he was trying to say, since he then gave comic book fans a lecture about putting away childish things. Of course, when you take a swing at a man who had just died, along with millions of his fans, you are definitely going to face backlash. While Maher tried in vein to backtrack on what he said about Lee, he basically double-downed on what he said about comic book fans. He said that their anger over his comments, pretty much proved his point.

This is nothing new, since most leftists seem to use the same formula for political commentary, which usually consists of arrogance, smugness, pseudointellectualism and a good old slice of hypocrisy to top it all off. Going all the way back to his first show “Politically Incorrect”, he practically accused the NRA of being accessories to any murder committed with a firearm, but had the nerve to complain about how California’s waiting-period prevented him from legally buying a firearm during the LA riots. Of course, Maher also likes to tell us in a very smug voice how stupid Americans are for not wanting government-controlled healthcare, yet this same Rhodes Scholar proudly proclaimed that he refuses to take vaccinations because he doesn’t trust the government with his health. Then there was the episode where he accused the late Chris Kyle of racism because he used harsh language against his enemies. This came from the same Bill Maher who once compared Islam to the Mafia.

I have to say that one of his dumbest movements came when he called himself a libertarian. A man who wanted gun ownership restricted and healthcare tightly controlled by the government, actually called himself a libertarian. Not only does it sound as if this man had never read a single sentence written by Murray Rothbard, it doesn’t even sound like he ever read a single sentence from libertarian-lite publications such as Reason. For that matter I don’t think he even bothered to look up libertarianism on Wikipedia. Seriously, he didn’t even know that free markets were a fundamental part of the ideology. That was definitely not a shining moment for Bill Maher.

Now he has taken it upon himself to insult millions of people because their hobbies aren’t sophisticated enough for his taste. First of all, nobody is claiming that comic books are high art.  Okay, maybe you have a few fanatics here and there, just like you have Trekkies who try to study Klingon as a second language. Though I think I speak for the overwhelming majority of comic book fans when I say that we regard comic books in the same way that we regard any other form of escapism. It’s not much different than the escapism that certain women engage in when they read romance novels or when men choose to tune in to a Mets’ game. While I can certainly understand why Maher won’t be attending Comic Con any time soon, it is worth pointing out that there are many who would show the same kind of snobbery towards baseball and his precious Mets team, which he owns a tiny percentage of. While I am more of a basketball guy, I don’t feel the need to turn my nose up at the sport or it’s fans, just so I can feel superior. That is the real issue that millions of comic book fans have with Maher. The fact that he also blamed them for Trump’s rise to power probably didn’t set well with comic enthusiasts either. It personally doesn’t bother me because I have no problem telling people that I gave my vote to a flag waving nationalist, instead of a Sal Alinsky disciple. Then of course there was the condescending way he treated the news of Stan Lee’s death. I know he tried to take back his comments, but he still came off as a condescending jerk who had no respect for the dead.

Okay, Bill, do you know where your problem lies? With your massive ego you would probably blame everyone else around you for your own shortcomings. That is if you were to acknowledge that your shortcomings even existed in the first place. Your problem is that you think that you are so much smarter than everybody else in this country. It’s your arrogance and smugness that makes you so off-putting, which is why you failed as a comedian. It’s interesting how you once said that Dennis Miller became less funny once he became a conservative. I would say that even on a day when Miller’s jokes fall flat, he still represents everything that wish you could be on a good day. To be honest I don’t think you are that great of commentator. At least as one who has consistent viewpoints. Before I conclude this article, I want to give you one last piece of advice. It’s the same advice that I give to all of your left-wing buddies who are looking for someone to blame for their failures during the 2016 election. I tell them to look no further than their own mirror, since you have nobody to blame but yourselves.