Real Time host Bill Maher was mocked online after he unleashed a wave of toxic masculinity in a rant about Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie.
In a social media post, Maher shared his less-than-enthusiastic thoughts on the film, particularly focusing on what he perceived as its "preachy" and "man-hating" elements. Maher also commented on the film's depiction of a patriarchal society in 2023, which he found questionable.
In the post, Maher discussed various aspects of the film's plot and its portrayal of gender dynamics. He raised concerns about the film's depiction of a Mattel board consisting of 12 white men, which he compared to the real-life Mattel board that includes a more balanced gender representation, calling it a "Zombie Lie."
You can see his post below.
Maher wrote:
"Spoiler alert, Barbie fights the Patriarchy. Right up to the Mattel board who created her, consisting of 12 white men! The Patriarchy! Except there's a Mattel board in real life, and it's 7 men and 5 women."
"OK, not perfect even-steven, but not the way the board IN THE MOVIE - which takes place in 2023 - is portrayed. And not really any longer deserving of the word "patriarchy." Yes, there was one, and remnants of it remain - but this movie is so 2000-LATE."
Maher also appeared to misunderstand a plot point involving the Barbies distracting the Kens in order to rescue other brainwashed Barbies. He described it as the Barbies "pretending to act helpless and not know how to do stuff" to win over the Kens.
He wrote:
"At one point the Barbies have to win over the Kens, and they are told to do it by pretending to act helpless and not know how to do stuff. Helen Gurley Brown called, she wants her premise back. Yes, that WAS a thing."
"I saw 'Barbie' with a woman in her 30s who said, 'I don't know a single woman of any age who would act like that today.'"
While Maher acknowledged that he found Barbie to be "fun" and that he enjoyed it, he maintained that the film perpetuated what he referred to as a "zombie lie" – a notion that was true in the past but no longer holds true in the present.
He concluded:
"And people who don't go along with zombie lies did not take some red pill - just staying true to CURRENT reality. Let's live in the year we're living in! Hi Ken!!!"
Barbie has garnered attention for its exploration of gender roles, power dynamics, and societal issues and has grossed $1.06 billion worldwide, marking the first time a film by a solo female director did so.
Many have called out Maher's remarks as an example of toxic masculinity and misogyny.
Maher is not alone, of course. Many right-wing men have taken offense to the film, most notably Daily Wire host Ben Shapiro, who referred to it as "flaming garbage" and one of the most "woke" movies he has ever seen.
Shapiro—who made headlines last month for burning several dolls on a barbecue grill to symbolize his discontent with the film—asserted that the movie's popularity would plummet after the first week, only to be reminded of his bogus prediction after the film crossed the $1 billion mark.
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