Nothing can be expected of Bill Maher.  He is an ass and should be punished for many things he encourages.

If you type "misogynistic" on youtube, you will find many clips of Bill Maher complaining about how women hate men, how women "tame" men until men are numb, how women have everything and are complaining, etc... he hates feminism and feminists.  He is a fucking moron... pardon my french (you'll understand when you see the videos below).

Here's a sample:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oop5fY755Jo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw9Q6GTEPYw&feature=related

The worst is the 2nd link.  I don't remember any women burning bras.

Thank you mr. portillo.

As to the bra burning...I once saw an old news clip many years ago about women either protesting the viet nam war or fighting for equality in some area by burning their bras and going topless...I believe it happened in the 60s.

Very educational and entertaining. :)

Thomas is right Juan. The bra burning happened in the 60's. Maybe you younger folks should check with someone who actually lived back then before you spout off. I believe they were protesting for women's rights. Isn't it funny we are still fighting for the same thing over 40 years later? WHAT HAPPENED? The point is; WHO CARES if they burned their bras? I don't. It had absolutely no effect on me whatsoever except for the fact that I found it slightly amusing. (Quiet Lisa! Ha ha) The point being they have the right so what is your or any other man's problem regarding what a woman does with her underwear? Do they tell you what to do with yours?

Mike, I'm not getting you... I don't have a problem with women burning their bras and I'd support them if they do so.  I don't know what you're trying to get at.

I'm not even protesting the bra-burning. I'm protesting Bill Maher making fun of it. I probably didn't make it clear, but by saying "I don't remember it" I meant like "it really doesn't matter and I can't recall if they had done that" (but Thomas was kind enough to confirm it).

Thank you mr. nichols and thank you as well mr. portillo. 

I for one wouldnt mind if every woman in the world burnt their bras but then Im a mastoconcupiscent and always have been. :)

"The worst is the 2nd link.  I don't remember any women burning bras." 

This is your statement from above Juan. This is what I responded to. And now? 40+ years later, I don't have a problem with Bill Maher or anyone else making fun of bra burning because, when one looks back at certain things that happened in the crazy period in WHICH I GREW UP; they actually ARE kind of funny in an ironic kind of way.

I DO NOT respect Maher's comments regarding feminists but anyone remember the 2008 Democratic Primary? He SUPPORTED HILLARY CLINTON for president, as did I so I can only believe he is running out of suitable material for his show and has done some things that are in poor taste but I don't believe the man himself is in line with what he says. Hillary Clinton is, perhaps, the biggest feminist in the world.

Thomas is polite as always, and it's much appreciated.

Mike, II know you responded to that line.  What I didn't get is your hostility.  No need to be patronizing.

I'm sorry if my opinion about Bill Maher shakes your world, but even if he supported Hillary I still feel he's done more harm than good for the movement.

Indeed...

I concur.

The list of judges is a great idea.

These judges are bringing their own prejudices, lived experience and ideas to the table.  If the judge is a traditional man, more than likely he will not see a problem or will back up the other man to "put the woman in her place".

That is why it's important to have more female judges who would finally understand what women go through in cases like these.

Ahhh Lisa, but as long as we live in a good ole capitalistic society; it never will.

I don't know mike... there is still a chance that in a capitalistic society you can change the power structures.

Capitalism is whatever you make of it.  It's an amoral system. So if you're a good person, it can be a good system.  If you're not such a good person, it will become a hurtful system.

If you want to take advantage of people, you could probably do it.  If you want to be above the law, you can buy your way up.  However, in the long run, whoever tries to be a better person and bring good values to the system is also rewarded.

100% capitalism, though, does lend itself to abuse of power.  A mixture of systems is what's needed.

There are other ways to avoid prosecution. Maybe he pled it out, or took deferred prosecution. Big showy juried trials aren't the only function of the system. If Tila continued to insist on pressing charges (and she apparently has witnesses, so it's more than likely substantiated), he's not likely to get off scott-free. 

I do find the media treatment/defense of Merriman absolutely disgusting. First you have this Fleiss character saying "she's lying, he didn't hurt her" and then you have Maher saying "he didn't hurt her, but he damn well should've!" Seriously, boys? I don't care if you do find her to be an annoying attention-seeking prat, to decide that she somehow deserves to be physically harmed because of it is so.... caveman.

Anyway, as to the list of judges posited above: I believe that the outcome of many cases is public record, so this could actually be a database that a concerned citizen could reasonably compile in order to examine the possibility of judicial prejudice in dv cases. I'm sure there are women's justice groups out there that would gladly throw a grant in such a direction...

Good thing I read your very last sentence before I started this post Juan because I was about to blast off on you. But I see you have the good sense to realize that 100% Capitalism leads to 100% Corruption. Money talks and BS walks Juan. You know it; I know it, and so does everyone else on here. So let's stop pretending that if that were you or I instead of Shawne Merriman, we would be sitting in jail right now.

100% socialism leads to totalarianism. America has the right idea, a constantly adjusting blend of both. Give and take.

Agnes you are so right. Somehow, we got sidetracked into discussing "Bra Burning" when this post is about DV. Allow me to be the first to apologize.

Bill Maher is a comedian and while I agree his comments are in poor taste, I suppose it depends on who you believe, Tila or Shawne. Maybe he knows something we don't. Maybe not. The fact remains that this is more of a "Star date rapes former Celebrity" case and as such, has no business being under the heading: "Domestic Violence." I personally think the DV title should be reserved for those women who are in long term abusive relationships, such as the one you seem to be describing here Agnes.

It doesn't matter if Shawne Merriman is right or not.  The point is that there are so many people, including Bill Maher, who encourage acts of violence with their words.  This is particularly dangerous because he probably has a large audience base of single men who want to live the bachelor life (aka freedom from women) and don't take women seriously, and probably even think women deserve to be abused.

By the way, I think Agnes is protesting the words of Mike Fleiss, not whether the topic in this post should be considered DV or not.

Moreover, if Tila Tequila feels abused, let her define her situation as abuse.  She doens't need any more people judging whether she has the right to feel abused or not.  The degree of severity is in the eye of the abused, not whether or not it happened once or many times.

And the absolute WORST offenders are FOX News! So before we go picking on people like Bill Maher, who by the way, SUPPORTED HILLARY CLINTON FOR PRESIDENT in 2008, maybe we should boycott FOX.

You must remember Juan, Bill Maher is a COMEDIAN. He is not a politician, a Journalist, other figure of great importance. This is like people telling me my kids playing violent video games will turn them violent. Nothing could be further from the truth. If people are going to take things said by a COMEDIAN seriously, well then; we all may as well just hang it up.

You are acting as if this guy is Wolf Blitzer for Chrissake.

"...Bill Maher is a COMEDIAN.  He is not a politician, a Journalist, other figure of great importance."

Au contraire, Mike, he actually plays an important role.  You are not affected negatively by him, and that is great.  However, as I said before, he has an audience base in which he no doubtedly has found a niche of single men whom he can encourage with his influence.  Men who are encouraged to see women as the source of America's problems (as he expresses in one of his routines).

It's like saying that since Oprah is not a politician, then it doesn't matter what book she recommends.  Or that Ellen has no influence over the views on marriage equality.  Bill Maher does have influenve, probably more than many politicians.

Bill Maher is in a position of great privilege: he is an upper class, heterosexual, white male, who makes movies, tv shows, comedy routines, etc.  He should acknowledge his position of privilege and welcome a discourse that contradicts what he thinks before he opens his mouth.  However, his narrow mindedness clearly shows he doesn't.

Not everyone will be negatively influenced by Bill Maher.  Nevertheless, some people WILL take him seriously, and that is why it gets dangerous.  Your children will learn from you that women must be respected and treated equal, and that they must not reenact what they see in a video game.  However, not all the children or people in the world are lucky enough to be guided so well by someone, and that is when people like Maher become a double edged sword. 

He is helping the people in power maintain hegemony by reinventing it through his "comedy".  He wants to pretend that there is nothing wrong with the situation of women or other groups in America, and whoever voices out an issue is labeled as a complainer by him.  His attitude is what's wrong.

So what if he supported Hillary?  It's the second time you mention it but I don't see what it proves.

I will agree that FOX news is pretty bad.  I'd support you on that every time.

First of all, hegemony involves nations. Not comedians. Second, I am not familiar with Tila's story against Shawne Merriman but I DO know that while a good many women really ARE abused in such fashion by a sports star, there are also those who will CRY WOLF and we need to be careful about who we believe until all the facts are in. Just because I am 110% hetero and Love women does not mean I will support a woman who is IN THE WRONG. Wrong is wrong regardless of which side of the spectrum it falls on.

Mr. nichols...

I agree with you about fox news or as it should be called...Fake news...BUT in whatever way mr. maher believes, thats the way he oughta be acting.

I have to wonder if he supported mrs. clinton because in spite of his clear misogynistic views, he'd rather have a woman president than an african american president ? 

I will say this...My only reason for ever thinking good of him was an indication that he was for same sex marriage but even so...For him to say what he did about tila tequila was way out of line no matter where he really stands.

Mr. Nichols, I watch Fox. You obviously do not. Fox and every single one of it's personalities is against violence. Unlike the sheep networks They have actually actively campaigned against it, and have gone after judges Who have been to blind to it.

I meant no disrespect mr. nichols and am only putting forth a possible hypothesis...

As I said before...Where a person stands on ANY issue should be consistantly reflected in their words AND actions.

Like you, I dont have all the facts in the case BUT whether miss tequila is lying or telling the truth...Such derogatory statements as mr. maher and mr. fleiss have made STILL do more harm than good as its a negative aspect of the human condition to take such statements and paint all members of the group referred to by such a wide brush.

Mr. reed...

If I may ask...Wasnt there a commentator on fox news who, not too long ago, tried to blame a woman's mode of dress and/or her actions for her having been raped ?