We're Number 53! We're Number 53!

Friday, November 3, 2006

I don't usually watch Bill Maher's show on HBO -- I'm an old fart and am usually in bed by 11:00 on a Friday night -- but thanks to the magic of The Internets it's easy to keep up with his regular "New Rules" segment, which is generally the best part of the show anyway. I like Maher better than the "fake news" premise of "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" (even though I do find those both very funny); I think it's a bit more honest to go head-to-head with newsfigures rather than hide behind the safe disguise of a staged bit. Maher also points his monologue at a broader range of subjects than just the usual Washington idiotocracy. It's good to remember that there is a world outside of politics, even if someone is making fun of it.

I especially liked this recent "New Rules" segment wherein he pulls no punches about the "We're Number One!" chest-thumping that permeates American society. We ain't Number One in much any more, and he's got the statistics to prove it.