It was in response to his comments about Stan Lee's death.
Bill Maher, known for his left-wing comedic commentary, made a lot of comic book fans irate over his blog post, “Adulting" posted last November, denouncing the Stan Lee fan culture. “The guy who created Spider-Man and the Hulk has died, and America is in mourning. Deep, deep mourning for a man who inspired millions to, I don't know, watch a movie, I guess," Maher wrote.
“Someone on Reddit posted, 'I'm so incredibly grateful I lived in a world that included Stan Lee,'" Maher continued. “Personally, I'm grateful I lived in a world that included oxygen and trees, but to each his own." Many fans of Stan Lee, and the Marvel Universe he helped create, were offended by Maher's remarks. The comedian says he is still harassed by people on the street and on social media for his blog post. So Maher took to his show, “Real Time" to shut them down for good.
“To every person on social media who's asked me since November, 'Bill, what do you have to say about Stan Lee?' – and to every paparazzi outside a restaurant who's still shouting at me, 'Bill, what about the Stan Lee thing?' Okay. Your day has come."
“Grownups these days they cling so desperately to their childhood that when they do act their age they have a special word for it now: Adulting," he said on his HBO show.
“You can, if you want, like the exact same things you liked when you were 10, but if you do, you need to grow up," Maher continued. “That was the point of my blog. I'm not glad Stan Lee is dead, I'm sad you're alive."
However, fiction writer Catherynne Valente wasn't having it, so she wrote a viral Twitter thread defending her generation.
Last night, Bill Maher went on a rant about comic books & those who love them & the generation (it rhymes with Schmelennials!) that uses words like #adulting & doesn’t want to give up the things they loved as kids or grow up
— Catherynne M. Valente (@catvalente) January 26, 2019
Well my name is Miss Valente & I got something to say
First of all, Mister Bill Maher, I’m not sure how smugly bloviating, smoking pot, and screwing people way too young for you is any more mature than reading comic books but okay buddy.
— Catherynne M. Valente (@catvalente) January 26, 2019
Secondly, I’m not even going to get into the literary merit of comic books. Some are great art. Some are ridiculous trash. Kind of like every other genre & medium out there. It’s not worth discussing as it’s obvious on the face of it that adding pictures does not subtract value.
— Catherynne M. Valente (@catvalente) January 26, 2019
I want to say this.
— Catherynne M. Valente (@catvalente) January 26, 2019
Do you know why millennials “refuse to grow up”?
Because we finally figured out that the whole idea is bullshit designed to suppress human joy enough to keep them grinding for an uncaring company for 50 years in unhappy marriages until death is a mercy.
The reason my generation still plays in ball pits & reads comic books & plays dress up is that contemporary society has made most of the good parts of adult life financially unreachable: home, family, travel, even theater is $500 a ticket
— Catherynne M. Valente (@catvalente) January 26, 2019
All that’s left is the crushing despair!
In the vacuum left by the loss of reachable life goals, we 80s kids kind of figured: fuck it.
— Catherynne M. Valente (@catvalente) January 26, 2019
Why the hell should we give up what is good & joyful & rich of the art & accoutrements of childhood in exchange for a yawning grey void? How was that ever considered a fair deal?
You are not superior because you collect items from the Sharper Image catalogue rather than Comic Con. You have just allowed what others think of you to dictate a narrow range of joy you are allowed to experience.
— Catherynne M. Valente (@catvalente) January 26, 2019
Unless you really love $5000 massage chairs I guess.
When complaining that millennials refuse to grow up, it might behoove the media to stop referring to 35 year olds as though they’re hapless children who don’t know what’s good for them.
— Catherynne M. Valente (@catvalente) January 26, 2019
Maybe, just maybe, consider the idea that the millennials got this one right.
— Catherynne M. Valente (@catvalente) January 26, 2019
It was always a bad deal that only benefitted the masters.
You get one life on this rock. Why in the hell would you give up something you love just because you got old enough to really appreciate it?
Give us back the social contract, make the hallmarks of adulthood remotely reachable for us, and maybe we’ll consider putting down the comics.
— Catherynne M. Valente (@catvalente) January 26, 2019
Probably not, but we’ll have a house to read them in.
Many Twitter enthusiasts agreed!
I've been saying for years, if you're living your life by what society says you should have by a certain age, you're not living your life, you're living someone else's. I do 60 hours a week between work and travel - if I wanna watch cartoons on the weekend, I'll watch them
— Dr. Sven Dingus (@dwstatic) January 26, 2019
I am a responsible adult, help my parents and love my pets. I have the freedom to do whatever tf I want, those who criticize your lifestyle & the love for fun collectibles (ex. Funkos) they’re bitter & jealous of you. We have 1 life, make it a happy one. pic.twitter.com/UAVkQ2hSED
— 😻🐾 🧜🏻♀️👻🎃 (@iDorisV) January 27, 2019
Every generation judges the generations that come after, and Millennials have been taking it on the chin lately.
This article originally appeared five years ago
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