Maher: Please would someone tell Richard Dreyfuss to SHUT UP!

[Writer]

It's not that I didn't agree with him, but he droned on with his overwrought "brilliance," dominating the entire conversation. By the end of the show I was dousing myself with gasoline and hunting for matches. I have come to the conclusion that the man loves to hear himself speak.


Richard Dreyfuss, Professional Grandstander

[Radio_Lady]

1. I agree. He took WAY too much time trying to convert us to the

meaning of civics. I have academic cousins who talk just like him!

As for December 6th on Martha's Vineyard, isn't that about the WORST place for a convention on civics?

Holiday time, people busy with family, might have some snow, might be quite cold, and it's on an ISLAND off the COAST of MASSACHUSETTS, fer Cripes sake!

[gmoney]

7. ...not to mention expensive.

I'm sure even in the off season, travel and hotel at "the Vineyard" is beyond the reach of most educators and regular folk.

Plus (shhhh) I hear they have a shark problem!

[BikeWriter]

12. AARRGGHH! Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water!

:cry:

[Downtown Hound]

24. Actually it's more like a rubber shark problem

But as you can see, those rubber sharks are relentless in getting their prey.

[mcctatas]

2. Pedantic...

Right on most things, but I stopped watching after the first 1/2 hour, he reminds me too much of my dad...not that I have unresolved daddy issues, it's just my dad isn't very funny!

[hfojvt]

3. what are you trying to say

j'accuse?

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

4. Wasn't there an SNL skit......

Where someone did an impression of him droning on before getting tied up and beaten or something.

Maybe it was Celebrity Jeopardy.

[peekaloo]

10. I vaguely remember when he hosted Belushi giving him sh*t.

Mocking and intimidating him. Called him Richard Dryface. :rofl:

[jobycom]

5. Didn't see it, but Dreyfuss is one of the worst speakers I've ever watched.

I love his acting, but every time I've seen him speak he's been dull, pedantic, and lots of other adjectives meaning the same thing. He doesn't strike me as a grandstander, so much as he seems like a guy with no clue how to behave in social circles.

But like I said, I didn't see him on what you're talking about, that's just my opinion of him in general.

[Vorta]

9. I didn't see the show, comment on pedantic

The problem seems to be the talk show format. Even if you agree with someone, complete thoughts and throoughly supported points are boring to watch, epecially if you aren't present but just waiting for your turn to speak.

That's why BBSes are so great- you can say as little or as much as you want, you can think before you speak, or you can just whip out with something clever, cute, or stupid. Not to mention that you can quit and resume on your own schedule.

[Gelliebeans]

6. He did tend

to talk down to everyone, he spent two years at Oxford right?
hmm...

[book lady]

8. What i found irritating was his inflection...

or I should say, his lack of inflection. I would hope that the audience applauded him because he finally finished speaking.

[alcibiades_mystery]

11. I didn't have any problem with it

I think he went a bit over on some of the points, but he is actually performing the type of discourse that he's selling. It might be that the accusations of pedantry are an effect of just the senseless soundbite culture that he was critiquing in the first place. Oh, this guy is droning on and on! Well, it wouldn't sound like droning if we were not conditioned for the the senseless soundbite as a mode

[Madrone]

13. I agree.

I think he rocked it - and I found myself, an already civic minded person, getting more and more fired up about CIVICS. What he said is absolute correct! We need to teach those that live in this country how this country works and how to do our jobs as citizens.

I enjoyed hearing him speak. We've come to a place in our country where someone that's knowledgeable and passionate and speaks the TRUTH is so rare I can't help but feel myself bubble over with excitement and satisfaction.

Go Richard!

[EFerrari]

16. Nah. If I wanted a lecture, I'd go find one on purpose. n/t

[alcibiades_mystery]

18. We describe reasonable discourse as pedantic and a lecture

This seems to be precisely the problem that he was describing.

Don't get me wrong. Dreyfus was all up in our grill like a sophomore who just took a 300-level class on Habermas' Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere. That can be a bit much. But at least he owned it in his form of address, and I think there is something to his criticism, and to the responses here. We're so desperate for silly little soundbites that we practically break into open revolt when someone starts to actually address us with responsible speech.

[EFerrari]

21. No, I describe lectures as lectures. Lol! In my own college teaching

career I avoided them whenever possible because it's the teaching model that produces the least actual learning. :)

Some one needs to point this out to Richard and then teach him how to have a conversation.

[tigereye]

23. oh, that's excellent, Alcibiades!

"Dreyfus was all up in our grill like a sophomore who just took a 300-level class on Habermas' Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere."

THere's a great CHarlie Rose parody in there somewhere.... ripe for SNL.

:rofl:

Generally, I agree with you, but I think that there is a way to be erudite, thoughtful, and intellectually challenging, without some of the distance and superiority (and turgidness) of which many academics are accused. Many of my academic friends despise the tone of that sort of discourse.

[Writer]

25. Habermas!

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

A poster after my own heart.

[EFerrari]

14. He puts me to sleep. Better than melatonin.

[mduffy31]

15. I just finished watching it off my TiVO

and that was the same thing that I thought.

[Dude_CalmDown]

17. What a relief. I thought I was the only liberal who wanted him to STFU.

Now I don't feel so alone.

[VeggieTart]

19. He was boring and drove me bonkers.

You're not alone.

And then goddamn Scumcast had to break into New Rules with some abduction alert with no information. We couldn't even change the channel. I was pissed.

[deadparrot]

20. I agree.

It was a pretty crappy season finale, and Dreyfuss was just agonizing to listen to, IMHO.

[Drum]

22. I foresee this post jumping up with more replies

every single time this show is replayed...it's tough to only have a little opinion of Mr. Dreyfuss (whom I see as trying greedily to get all of the oxygen in any room, but that's me.)