Bill Maher’s segment is a smug, boomer-brained take that completely misses the reality shaping young adulthood today—particularly for young men. His argument boils down to, “Oh no, women have standards and young liberals are too judgy, so we won’t win elections or have babies.” But let’s step out of the stand-up routine and look at what’s actually going on: a generation of men who are increasingly unmarriageable, and not because their prospective partners are too “woke,” but because they’re not bringing anything to the table—financially, emotionally, or intellectually.
Bill handwaves away the very real crisis young men are in. He jokes about Ben being “young and dumb and full of fantasy football stats,” as if being proudly indifferent to social issues, completely disconnected from current events, and lacking basic emotional or ideological engagement is charming. It’s not. It’s part of the problem.
The truth is, we’ve got a large and growing segment of young men who are disengaged from society entirely. They’re dropping out of the workforce, delaying or rejecting education, and spending their time in escapist fantasy through video games, porn, or online rabbit holes. Many of them don’t have jobs, goals, or direction. They’re not striving to be partners, providers, or even functional adults. And when women notice that—and yes, when they want a partner who has values, empathy, and opinions—that’s not “woke tyranny.” That’s basic discernment.
Bill thinks the bar is too high because a woman wants her fiancé to have a take on systemic racism or the COVID vaccine? Really? If your response to “Do you care about major civil rights movements or the global pandemic?” is “I don’t know, I guess”, you shouldn’t be shocked when someone decides you’re not marriage material. Wanting your partner to engage with the world isn’t a purity test—it’s adulthood.
Also, let’s not pretend Sarah’s expectations are unusual. Women want stability and empathy, not just height and horsepower. Meanwhile, the young men Maher defends like Ben are often economically stalled, emotionally undeveloped, and politically apathetic. Maher’s solution? Lower your standards, ladies! Accept the man-child because, hey, he means well and might get around to caring eventually.
That’s not just lazy; it’s dangerous thinking. We should be pushing young men to grow up, not excusing them with half-hearted jokes about Moby Dick and gummies. If you want to be in a relationship—hell, if you want to be a citizen in a functioning democracy—you should care about more than fantasy football and not being “discomforted” by other people’s existence.
Bill’s brand of criticism ends up coddling underachievers while ridiculing people—usually women—who want accountability and depth. The problem isn’t that standards are too high. It’s that too many men are unwilling or unable to meet even the minimum.
