A little historical context is useful here.
In general people consider a comment aimed at a minority (such as the use of the N-word or comparing someone to an ape) because in North America the majority of the political and socioeconomic power has rested with people who's skin color is white. This has been the case for, well, centuries and continues to this day.
Now, it is true that it is possible to discriminate against a white person. There is also racial slang that is targeted at white people (calling them 'cracker' for example). But the fact that people of my color have held power for so long means that such discrimination doesn't hold the significance that discrimination against minorities does.
Well, there's also the simple fact that referring to black (and Native American) people as animals has been used to justify viewing them as property or vermin, and thus to rationalize chattel slavery, war, genocide, lynchings, etc, in the distant and recent past.
When someone sells off Baron and Ivanka into slavery, and kills the rest of that wretched family, then we're possibly getting *close* to something similar. As opposed to, you know, telling a joke with no such history. Assuming that Barr was actually telling some sort of joke, and not just being a hateful conspiracy theorist.
She was being a hateful conspiracy theorist.
Now, I certainly hope that conservatives don't start using Maher's obvious hatred of muslims, his overuse of "the N-word", and the like against him. Again, as a black guy on the left, I just have no idea what I would do were Bill Maher to lose his show - that would cut so, so deep...
