Liberal late-night comedian Bill Maher declared Friday that so-called “social justice warriors” are a “cancer” on the progressive movement.

On Friday’s episode of HBO’s “Real Time,” Mr. Maher said on his panel that far-left liberals who whine about cultural appropriation and claim there are “71 genders” are just trying to call attention to themselves.

“There is, I would say, a cancer on progressivism with some of the — I guess they call themselves social justice warriors,” he said. “I don’t think they’re interested in justice. I don’t think they’re interested in truth. I think they’re interested in clicks. I think they’re interested in things that make me people click and when I read them, it makes me glad I didn’t have kids who would see this. “

Noah Rothman, author of “Unjust: Social Justice and the Unmaking of America,” added that while social justice is a “noble idea,” it goes to the extreme when put into practice.

“It is the idea of fairness and equality and a just society,” Mr. Rothman said. “In practice, it has become antipathy towards notions like meritocracy, like you can rise above your station in life, or color-blindness in institutions. White supremacists believe all this stuff, too.”

Mr. Maher agreed.

“Yes, and it seems like they just say things to dare you to oppose them that would then make you a bad person,” the host said. “Like, they’ll say, ‘There are 71 genders. Disagree with that, a—hole.’”

Mr. Maher clarified that he “would disagree” with that statement.

“What about cultural appropriation,” he continued. “I mean that’s something they talk about that a lot. I feel like that’s something that was just made up. No one is hurt by cultural appropriation.

“These people just want to bitch,” he added.

Former GOP Chairman Michael Steele, who also sat on the “Real Time” panel, said there are real instances of cultural appropriation that should be called out, like Rachel Dolezal, a white woman who posed as black while serving as president of a local NAACP chapter.

“When a white woman goes around the country and says she’s black and her white parents said, ‘No, she ain’t,’ and she keeps insisting that she’s black, that’s just bull and we don’t like that kind of cultural appropriation,” Mr. Steele said.

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