{"id":2465024,"date":"2025-07-21T23:29:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T03:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/billy-joel-says-hes-inured-to-woke-criticism-at-this-point-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-07-21T23:30:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T03:30:15","slug":"billy-joel-says-hes-inured-to-woke-criticism-at-this-point-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/billy-joel-says-hes-inured-to-woke-criticism-at-this-point-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Billy Joel says he\u2019s \u2018inured\u2019 to woke criticism \u2018at this point\u2019 &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbilly-joel-says-hes-inured-to-woke-criticism-at-this-point-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2465024&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>billy Joel stated in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/espns-sage-steele-rips-companys-sick-vaccine-policy\/\" title=\"ESPN\u2019s Sage Steele Rips Company\u2019s \u2018Sick\u2019 Vaccine Policy \u00a0\">recent podcast appearance<\/a> with Bill Maher that he has become &#8220;inured&#8221; to criticism from &#8220;woke&#8221; cultural critics and no longer cares about their opinions of him or his music. The two discussed their shared experiences growing up in white suburban America in the 1950s and 60s, with Joel expressing that suburban life was often unfairly dismissed or mocked in culture, making people like him feel insignificant. Joel emphasized his continued interest in understanding different points of view, despite not wanting to cater to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/megadonors-pour-record-amount-of-money-into-get-out-the-vote-effort-for-dems\/\" title=\"Megadonors Pour Record Amount of Money Into \u2018Get Out the Vote\u2019 Effort for Dems\">political groups<\/a>. Maher praised Joel&#8217;s songwriting for capturing suburban life and noted Joel&#8217;s consistent messages about the complexities of right and wrong, referencing songs like &#8220;Goodnight Saigon.&#8221; Their conversation also touched on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ethan-hawke-denounces-cancel-culture-a-petrifying-time-to-speak-about-male-sexuality\/\" title=\"Ethan Hawke Denounces Cancel ...: \u2018A Petrifying Time To Speak About Male Sexuality\u2019\">current cultural climate<\/a>, with Maher criticizing the intolerance he perceives from some on the political left. The discussion comes amid a cultural shift where &#8220;woke&#8221; culture is seen as receding in influence, highlighted by recent changes such as Nike&#8217;s move back to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >family-friendly advertising<\/a> and the cancellation of politically divisive TV shows.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Billy Joel says he&rsquo;s &lsquo;inured&rsquo; to woke criticism &lsquo;at this point&rsquo;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Legendary singer-songwriter Billy Joel said he no longer cares what &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/3477505\/nike-scottie-scheffler-ad-pro-family\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"woke\">woke<\/a>&rdquo; critics think of him or his music, telling <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/3470755\/bill-maher-illegal-immigration-john-leguizamo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Bill Maher\">Bill Maher<\/a> during <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/5UhXgiKmllw?feature=shared&amp;t=3903\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"a recent appearance\">a recent appearance<\/a> on the<em> Club Random<\/em> podcast that he&rsquo;s &ldquo;inured&rdquo; to criticism.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;And you don&rsquo;t care what they say about you &mdash; the woke or &hellip; ?&rdquo; Maher asked Joel on his podcast Monday.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/3478008\/joe-concha-colbert-show-late-night-therapy-session-for-democrats\/\">Joe Concha: Colbert&#8217;s show was &#8216;late-night therapy session&#8217; for Democrats<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/3476657\/gutfeld-touts-washington-examiner-report-following-colbert-show-cancellation\/\">Gutfeld touts Washington Examiner report following Colbert show cancellation, slams Dems calling CBS decision political persecution<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/3476548\/trump-celebrates-stephen-colbert-show-cancellation\/\">Trump celebrates Stephen Colbert show cancellation: &#8216;I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;At this point? No, I&rsquo;m &hellip; yeah, I&rsquo;m inured to it,&rdquo; Joel replied. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m always trying to understand someone else&rsquo;s point of view.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>    <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5UhXgiKmllw?si=UIYobfubjurhfqB8&amp;start=3903\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>    <\/p>\n<p>The two New Yorkers spent much of the conversation reflecting on the shared experiences of growing up in the white suburban culture of the 1950s and 60s.<\/p>\n<p>Joel, who was born in the Bronx and raised in Levittown, said suburban life is often unfairly mocked in literature and pop culture, leaving people like him feeling &ldquo;insignificant.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We were made to feel non-existent, almost useless, vanilla,&rdquo; Joel said. &ldquo;And I was trying to say, &lsquo;Hey, we&rsquo;re here. We exist. We&rsquo;ve got something to talk about.&rsquo;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Maher praised Joel&rsquo;s songwriting for capturing the essence of postwar suburban life, referencing lyrics from tracks like <em>Captain Jack, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, Movin&rsquo; Out,<\/em> and<em> Angry Young Man. <\/em>The latter sparked a deeper discussion about Joel&rsquo;s evolving worldview.<\/p>\n<p>Maher recited the lyrics: <em>&ldquo;I believe I&rsquo;ve passed the age of consciousness and righteous rage \/ I found that just surviving was a noble fight \/ I once believed in causes too \/ I had my pointless point of view \/ And life went on no matter who was wrong or right.&rdquo;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The television personality added, &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the message of the age. Even though some people will hear that and say, &lsquo;Look at these two a**holes!&rsquo;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Boomers,&rdquo; Joel added dryly, poking fun at generational divides.<\/p>\n<p>Maher also pointed to Joel&rsquo;s 1982 Vietnam War-era song <em>Goodnight Saigon<\/em>, which includes the lines, <em>&ldquo;And who was wrong? And who was right? It didn&rsquo;t matter in the thick of the fight.&rdquo;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>When asked if he still stands by that message, Joel answered simply: &ldquo;Yes.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Though Joel made it clear he&rsquo;s not interested in pandering to political tribes, he emphasized that he still values open dialogue.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m always trying to find out the other point of view,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to understand why they think that way.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/3477505\/nike-scottie-scheffler-ad-pro-family\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"NIKE PRAISED FOR PRO-FAMILY AD AFTER CRITICISM OVER WOKE ADS: 'MORE OF THIS'\"><strong>NIKE PRAISED FOR PRO-FAMILY AD AFTER CRITICISM OVER WOKE ADS: &lsquo;MORE OF THIS&rsquo;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Maher closed the discussion by criticizing the intolerance he sees from some progressive liberals: &ldquo;I mean, it is what I am always trying to do on my show. It is, look, this is one safe space for everybody, and I will take the heat from either [or] both sides. I do feel like the left, who, ironically, I&rsquo;m more actually aligned with, is more snippy about it, has a worse attitude about it, and makes me viscerally not like them more sometimes.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Maher and Joel&rsquo;s discussion comes as the woke culture that evolved from criticizing suburbia to dominating culture and marketing has begun to take a backseat. Over the weekend, Nike pivoted back to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/3477505\/nike-scottie-scheffler-ad-pro-family\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"family-friendly advertising\">family-friendly advertising<\/a> after significant backlash and job cuts, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/3478008\/joe-concha-colbert-show-late-night-therapy-session-for-democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"CBS canceled\">CBS canceled<\/a> <em>The Late Show with Stephen Colbert<\/em>, which had become known for its divisive content that strayed from entertainment into activism.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Billy Joel says he&#8217;s &#8216;inured&#8217; to woke criticism now<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2678,"featured_media":2465025,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Billy-Joel.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[51964,42223,59631],"class_list":["post-2465024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-billy-joel","tag-music-industry","tag-woke-criticism"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Billy-Joel.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2465024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2678"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2465024"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2465024\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2465028,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2465024\/revisions\/2465028"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2465025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2465024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2465024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2465024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}