Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Personal Bankruptcy

April 19, 2021 3:42 AM - Season 8, Episode 9

This week, again from the White Void of Sad Facts: the killings by police of Daunte Wright and Adam Toledo, kicking off yet another cycle of media condemnation, right-wing defense of police, and criticism of righteous anger from protestors. To attempt to change their part in this terrible cycle, LWT did short pieces on blissfully stupid topics (see inside). And Now: The Commercials On FOX News In The Middle Of The Night Know Exactly Who They're Talking To. Main story (21m): Personal bankruptcy, a resource employed by millions of people, and has been often unduly stigmatized.

Last Week Tonight has reported on concerning police in the United States many times, so to try to help people destress, they did short pieces on: the theft of a giant elderly rabbit in the UK, one on Usher allegedly tipping strippers with pictures of his face called "Usher Bucks," how awful US and Canadian Olympic uniforms are, and a member of the Canadian House of Commons getting inadvertently filmed naked during an online call. Sadly, these bits are not part of the show's YouTube repost, but I guess they have to keep the cash coming in to HBO somehow.

Pointing out:

• The book of "Stereotypical (But Hopefully Not Offensively So) Black Names" was written by Chet Wadsworth Goop III.
• The side stories on Yeah, No Shit magazine are: Fire is Hot, Water is Wet, Quibi Was A Bad Idea, and Tom Cruise Is An Alien In A Human Skinsuit.
• The episode ends with a hilarious alternative bankruptcy ad narrated by Cartoon John Oliver.

F.37: "Jumpus Fenceup," COLTON UNDERWOOD

posted by JHarris (2 comments total)

One thing that JO and staff missed was that the “polite Canadian MP” pointing out her colleague’s “inappropriate attire” of total nudity on webcam was subtly alluding to recent incidents in the federal and Quebec provincial parliaments where female politicians (Michelle Rempel-Garner and Catherine Dorion) had been criticized (and in some cases sanctioned by their parliaments) for “inappropriate attire” of sleeveless dresses, hoodies, and jeans, and was not being as polite as one might think.
posted by cardboard at 1:03 PM on April 19, 2021 [6 favorites]

Quebec is much more regressive, racist, homophobic, and sexist than even Alberta - which has the dubious moniker of "Texas of the North."

While Alberta's regressiveness shares some similar sources as Texas (economy based largely on dangerous and physically demanding jobs that pay well and are bad for the environment), Quebecois politics comes with a chip on its shoulder perpetually fighting/ fighting-back against the Anglos and seem to be choosing to rally against progressivism as part of that strategy.
posted by porpoise at 11:35 PM on April 19, 2021 [2 favorites]