Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Science
May 10, 2016 10:27 PM - Season 3, Episode 11 - Subscribe
This week....
Donald Trump: "[...]this sentient Circus Peanut holds the future of a major political party in his tiny, racoon paw-sized hands."
North Korea: "Alphabetically-speaking, the world's foremost Korea."
Science: "The thing we love and respect so much, we only allow scientists to be portrayed by the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nicolas Cage, and Al Pacino." (Pacino depicted by a photograph of the Muppet Beaker.)
Declared Next Presidents of the US: John Edwards, John McCain, Newt Gingrich, Al Gore, Michelle Bachmann, Gary Johnson (Libertarian), Dick Gephardt (declared by Michael Bolton), Herman Cain (self-declared), Ralph Nader (Green), Ted Cruz.
- Ted Cruz drops out of the race for the Republication Nomination, leaving Donald Trump as presumptive nominee. (YT 4m, via Fortune!)
- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un calls the first meeting of their Worker's Party since 1980. (YT 4m)
- And Now: The Next President of the United States
- Main story: Science (YT 19m), and how good, and not-so-good, studies get trumpeted by the media as saying things that they don't all the fucking time. LWT presents a parody of TED talks, "TODD," to make their point.
Donald Trump: "[...]this sentient Circus Peanut holds the future of a major political party in his tiny, racoon paw-sized hands."
North Korea: "Alphabetically-speaking, the world's foremost Korea."
Science: "The thing we love and respect so much, we only allow scientists to be portrayed by the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nicolas Cage, and Al Pacino." (Pacino depicted by a photograph of the Muppet Beaker.)
Declared Next Presidents of the US: John Edwards, John McCain, Newt Gingrich, Al Gore, Michelle Bachmann, Gary Johnson (Libertarian), Dick Gephardt (declared by Michael Bolton), Herman Cain (self-declared), Ralph Nader (Green), Ted Cruz.
I quoted the SCIENCE segment today, while writing about how Electric Cars will KILL US ALL.
posted by Mezentian at 6:47 AM on May 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Mezentian at 6:47 AM on May 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
I just subscribed to HBO Now mainly so I could watch Game of Thrones (without having to buy an unnecessary/onerous cable TV plan, or bum it off of the Dread Pirate Internets), but the semi-weekly visits from John Oliver are a nice bonus.
The TODD parody was perfect, especially Jon Benjamin and B.D. Wong's bits. If Wong ever did a Prof. Hugo Strange TED talk, it would fully redeem and justify Gotham (which I still watch, but only through my side-eye) as an item in pop culture.
posted by Strange Interlude at 6:54 AM on May 11, 2016 [4 favorites]
The TODD parody was perfect, especially Jon Benjamin and B.D. Wong's bits. If Wong ever did a Prof. Hugo Strange TED talk, it would fully redeem and justify Gotham (which I still watch, but only through my side-eye) as an item in pop culture.
posted by Strange Interlude at 6:54 AM on May 11, 2016 [4 favorites]
If Wong ever did a Prof. Hugo Strange TED talk,
Okay, I think you are too qualified to be a Gotham writer.
But how do you feel about Krypton?
posted by Mezentian at 7:52 AM on May 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
Okay, I think you are too qualified to be a Gotham writer.
But how do you feel about Krypton?
posted by Mezentian at 7:52 AM on May 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
TED talks themselves should be a segment on a future episode. They are not above reproach, not when they licensing out the brand as TEDx talks.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:45 AM on May 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:45 AM on May 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
I think TED is fairly established as rich-people innovation porn by now. Sometimes one will be posted to FB by dimmer acquaintances, but they don't have the cache they once did. I think TEDx had something to do with that as a bridge too far.
I liked this episode a lot.
posted by rhizome at 12:18 PM on May 12, 2016 [1 favorite]
I liked this episode a lot.
posted by rhizome at 12:18 PM on May 12, 2016 [1 favorite]
I just want to thank John Oliver for solving a years long argument between my husband and I. He would say he doesn't believe science and that its man made but it always seemed to hinge on the math behind it, and me being mathematical tried to explain why the math itself is not wrong. So thank you John for giving my husband and I the language we needed so that Mr. BoBiz could say that the way math is used is bullshit and I could agree.
(I am also one of those math people who is totally helpless at explaining math to other people, which of course was my contribution to our years long argument.)
posted by LizBoBiz at 1:58 PM on May 12, 2016 [3 favorites]
(I am also one of those math people who is totally helpless at explaining math to other people, which of course was my contribution to our years long argument.)
posted by LizBoBiz at 1:58 PM on May 12, 2016 [3 favorites]
I think TEDx had something to do with that as a bridge too far.
I stopped giving a shit about TED when one of their local TEDx talks featured one of those libertarian entrepreneur types with very little connection to the real world (among other things, he claimed people should be able to support themselves through college by operating a popcorn cart, which was quickly debunked as the entry level, the cost of operating on somewhere people would actually buy them and health inspection regulations would mean anyone would put themselves in the red and had to be very lucky to even recoup expenses) who pretty much became a prime example for a douchebag. So there's that.
I'd totally watch a TODD Talks series, though. Get every week three actors or stand-up comics to do a 6 minute piece on some completely bullshit, feel-good pseudo-sciency shit.
posted by lmfsilva at 9:57 AM on May 13, 2016 [2 favorites]
I stopped giving a shit about TED when one of their local TEDx talks featured one of those libertarian entrepreneur types with very little connection to the real world (among other things, he claimed people should be able to support themselves through college by operating a popcorn cart, which was quickly debunked as the entry level, the cost of operating on somewhere people would actually buy them and health inspection regulations would mean anyone would put themselves in the red and had to be very lucky to even recoup expenses) who pretty much became a prime example for a douchebag. So there's that.
I'd totally watch a TODD Talks series, though. Get every week three actors or stand-up comics to do a 6 minute piece on some completely bullshit, feel-good pseudo-sciency shit.
posted by lmfsilva at 9:57 AM on May 13, 2016 [2 favorites]
Very much like the Festival of Bad ad Hoc Hypotheses (BAHFest).
posted by Peccable at 8:41 PM on May 13, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Peccable at 8:41 PM on May 13, 2016 [2 favorites]
So thank you John for giving my husband and I the language we needed so that Mr. BoBiz could say that the way math is used is bullshit and I could agree.
If you haven't seen it, this xkcd is also relevant.
posted by Shmuel510 at 4:54 PM on May 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
If you haven't seen it, this xkcd is also relevant.
posted by Shmuel510 at 4:54 PM on May 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
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posted by mordax at 10:44 PM on May 10, 2016 [3 favorites]