Police - Last Week Tonight

[Dirtyshubb]

Just finished watching, probably the best show he has ever put out.

None of this taught to me in school. White American's history is evil. This entire country was founded on racism and hatred.

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Its not just America but basically every white nation.

You may have seen the news about a statue of a slaver being torn down in the UK, this resulted in someone spraying paint on a Winston Churchill statue saying he was racist. This has caused an uproar because he is considered a hero for his role in ww2. Yet most people (me included until a few years ago) don't know that he was also a massive racist and can be directly tied to the deaths of millions of innocent people because of his racist actions.

He was a monster and yet none of this is ever brought up. Education is essentially national propaganda that ignores the things that make your country look bad. The only time this isn't the case is maybe if you go into university but for the vast majority of the country they will never be told this stuff in school or in general coverage by the media.

 

[Deleted member 4212]

Things I learned this week -

We bombed and destroyed Tulsa, a wealthy black town in 1921.

We burnt down and destroyed Rosewood, another black majority town in 1923.

Massive riots happened after MLK's death, and THIS caused change, not his death.

None of this taught to me in school. White American's history is evil. This entire country was founded on racism and hatred.

Pretty depressing how many of our past sins & crimes against humanities we actively hide & surpress from our own citizens so the idea of America being the great land of the free is believed.

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I'm paraphrasing a tweet I saw, but think back to school and recall how much time was spent learning about Mesopotamia compared to any of the above.

I swear I spent half of elementary school learning about the fertile crescent and the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

 

[Deleted member 1248]

Since the president loves watching TV all the time, imagine forcing him to sit and watch stuff like this, Trevor Noah and Seth Meyers.

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He couldn't comprehend it.

 

[Kernel]

The line at the end "You're lucky that black people want equality and not revenge" is more poignant than people might realize on it's face. The fear of reprisal is part of what continues to fuel white supremacy. They fear black people will come for revenge because that's what they would do. It's projection. That's what the knee on the neck is about - let me do this to you before you can do it to me because deep down I know that I might have it coming.

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And why Obama winning broke a lot of white people in the US.

But even wanting equality is bad enough. In a conservative mindset there is no equality, only hierarchy and winners and losers.

So if black people "win", white people must "lose".

 

[The Bookerman]

The full clip is worth watching.

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what she says about looters I can't agree. It's a very narrow view of who the looters are.

 

[UrbanDandy]

And why Obama winning broke a lot of white people in the US.

But even wanting equality is bad enough. In a conservative mindset there is no equality, only hierarchy and winners and losers.

So if black people "win", white people must "lose".

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You're not wrong.

 

[PrivateWHudson]

what she says about looters I can't agree. It's a very narrow view of who the looters are.

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Could you expand on this? I have no reason to believe that she doesn't know exactly what's going on in her community.

 

[sapien85]

Covered a broad range of the problems with police in the US. This should be required viewing for white people in high school in the US.

 

[Temascos]

You may have seen the news about a statue of a slaver being torn down in the UK, this resulted in someone spraying paint on a Winston Churchill statue saying he was racist. This has caused an uproar because he is considered a hero for his role in ww2. Yet most people (me included until a few years ago) don't know that he was also a massive racist and can be directly tied to the deaths of millions of innocent people because of his racist actions.

He was a monster and yet none of this is ever brought up. Education is essentially national propaganda that ignores the things that make your country look bad. The only time this isn't the case is maybe if you go into university but for the vast majority of the country they will never be told this stuff in school or in general coverage by the media.

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Over here the only time I learned that Churchill was a racist and that our empire commited horrible acts such as the Amritsar Massacre was in A Level History, which is a step you take before going to university. That meant that so many people, even in higher education, may not even KNOW a fraction of what shit we pulled in the name of our 'glorious empire'.

We just get to hear about "Oh, the Queen let another massive battleship sail off now!" and nostalgia about the blitz spirit. I get why we don't want to paint our past in blood, but it that is the reality, THAT is telling it like it is. Not Farage's bullshit about how we were perfect and what have you, those are lies.

Freedom from the EU? Give us freedom to talk about our own past first.

 

[The Bookerman]

Could you expand on this? I have no reason to believe that she doesn't know exactly what's going on in her community.

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She says that the looters are mainly people who have had no chance of earning, or even the possibility of buying all of that merchandise that's been flaunted in front of them. While this might be true in her area, in mine we've seen white folks trash a musical instrument repair shop and steal guitars that were there for repair. These folks who are priviliged stole from other folks that had nothing to do with this. That's why I said her view is a little narrow. While true in a lot of cases, there's looters out there that are also real life criminals who use the unrest as a pretext to steal. That's all. For the rest of what she said, I agree 1000%.

 

[Dirtyshubb]

Over here the only time I learned that Churchill was a racist and that our empire commited horrible acts such as the Amritsar Massacre was in A Level History, which is a step you take before going to university. That meant that so many people, even in higher education, may not even KNOW a fraction of what shit we pulled in the name of our 'glorious empire'.

We just get to hear about "Oh, the Queen let another massive battleship sail off now!" and nostalgia about the blitz spirit. I get why we don't want to paint our past in blood, but it that is the reality, THAT is telling it like it is. Not Farage's bullshit about how we were perfect and what have you, those are lies.

Freedom from the EU? Give us freedom to talk about our own past first.

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I didn't do A level history so wasn't aware they covered some stuff at that level but as you sai, the point remains that vast amounts of our country don't have a clue about what our history actually is.

I believe that history needs to just cover the facts, if our history has more bloodshed and evil shit than not, that's what we cover. Look at Germany, they don't shy away from teaching about the rise of nazis because they want to avoid ever getting into that situation again.

How can we learn from the mistakes of history if we don't even know they happened?

 

[PrivateWHudson]

She says that the looters are mainly people who have had no chance of earning, or even the possibility of buying all of that merchandise that's been flaunted in front of them. While this might be true in her area, in mine we've seen white folks trash a musical instrument repair shop and steal guitars that were there for repair. These folks who are priviliged stole from other folks that had nothing to do with this. That's why I said her view is a little narrow. While true in a lot of cases, there's looters out there that are also real life criminals who use the unrest as a pretext to steal. That's all. For the rest of what she said, I agree 1000%.

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Fair enough. I'm assuming she focuses on the other type of looting because that's what's condemned by most news organizations. There may be white people in my area taking advantage of the situation, but on the news, it's always the black people that are shown looting.

 

[Jag]

Been watching LWT since day 1 and that might be the best, most powerful episode ever.

 

[Vincent Alexander]

Does he go in on Blue Lives Matter bulllshit at all? Can't watch until lunch.

 

[The Bookerman]

Fair enough. I'm assuming she focuses on the other type of looting because that's what's condemned by most news organizations. There may be white people in my area taking advantage of the situation, but on the news, it's always the black people that are shown looting.

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When you see jake paul launching fire works in a mall during these protests and trash Windows, he's the ultimate representation of white privilege.
This guy deserves to be behind bars.

 

[Arkanim94]

Does he go in on Blue Lives Matter bulllshit at all? Can't watch until lunch.

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in the sense that he says something like "blue lives matter"?
if that the case, no.

 

[Hey Please]

Wow, that closing segment was astounding and all too real.

 

[Elfgore]

That last statement from the woman is probably going to reverberate in my head for a while now.

His audience-less shows are really growing on me, moreso that his regular ones.

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I think he kinda tones down the more annoying overreaction stuff because they're not there to laugh. I agree it enhances the show.

 

[Exile20]

what she says about looters I can't agree. It's a very narrow view of who the looters are.

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Please explain because this is what decades of frustration look like.

This is what inaction looks like

This is how black communities feel right now

This what was building up over decades

We were trying to fix this issue for how long now? Many people are at the point that we need to build everything down to the ground and rebuild.

 

[PrivateWHudson]

When you see jake paul launching fire works in a mall during these protests and trash Windows, he's the ultimate representation of white privilege.
This guy deserves to be behind bars.

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Yeah, that's some bullshit. I had no idea he was out there doing that. Have there been any news reports about it? I don't want to give him any clicks.

 

[Deleted member 2802]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf4cea5oObY

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unfortunately blocked here

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Throw the link into proxysite

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[Dirtyshubb]

I think he kinda tones down the more annoying overreaction stuff because they're not there to laugh. I agree it enhances the show.

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Its the same with Patriot Act. It focuses the show more and while I enjoy Hasan playing to the crowd, this allows him to stick to the point more and give it extra weight.

 

[Elfgore]

Its the same with Patriot Act. It focuses the show more and while I enjoy Hasan playing to the crowd, this allows him to stick to the point more and give it extra weight.

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I should watch that more. I've watched one or two episodes and I really liked Hasan and his message.

 

[Dirtyshubb]

I should watch that more. I've watched one or two episodes and I really liked Hasan and his message.

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Its a great show, Hasan and his team do some amazing work and it's one of the best.

 

[krazen]

She says that the looters are mainly people who have had no chance of earning, or even the possibility of buying all of that merchandise that's been flaunted in front of them. While this might be true in her area, in mine we've seen white folks trash a musical instrument repair shop and steal guitars that were there for repair. These folks who are priviliged stole from other folks that had nothing to do with this. That's why I said her view is a little narrow. While true in a lot of cases, there's looters out there that are also real life criminals who use the unrest as a pretext to steal. That's all. For the rest of what she said, I agree 1000%.

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Id make an argument even the 'real life criminals' kind of proves her point, no? Their disdain for the basic social norms and rule of laws kinda leans into her bigger point. While I am not going to ride or die for a bunch of suburban white kids stealing guitars, the reason why they feel they can do that is heavily driven by the fact that they know that the police generated lawlessness is protecting them.

It reminds me of earlier in the video where Oliver pointed out that it falls on the protestors to police the looters, when the catalyst is the failed policing that forced them on the street. I don't think she tried to set them up as noble per say, but at the end of day if the rule of law is being seen as having no authority it reverberates beyond just those suffering under it's heel.

 

[Deleted member 5086]

I should watch that more. I've watched one or two episodes and I really liked Hasan and his message.

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Its a great show, Hasan and his team do some amazing work and it's one of the best.

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I have to second the recommendation for The Patriot Act. It's one of my favourite shows. It tackles difficult issues with incredible insight, understanding and empathy.

 

[jetpacks was yes]

Great episode.

I heard about the clip at the end but never actually saw it until now, that lady is absolutely right on every count.

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Yeah me neither. Made me bawl

 

[Crossing Eden]

Fucking hell that was a good video.

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

Probably his best episode yet. He wasn't messing around.

 

[lemonade]

That joke on Biden was hilarious and sadly too true. Anyone hoping Biden will bring fundamental change are lying to themselves.

 

[Veliladon]

In a conservative mindset there is no equality, only hierarchy and winners and losers.

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Ding ding ding ding. Innuendo Studios explains this well here (skip to 11:09):

 

[Mr Jones]

Things I learned this week -

We bombed and destroyed Tulsa, a wealthy black town in 1921.

We burnt down and destroyed Rosewood, another black majority town in 1923.

Massive riots happened after MLK's death, and THIS caused change, not his death.

None of this taught to me in school. White American's history is evil. This entire country was founded on racism and hatred.

Pretty depressing how many of our past sins & crimes against humanities we actively hide & surpress from our own citizens so the idea of America being the great land of the free is believed.

Click to shrink...

And those are just a few. It happened in 1898 in Wilmington, NC. It happened in 1956 in St. Paul, MN. Even the black community starts to forget because we're raised in majority white schools.

Make no mistake: America has such a rotten core, so scared and hateful of the very people that they raped, beaten, enslaved, and robbed of their culture and origins, that they still haven't been able to move past it. Still making sure that multi-cultural neighborhoods don't gain wealth. Still making sure that policing stays brutal. Still making sure that health care is difficult to pay for. STILL making sure that social services are hard to even find out about. STILL making sure that social programs have to fight tooth and nail to get ANY money while the military and police get TRILLIONS.

It's always been there, man. Hopefully George Floyd is the voice for change FINALLY.

Otherwise, see y'all in another 40 years. :(

 

[Deleted member 36708]

Yeah I was waiting on this vid. I'm so sad guys. I'm so sad because I know it is going to take more so much more for real change. I'm not sure it will happen. The people in power fuck political parties don't want to see that change. Are not willing to make the decisions needed for change. I don't know it's depressing.

 

[Deleted member 31104]

That joke on Biden was hilarious and sadly too true. Anyone hoping Biden will bring fundamental change are lying to themselves.

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I actually think it's easier with a Biden than with even a Sanders. Why? Because Biden has no real ideological animus. None. Sanders might be better on the economic and some of the societial issues facing black america but Sanders has his own ideological fight which would eat up his presidential focus. Biden's policy sked is actually not to bad, but there's no sense he's driven by it. That's a good and a bad thing. Bad, because can you trust him? Meh. Good because external events will set his course, not his ideology.

Biden is a complete weathervane politician. Where ever the centre of the Democratic party is he'll be right around there (if slightly to the left or to the right depending on the issue). It's moved to the left so he's tracked it. When it was anti-crime in the 90's he was right there. When gay rights became a focus, Biden happily moved with the party. Now the problem with a weathervane politician is the external force needed to point them in the right direction, there's no self-starting, you have to hold their feet to the fire, but if enough of the democratic party want it, like a good weathervane he'll point where the wind is blowing.

 

[lemonade]

I actually think it's easier with a Biden than with even a Sanders. Why? Because Biden has no real ideological animus. None. Sanders might be better on the economic and some of the societial issues facing black america but Sanders has his own ideological fight which would eat up his presidential focus. Biden's policy sked is actually not to bad, but there's no sense he's driven by it. That's a good and a bad thing. Bad, because can you trust him? Meh. Good because external events will set his course, not his ideology.

Biden is a complete weathervane politician. Where ever the centre of the Democratic party is he'll be right around there (if slightly to the left or to the right depending on the issue). It's moved to the left so he's tracked it. When it was anti-crime in the 90's he was right there. When gay rights became a focus, Biden happily moved with the party. Now the problem with a weathervane politician is the external force needed to point them in the right direction, there's no self-starting, you have to hold their feet to the fire, but if enough of the democratic party want it, like a good weathervane he'll point where the wind is blowing.

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You are placing hope on the Dems changing course and steer towards truly progressive policies which they have not demonstrated at all.

Just look at Pelosi, Schumer and many more who are all about lip service and does jack shit while profiting as the ruling class. They will get cucked like Cuomo and Deblasio in NY. The majority of Dems are politicians who are satisfied with the status quo and do not seek real change. Slightly better than the immoral scum Republicans but far from enough to bring meaningful change.


EDIT: LMAO. Just after posting this, I saw the picture of Pelosi, Schumer and others putting on a show by kneeling with their expensive scarfs on. What a bunch of clowns.

 

[SolidChamp]

That ending left me breathless. Gutted. Astonishing in how powerful that was. John Oliver chose the right person to send him out for that episode.

 

[Deleted member 6263]

Man this is a good episode.

 

[Turin]

Hadn't watched this show in a long time. This was shockingly on point.

 

[Keasar]

The full clip is worth watching.

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That is a fucking good one. Shit I am actually tearing up at her feeling of despair...

 

[SuperHans]

That ending was something else. Powerful stuff.

 

[Deleted member 6263]

Holy shit that ending
"And they are lucky that what black people are looking for is equality and not revenge"

 

[HylianSeven]

Very good piece that everyone should watch.

I saw the clip at the end posted on here the other day, and had also watched the Trevor Noah thing when it went up. I highly recommending watching the Trevor Noah one too.

Very chilling (and the right move) to end this one on a serious note and not the usual joke-action they usually do. (as in stuff like setting up something to robocall the FCC director's phone every few minutes for instance)

 

[Kill3r7]

Some of his best work to date from beginning to end. A very powerful episode all around while being educational/instructive for the general public.

 

[Regulus Tera]

I don't think I've ever seen John Oliver break character like that.

 

[KimonoNoNo]

I liked that he let someone black have the last word.

My only criticism though understandable was the clips of police brutality was rather tame compared to what could have been shown.

 

[Shelbyville Milhouse]

I don't think I have ever seen him that angry.
Good

 

[demosthenes]

Please explain because this is what decades of frustration look like.

This is what inaction looks like

This is how black communities feel right now

This what was building up over decades

We were trying to fix this issue for how long now? Many people are at the point that we need to build everything down to the ground and rebuild.

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They already explained above. In addition to that, it's not just Targets getting hit. Areas where minorities are business owners are getting hit and that's literally all they have. Target can fix their store, or insurance will pay for it. A lot of the time they can't even afford insurance. Who is actually doing it here? I'm not sure, but it's happening.

In her instance, it's possible that the Target's are the only thing getting hit. Not the same for the Bronx and other areas.

 

[Tukarrs]

I can't believe John Oliver played that Biden clip. I heard it was taken out of context, and that what he meant was completely different.

 

[Exile20]

They already explained above. In addition to that, it's not just Targets getting hit. Areas where minorities are business owners are getting hit and that's literally all they have. Target can fix their store, or insurance will pay for it. A lot of the time they can't even afford insurance. Who is actually doing it here? I'm not sure, but it's happening.

In her instance, it's possible that the Target's are the only thing getting hit. Not the same for the Bronx and other areas.

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Yes that is extremely unfortunate and I wished it didn't happen but this is what happens when inaction happens for decades.

 

[Trey]

No stone left unturned. His best episode this year.

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As good as this episode is, he didn't even touch on stuff like white supremacist organizations specifically embedding themselves in police forces countrywide.

There's so much more, but he makes a compelling analysis in a lean 34 minutes.