https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UsHHOCH4q8&app=desktop
The world is full of scumbags
I enjoyed this part "Thanks to tobacco industry regulations and marketing restrictions in the US, smoking rates have dropped dramatically. John Oliver explains how tobacco companies are keeping their business strong overseas."
I'm sure the massive taxation had nothing to do with it. Cost of cigarettes in this country has also been a major detractor....proof that high tax rates stifle business. ;)
One thing he omits, smoking in the US actually went UP in 2009 and 2010 as a percentage of the adult population according to the OECD, despite it going down in Japan, Norway, Netherlands, Finland, etc.
I have a hard time getting worked up about foreign companies and foreign countries fighting with each other.
News satire is so scarce, I'm glad I can turn to muscoop for recommendations on these undetectable nuggets buried in the media landscape.
Comedians are the final deciders of policy, economics & ethics.
John Stewart seems to be the major source of "news" for many
As much as they appear to be cut from the same cloth, I get a much different vibe from LWT than I do from the Daily Show or Colbert Report.
Colbert Report annoys me most because the host is a character... satire isn't meant to deceive, it's meant to point out, and the fact that most viewers probably don't even realize Colbert is in character points to this being more than a simple misunderstanding.
Daily Show was more fun when it was Kilbourn... it was comedic take on the news. It wasn't preachy. It wasn't trying to influence opinion. It wasn't political. But that doesn't mean politics can't be funny... the most fun I've ever had in politics was when Al Franken and Arianna Huffington did their "strange bedfellows" bit from the RNC and DNC conventions in 1996. It was hilarious to listen to them skewer the politicians, especially right to their faces, and granted, each had their own political slant, they were being funny, not political.
In my opinion, LWT is a perfect blend of satire, news, opinion and comedy. I probably like John Oliver most because he's British, and even the most liberal/conservative Brit is way more grounded than the average liberal/conservative American. Everything is good in moderation, and the best part is that he can attack an issue at its core without the political histrionics.
Quote from: Benny B on February 19, 2015, 12:19:51 PM
As much as they appear to be cut from the same cloth, I get a much different vibe from LWT than I do from the Daily Show or Colbert Report.
Colbert Report annoys me most because the host is a character... satire isn't meant to deceive, it's meant to point out, and the fact that most viewers probably don't even realize Colbert is in character points to this being more than a simple misunderstanding.
Daily Show was more fun when it was Kilbourn... it was comedic take on the news. It wasn't preachy. It wasn't trying to influence opinion. It wasn't political. But that doesn't mean politics can't be funny... the most fun I've ever had in politics was when Al Franken and Arianna Huffington did their "strange bedfellows" bit from the RNC and DNC conventions in 1996. It was hilarious to listen to them skewer the politicians, especially right to their faces, and granted, each had their own political slant, they were being funny, not political.
In my opinion, LWT is a perfect blend of satire, news, opinion and comedy. I probably like John Oliver most because he's British, and even the most liberal/conservative Brit is way more grounded than the average liberal/conservative American. Everything is good in moderation, and the best part is that he can attack an issue at its core without the political histrionics.
Loved Colbert. Those who aren't aware it's satire are too stoopid to feel sorry for.
Love Stewart. Smart and funny. Nobody is better at taking the words said by powerful people and throwing those words right back in their faces. He is the ultimate Hypocrisy Police, and he will be missed. I'm not sure "irreplaceable" is too strong a word.
Love Oliver. He's better than I expected. Very clever show and great presentation.
All IMHO, of course.