Tenny mucho mucho deniro in su trucky-trailer?
October 6, 2014 8:06 AM Subscribe
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver takes on the issue of civil asset forfeiture, including "Law & Order: Civil Asset Forfeiture Unit", a preview of how police procedurals could handle the topic.
Civil forfeiture previously on MetaFilter: (1, 2)
Civil forfeiture previously on MetaFilter: (1, 2)
His arms have got to be sore from hitting all these home runs (or sixes, I suppose, if we're going with cricket)
posted by leotrotsky at 8:30 AM on October 6, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by leotrotsky at 8:30 AM on October 6, 2014 [5 favorites]
Is the New Journalism ripping clips from news programs and interspersing them with Jon Stewart–outtake jokes? That's mostly what I get from Oliver. He strings together other people's footage and then kinda quietly and bizarrely but totally deliberately creates the impression that he's "breaking" a story. It's fine comedy but far more questionable than Stewart as anything more.
posted by cribcage at 8:40 AM on October 6, 2014
posted by cribcage at 8:40 AM on October 6, 2014
cribcage: Their research on Miss America's scholarship claims - unearthing possible fraud - was incredible. They only had time to look into a couple of state pageants; I hope they take the research further into a full-blown expose.
(Saying "they" because I'm pretty sure it's a team effort and not just Oliver on his lonesome.)
posted by divabat at 8:43 AM on October 6, 2014 [8 favorites]
(Saying "they" because I'm pretty sure it's a team effort and not just Oliver on his lonesome.)
posted by divabat at 8:43 AM on October 6, 2014 [8 favorites]
John Oliver: setting the mold for the New Journalism. Fantastic depressing.
(it shouldn't be the clowns that are the only folks capable of actually bringing us news)
posted by el io at 8:45 AM on October 6, 2014 [7 favorites]
(it shouldn't be the clowns that are the only folks capable of actually bringing us news)
posted by el io at 8:45 AM on October 6, 2014 [7 favorites]
The New Journalism is trying to cover a story in such a way that Jon Oliver or John Stewart excerpts a clip of your footage for a montage to create outrage at whatever you've been investigating.
posted by Going To Maine at 8:45 AM on October 6, 2014
posted by Going To Maine at 8:45 AM on October 6, 2014
Well, cribcage, the Last Week Tonight promo jokes about how the show's Sunday time slot makes it about the worst possible time to cover breaking news, so it seems to me they're well aware that other outlets are going to "break" the news. What I think Oliver's show is doing, and doing quite well, is finding stories that might not quite be on the front pages and pointing out why they're important.
Last week (or maybe the week before) he devoted a long segment to the Miss America pageant. Who gives a fuck about Miss America when we're dealing with ISIS, Ebola, etc.? Well, it turns out it's a giant fucking scam, and, yes, a lot of people knew that already, but the way he covered the story wasn't just "here's what's happening" but also "here's why you should give a shit." That's certainly not something you get from mainstream outlets, and the way they balance being entertaining and informative is something that you don't get anywhere else, not even on The Daily Show these days.
posted by tonycpsu at 8:47 AM on October 6, 2014 [35 favorites]
Last week (or maybe the week before) he devoted a long segment to the Miss America pageant. Who gives a fuck about Miss America when we're dealing with ISIS, Ebola, etc.? Well, it turns out it's a giant fucking scam, and, yes, a lot of people knew that already, but the way he covered the story wasn't just "here's what's happening" but also "here's why you should give a shit." That's certainly not something you get from mainstream outlets, and the way they balance being entertaining and informative is something that you don't get anywhere else, not even on The Daily Show these days.
posted by tonycpsu at 8:47 AM on October 6, 2014 [35 favorites]
With all the talk of the militarization of the police (including on Oliver's show recently), it's worth pointing out that this is the behavior of an invading army -- they too forage for what they need by simply taking it from the inhabitants.
posted by George_Spiggott at 8:48 AM on October 6, 2014 [17 favorites]
posted by George_Spiggott at 8:48 AM on October 6, 2014 [17 favorites]
Yeah, I think it's a straw man to attack Last Week Tonight for not breaking news (even though it may do that sometimes) since that's clearly not its primary purpose. The point is to delve into subjects -- in a comedic fashion -- that deserve more coverage. Where else can one see an uninterrupted 15 minute segment on a public affairs topic on mainstream American TV? Not on any of the local or cable news outlets. The only comparable shows are ones like 60 Minutes and such whose quality, as we know, is quite low.
John Oliver may not be clearing a high bar, but I'll be damned if he doesn't host the best long-form news show on American mainstream TV right now.
posted by Noisy Pink Bubbles at 8:55 AM on October 6, 2014 [21 favorites]
John Oliver may not be clearing a high bar, but I'll be damned if he doesn't host the best long-form news show on American mainstream TV right now.
posted by Noisy Pink Bubbles at 8:55 AM on October 6, 2014 [21 favorites]
Of course civil forfeiture, like all these police abuses, never gets turned against the folks at the top. There's never a "United States of America v. $3billion in suspicious sub-prime mortgage-backed securities" with all the ensuing "these junk mortgages are guilty until proven innocent". That would at least be one application of civil forfeiture that I wouldn't think was monstrous on every possible level.
Also, things like "United States of America ... v. An Article ... Consisting of 50,000 Cardboard Boxes More or Less, Each Containing One Pair of Clacker Balls" makes me feel pretty sure that we need a new word to replace Kafkaesque. I mean, Kafkaesque was all the way back there at "United States v. Eight Thousand Eight Hundred and Fifty Dollars ($8,850) in United States Currency", reality seems to have blasted right past it and straight into bat country. Is there a word for "more absurd than even history's greatest absurdists could've ever imagined"?
posted by mstokes650 at 9:16 AM on October 6, 2014 [9 favorites]
Also, things like "United States of America ... v. An Article ... Consisting of 50,000 Cardboard Boxes More or Less, Each Containing One Pair of Clacker Balls" makes me feel pretty sure that we need a new word to replace Kafkaesque. I mean, Kafkaesque was all the way back there at "United States v. Eight Thousand Eight Hundred and Fifty Dollars ($8,850) in United States Currency", reality seems to have blasted right past it and straight into bat country. Is there a word for "more absurd than even history's greatest absurdists could've ever imagined"?
posted by mstokes650 at 9:16 AM on October 6, 2014 [9 favorites]
As someone who is long tired of the selected facts and damning anecdotes approach to large civic issues, I have to say this: that last scene was fucking brilliant.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 9:22 AM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 9:22 AM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
cribcage: "totally deliberately creates the impression that he's "breaking" a story."
I have watched the show few times ... I dont get the impression that he claims to "break" a story or news.
perhaps you are conflating the fact that some vocal viewers find it new and interesting with Jon oliver "claiming to break a story" ?
posted by TheLittlePrince at 9:30 AM on October 6, 2014
I have watched the show few times ... I dont get the impression that he claims to "break" a story or news.
perhaps you are conflating the fact that some vocal viewers find it new and interesting with Jon oliver "claiming to break a story" ?
posted by TheLittlePrince at 9:30 AM on October 6, 2014
I think the work that Oliver and his team have done thus far on this show elevate it far above mere clown status, and I think their use of a comedic format to present substantial pieces about seemingly boring, mundane, or obscure but important topics is impressive.
Oliver's show consistently takes topics that seem, e.g., boring (Miss America Pageant fraud), obscurely complex (payday loans), important but not about the U.S. (India's election), or important but bizarrely overlooked (drone warfare and its impact on the places it's happening; civil asset forfeiture), and produces detailed, clearly explained, well-researched, and editorially passionate pieces, while also bringing a desperately needed moral (and international) perspective to much of what they discuss.
And, perhaps the show's most overlooked strength, they do it without political or ideological framing. He rarely discusses politics per se, and that's so refreshing to me.
The show often, after explaining in painstaking detail how shitty or horrible something is, directly asks viewers "are we OK with this?", often with some call to start at least a conversation about it (hashtag trends, sometimes gimmicky, sometimes effective; repeated calls to contact elected representatives). Yes, there are jokes, and there are absurd skits, but to me those are more to relieve the pressure and discomfort created by the reportage itself, because much of what he's presenting really is news to many people. If they don't get some relief, they will stop watching; partly because the show is so effective in its truly journalistic parts, and partly because this is what culture is like when our sources of journalism are nearly all for-profit: if you don't entertain me, you will lose my interest.
So that's kind of what I meant by the New Journalism: solid, detailed, important reportage with an international perspective that manages to be bitingly funny and absurd just enough to keep a mass audience watching. And that influences the collective conversation--I've noticed that topics Oliver has covered have gained traction more widely in the media conversation after he draws attention to them.
posted by LooseFilter at 9:31 AM on October 6, 2014 [29 favorites]
Oliver's show consistently takes topics that seem, e.g., boring (Miss America Pageant fraud), obscurely complex (payday loans), important but not about the U.S. (India's election), or important but bizarrely overlooked (drone warfare and its impact on the places it's happening; civil asset forfeiture), and produces detailed, clearly explained, well-researched, and editorially passionate pieces, while also bringing a desperately needed moral (and international) perspective to much of what they discuss.
And, perhaps the show's most overlooked strength, they do it without political or ideological framing. He rarely discusses politics per se, and that's so refreshing to me.
The show often, after explaining in painstaking detail how shitty or horrible something is, directly asks viewers "are we OK with this?", often with some call to start at least a conversation about it (hashtag trends, sometimes gimmicky, sometimes effective; repeated calls to contact elected representatives). Yes, there are jokes, and there are absurd skits, but to me those are more to relieve the pressure and discomfort created by the reportage itself, because much of what he's presenting really is news to many people. If they don't get some relief, they will stop watching; partly because the show is so effective in its truly journalistic parts, and partly because this is what culture is like when our sources of journalism are nearly all for-profit: if you don't entertain me, you will lose my interest.
So that's kind of what I meant by the New Journalism: solid, detailed, important reportage with an international perspective that manages to be bitingly funny and absurd just enough to keep a mass audience watching. And that influences the collective conversation--I've noticed that topics Oliver has covered have gained traction more widely in the media conversation after he draws attention to them.
posted by LooseFilter at 9:31 AM on October 6, 2014 [29 favorites]
Oliver and Stewart are the USians' canaries in the coal mine. When they start getting censored it's probably time to leave the country.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 9:36 AM on October 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by ZenMasterThis at 9:36 AM on October 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
One critique I think it is fair to make of Oliver's show is that the audience doesn't seem to know when to laugh. Maybe this is because Oliver is so busy cramming in information into the little time he has and can't afford too many dramatic pauses; maybe it's because his choice of topics avoids the well-known targets that are cues for the audience to laugh (Republicans! LOL! Koch Brothers! LOL!); maybe it's because of the serious nature of the content. Or maybe something else that I can't put my finger on.
posted by Noisy Pink Bubbles at 9:38 AM on October 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Noisy Pink Bubbles at 9:38 AM on October 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
I should add, more precisely on topic: what a great piece, and I've been amazed for some time now that civil asset forfeiture and its abuses have just run rampant and unchecked for years and no one seems to think it's interesting enough to talk about. News media generally just follow the carrots of political soap opera or event porn. I hope that this piece maybe helps encourage wider conversation and reportage on this particular issue.
posted by LooseFilter at 9:39 AM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by LooseFilter at 9:39 AM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
Just watching a few other episodes (list here, I can find all the ones I've looked for on YouTube) it's amazing how much higher his cultural level is than your average American TV show. He regularly drops references to things like Japanese Internment Camps or Jackson's Seminole Wars -- I don't think I've heard either of those things mentioned on TV ever (not that I watch tons, but, y'know).
posted by Noisy Pink Bubbles at 9:53 AM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Noisy Pink Bubbles at 9:53 AM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
My kid was an actual kid back when DARE was everywhere. I kept having to specifically opt him out of each and every new incarnation of the program, but one particular episode ended up being educational for him, anyway, as the cops were bringing in confiscated flashy vehicles that they'd painted the DARE logo on. So I talked to him about civil forfeiture and all of its real and potential abuses, and he turned around and conducted a few playground seminars and probably beefed up his permanent record in the process.
And I can't love the news comedy format more. There are a lot of people out there who are uninformed about some serious and pervasive issues with our culture not because they're lazy or apathetic and incurious, but because they're overextended and tired and don't have the mental energy left even to keep up with things beyond the weather and the disaster of the day. Shows like this present more abstract, more pervasive, and more complicated issues into a format that is easy and enjoyable to watch. I always seem to have a friend or two who is so busy and overwhelmed that they check in with me to see if there's any big news they should know about. In fact, I currently have a weekly dinner with a friend who fully expects me to have curated the topics of the week for her.
So even if nobody were to investigate further or take concrete action, just raising public awareness to the point that you can say "wealth gap" or "asset forfeiture" or raise the notion of tricky manipulations like what the Miss America pageant does is doing a huge public service. So when I see my friend for our weekly dinner, I can take shortcuts, or tell her where to watch a short informative video that covers the fundamentals of a complicated topic so that we can talk about more things.
posted by ernielundquist at 9:56 AM on October 6, 2014 [9 favorites]
And I can't love the news comedy format more. There are a lot of people out there who are uninformed about some serious and pervasive issues with our culture not because they're lazy or apathetic and incurious, but because they're overextended and tired and don't have the mental energy left even to keep up with things beyond the weather and the disaster of the day. Shows like this present more abstract, more pervasive, and more complicated issues into a format that is easy and enjoyable to watch. I always seem to have a friend or two who is so busy and overwhelmed that they check in with me to see if there's any big news they should know about. In fact, I currently have a weekly dinner with a friend who fully expects me to have curated the topics of the week for her.
So even if nobody were to investigate further or take concrete action, just raising public awareness to the point that you can say "wealth gap" or "asset forfeiture" or raise the notion of tricky manipulations like what the Miss America pageant does is doing a huge public service. So when I see my friend for our weekly dinner, I can take shortcuts, or tell her where to watch a short informative video that covers the fundamentals of a complicated topic so that we can talk about more things.
posted by ernielundquist at 9:56 AM on October 6, 2014 [9 favorites]
Oliver and Stewart are the USians' canaries in the coal mine. When they start getting censored it's probably time to leave the country.
That's obviously never going to happen.
The sadder thing is that, despite being awesome, media these days is so fragmented that I don't really see them ever making an impact on politics or policy. Nobody who matters is afraid of them, because they're not actually making a difference.
posted by leotrotsky at 10:05 AM on October 6, 2014 [3 favorites]
That's obviously never going to happen.
The sadder thing is that, despite being awesome, media these days is so fragmented that I don't really see them ever making an impact on politics or policy. Nobody who matters is afraid of them, because they're not actually making a difference.
posted by leotrotsky at 10:05 AM on October 6, 2014 [3 favorites]
The problem with doing something about asset forfeiture is that a lot of people including so-called 'good guys' benefit while being a grossly unfair burden to a comparatively few people, who are easily tarred as 'bad guys'.
And both parties benefit from it.
posted by empath at 10:39 AM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
And both parties benefit from it.
posted by empath at 10:39 AM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
I think the only reasonable fix is to stop allowing agencies to use the money they seize. Either return it to victims or put it in a general fund for something like drug interventions or education. Giving the money to the cops that take it is just asking for thuggery.
posted by empath at 10:41 AM on October 6, 2014 [7 favorites]
posted by empath at 10:41 AM on October 6, 2014 [7 favorites]
Same with court fines and fees. The law enforcement system should not be a financial beneficiary of law enforcement actions. If you create a profit motive for institutional corruption, you're going to corrupt the institution.
posted by empath at 10:43 AM on October 6, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by empath at 10:43 AM on October 6, 2014 [5 favorites]
If all civil forfeitures went directly to public defenders, I think we'd see an immediate halt to the practice.
posted by el io at 10:44 AM on October 6, 2014 [18 favorites]
posted by el io at 10:44 AM on October 6, 2014 [18 favorites]
Senate Bill S.2644, the Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration Act, introduced by Rand Paul.
Hopefully, as with marijuana reform and marriage equality, common cause between progressives and libertarians can eventually build irresistible momentum on this as well.
posted by George_Spiggott at 11:02 AM on October 6, 2014 [6 favorites]
Hopefully, as with marijuana reform and marriage equality, common cause between progressives and libertarians can eventually build irresistible momentum on this as well.
posted by George_Spiggott at 11:02 AM on October 6, 2014 [6 favorites]
I liked it better when the people busting into places guns drawn and grabbing all the money and valuables were actual criminals.
posted by ckape at 11:10 AM on October 6, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by ckape at 11:10 AM on October 6, 2014 [5 favorites]
(it shouldn't be the clowns that are the only folks capable of actually bringing us news)
Well, there's also Al Jazeera America and Matt Taibbi at Rolling Stone.
posted by tommasz at 11:57 AM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
Well, there's also Al Jazeera America and Matt Taibbi at Rolling Stone.
posted by tommasz at 11:57 AM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
Matt Taibbi left Rolling Stone, still waiting on the roll out of First Look Media, the new digital magazine.
posted by readery at 12:07 PM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by readery at 12:07 PM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
Al Jazeera America
uuuugh I had to downgrade someone from friend to acquaintance after they angrily informed me that Al Jazeera was "arab lies and propaganda" when I mentioned it as a good non-US-biased news source.
posted by poffin boffin at 12:17 PM on October 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
uuuugh I had to downgrade someone from friend to acquaintance after they angrily informed me that Al Jazeera was "arab lies and propaganda" when I mentioned it as a good non-US-biased news source.
posted by poffin boffin at 12:17 PM on October 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
More detail on the civil forfeiture situation in Philadelphia. (Links to the City Paper stories on that page are broken, working links: 1, 2).
posted by tonycpsu at 1:22 PM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by tonycpsu at 1:22 PM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
Oliver and Stewart are the USians' canaries in the coal mine. When they start getting censored it's probably time to leave the country.
By the time the government shuts down liberal-reformist comedians' shows - liberal-reformist at best - for liberal-reformist comedy, it'll be too late to leave.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 1:41 PM on October 6, 2014
By the time the government shuts down liberal-reformist comedians' shows - liberal-reformist at best - for liberal-reformist comedy, it'll be too late to leave.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 1:41 PM on October 6, 2014
Giving the money to the cops that take it is just asking for thuggery.
QFT.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 2:08 PM on October 6, 2014 [3 favorites]
QFT.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 2:08 PM on October 6, 2014 [3 favorites]
I'm sure it's a coincidence that a lot of legal large cash transactions are performed by immigrants and low-income individuals who mistrust the banking system (for good reason).
posted by ckape at 3:34 PM on October 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by ckape at 3:34 PM on October 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
If they're our canaries, then should we be worried that Colbert is getting moved off the Report?
posted by ckape at 3:55 PM on October 6, 2014
posted by ckape at 3:55 PM on October 6, 2014
I'm sure it's a coincidence that a lot of legal large cash transactions are performed by immigrants and low-income individuals who mistrust the banking system (for good reason).
This is reminding me of all those people who get arrested or questioned by law enforcement because they loaned a phone to their cousin who then used it in a terrorist attack 3 countries over. "Oh we're not arresting you, we're arresting your STUFF! Because of what people MIGHT do with it!" Gah.
Also jesters have a long and deep history of social commentary.
does anyone know if LWT are hiring research assistants?
posted by divabat at 4:35 PM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
This is reminding me of all those people who get arrested or questioned by law enforcement because they loaned a phone to their cousin who then used it in a terrorist attack 3 countries over. "Oh we're not arresting you, we're arresting your STUFF! Because of what people MIGHT do with it!" Gah.
Also jesters have a long and deep history of social commentary.
does anyone know if LWT are hiring research assistants?
posted by divabat at 4:35 PM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
"it shouldn't be the clowns that are the only folks capable of actually bringing us news"
Only the clowns have both the guts and the position where they can afford to say what's actually going on, rather than having to do professional journalism.
posted by markkraft at 5:35 PM on October 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
Only the clowns have both the guts and the position where they can afford to say what's actually going on, rather than having to do professional journalism.
posted by markkraft at 5:35 PM on October 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
It should be pointed out that Louis Theroux primarily does serious news stories outside of his own country. It's quite possible that if he did similarly damning stories about what's going on in the UK, they wouldn't be allowed to air in such an unrestricted manner.
posted by markkraft at 6:48 PM on October 6, 2014
posted by markkraft at 6:48 PM on October 6, 2014
I wonder if the Canada warning Canadians to watch out for US police robbing them helped prompt this focus on asset forfeiture.
posted by jeffburdges at 7:19 PM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by jeffburdges at 7:19 PM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
I'm sure it's a coincidence that a lot of legal large cash transactions are performed by immigrants and low-income individuals who mistrust the banking system (for good reason)
Don't forget about us thousands of small business owners that still accept cash for payment (that's not illegal, yet, right?). We have to get it to the bank somehow.
I've had enough direct experience with the police over the years and have read about so many instances of civil forfeiture being unjustly applied that I worry much more about getting pulled over by police with a day or two's receipts than I am of being robbed by a civilian.
posted by newpotato at 7:28 PM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
Don't forget about us thousands of small business owners that still accept cash for payment (that's not illegal, yet, right?). We have to get it to the bank somehow.
I've had enough direct experience with the police over the years and have read about so many instances of civil forfeiture being unjustly applied that I worry much more about getting pulled over by police with a day or two's receipts than I am of being robbed by a civilian.
posted by newpotato at 7:28 PM on October 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
It should be pointed out that Louis Theroux primarily does serious news stories outside of his own country. It's quite possible that if he did similarly damning stories about what's going on in the UK, they wouldn't be allowed to air in such an unrestricted manner.
I don't quite understand where this is coming from (I can't watch the video at work), but I don't think that's the case. Theroux did a series, 'When Louis met ...' that was about British individuals, if not Britain directly, and there are a bunch of programs (Panorama springs to mind), that regularly do exposés of (largely) U.K issues.
Whilst it seems a little odd that this is the case, considering the state run BBC is responsible for most of the content, it seems plausible that media, like religion is one of those paradoxes of democratic government: a state with an official bias is more cautious of expressing it than one without, as the need to appear balanced is more pertinent.
posted by Ned G at 7:48 AM on October 7, 2014
I don't quite understand where this is coming from (I can't watch the video at work), but I don't think that's the case. Theroux did a series, 'When Louis met ...' that was about British individuals, if not Britain directly, and there are a bunch of programs (Panorama springs to mind), that regularly do exposés of (largely) U.K issues.
Whilst it seems a little odd that this is the case, considering the state run BBC is responsible for most of the content, it seems plausible that media, like religion is one of those paradoxes of democratic government: a state with an official bias is more cautious of expressing it than one without, as the need to appear balanced is more pertinent.
posted by Ned G at 7:48 AM on October 7, 2014
The number of citations of Oliver's piece in the news just now is impressive.
(Note to future readers of this page, that's a search link that will go stale soon enough.)
posted by George_Spiggott at 11:30 AM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
(Note to future readers of this page, that's a search link that will go stale soon enough.)
posted by George_Spiggott at 11:30 AM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
(Self link incoming) Civil forfeiture is straight out of a noir movie, which is why some friends ran a tabletop RPG adventure based around it, using a film noir inspired game called A Dirty World. When we posted that actual play of it, a lot of our listeners, especially our foreign ones, couldn't believe it was real.
posted by clockworkjoe at 1:34 PM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by clockworkjoe at 1:34 PM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
does anyone know if LWT are hiring research assistants?
If they are let me know....
posted by JHarris at 5:35 AM on October 8, 2014
If they are let me know....
posted by JHarris at 5:35 AM on October 8, 2014
I've posted about this before, but I'm still somewhat baffled that something this blatantly corrupt just keeps happening. WTF.
Good on Oliver for helping to bring attention to it.
posted by homunculus at 9:26 PM on October 8, 2014
Good on Oliver for helping to bring attention to it.
posted by homunculus at 9:26 PM on October 8, 2014
In this vein, I eagerly await the youtube film Jack Ryan : Fascist CIA Propaganda now, although I guess Slavoj Žižek's The Pervert's Guide to Ideology already exists.
posted by jeffburdges at 1:17 AM on October 9, 2014
posted by jeffburdges at 1:17 AM on October 9, 2014
Asset seizures fuel police spending
posted by tonycpsu at 11:04 AM on October 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
Police agencies have used hundreds of millions of dollars taken from Americans under federal civil forfeiture law in recent years to buy guns, armored cars and electronic surveillance gear. They have also spent money on luxury vehicles, travel and a clown named Sparkles.Sadly, Last Week Tonight isn't airing this week.
posted by tonycpsu at 11:04 AM on October 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
I don't think Oliver breaks stories, but I do think he breaks perspectives, most notably into the mainstream. There's a built-in critique that there are always people who have "the band's first 7-inch," so to speak, but the ability to bridge the gap from the disparate underground into the mass media is something to be applauded.
posted by rhizome at 1:04 PM on October 13, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 1:04 PM on October 13, 2014 [2 favorites]
I don't think either Oliver or Stewart are connecting any kind of underground to any kind of mainstream. It would be more accurate, I think, to say they present issues that are already well known to the well read and then deliver those issues to a younger, less attentive, far-more-apathetic-but-don't-think-of-themselves-that-way demographic. And the difference is that Stewart, apart from having much funnier material, is explicit about nodding to actual journalists—whether because he's using their work, or to excoriate them for not doing any—whereas Oliver seems to exist in this awkward halfway space between Stewart and the put-on Colbert.
Oliver's is exactly the show that would be created by a bunch of people who buy into Jon Stewart as the New Journalism and apparently weren't paying attention with Stewart very carefully explained otherwise.
posted by cribcage at 4:23 PM on October 14, 2014
Oliver's is exactly the show that would be created by a bunch of people who buy into Jon Stewart as the New Journalism and apparently weren't paying attention with Stewart very carefully explained otherwise.
posted by cribcage at 4:23 PM on October 14, 2014
Stewart's point in that Crossfire apperance was that the 24-hour cable news nets were failing to do their job, and sure, he said he didn't think it was his job either, but 10 years later, it's clear they're not going to do it. Oliver's show isn't ProPublica or anything, but to the extent that he can, as you say, bring issues that are known to few and bring them to many, I see that as a good thing.
apart from having much funnier material
Like many other things, humor is subjective, but as someone who misses maybe a half a dozen Daily Show or Colbert episodes a year, I have to say both of those shows have pretty much hit a wall in terms of entertainment value. At least Colbert's moving on to new things where he can ditch the "was funny before Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity became caricatures of themselves" character, but The Daily Show, while it really shines with some of the correspondent stuff (Jason Jones in Russia, Aasif Mandvi with the North Carolina racist Republican guy) Stewart himself seems to be kind of phoning it in with the usual "here's the stupid shit Fox News is doing now" stuff. Honestly, that ship has sailed. Cable news is a blight on humanity, and it's not coming back. I'd rather Stewart spent the time doing more of what Oliver's doing than running the same "LOL Fox and Friends" stuff that he was doing in the early 2000s.
posted by tonycpsu at 4:41 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
apart from having much funnier material
Like many other things, humor is subjective, but as someone who misses maybe a half a dozen Daily Show or Colbert episodes a year, I have to say both of those shows have pretty much hit a wall in terms of entertainment value. At least Colbert's moving on to new things where he can ditch the "was funny before Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity became caricatures of themselves" character, but The Daily Show, while it really shines with some of the correspondent stuff (Jason Jones in Russia, Aasif Mandvi with the North Carolina racist Republican guy) Stewart himself seems to be kind of phoning it in with the usual "here's the stupid shit Fox News is doing now" stuff. Honestly, that ship has sailed. Cable news is a blight on humanity, and it's not coming back. I'd rather Stewart spent the time doing more of what Oliver's doing than running the same "LOL Fox and Friends" stuff that he was doing in the early 2000s.
posted by tonycpsu at 4:41 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
Like many other things, humor is subjective,
"Funny is in the eye of the beholder" is the wisest thing ever said by Garfield the cat.
posted by JHarris at 1:56 AM on October 15, 2014
"Funny is in the eye of the beholder" is the wisest thing ever said by Garfield the cat.
posted by JHarris at 1:56 AM on October 15, 2014
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posted by LooseFilter at 8:14 AM on October 6, 2014 [5 favorites]