Astroturfing: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Organizations can hire fake advocates who create the illusion of real support for their message. It’s a shady practice called astroturfing that can warp the public perception of anything...even astroturfing.
Connect with Last Week Tonight online...
Subscribe to the Last Week Tonight KZbin channel for more almost news as it almost happens: / lastweektonight
Find Last Week Tonight on Facebook like your mom would: / lastweektonight
Follow us on Twitter for news about jokes and jokes about news: / lastweektonight
Visit our official site for all that other stuff at once: www.hbo.com/lastweektonight

[@sleekotter1109]

I had never heard of this and wholeheartedly thought this was about artificial grass ruining the environment or something.

[@HeriEystberg]

Ditto!

[@mattreaves3971]

I actually didn't watch this episode for the longest time because that is what I thought lol

[@falpsdsqglthnsac]

Same

[@Elenrai]

@ZionHillCalling Ah...you make me sad my kinsman.. :c I thought you dutchmen were responsible like us Danes....dig up the yard and fill it with pebbles :D

[@DHorse]

The astroturf industry does its own astroturfing. You are incidentally correct.

[@Cbiz210]

"Save Our Tips" sounds like an anti circumcision group... 🤣

[@LSSYLondon]

OMG I just spit out my muffin reading that. lmao

[@shanelchamik2177]

🤣🤣🤣.

[@DHorse]

Count your blessings. The Castrati.

[@nicholasroth5491]

I thought the EXACT same thing

[@Thenoobestgirl]

That's a cursed comment if I ever saw one 😂

[@lordfangar5671]

Hearing john back down because "he legally cant say" is weird after seeing the whole "Eat shit bob" saga

[@joejury5461]

Indeed.

[@Gaius__]

Different circumstances. _Scumbag Bob's_ was a SLAPP case, i.e. without real merit or substance. This would have been slander, which is actionable for good reason, and _LWT_ would have lost.

[@adrielsebastian5216]

@@Gaius__ I honestly thought it's just because *geriatric Dr Evil's* case was still in the court and Business Daddy wasn't too keen on invoking the wrath of other companies

[@happyfox711]

He had already taken some legal action, I think, so it was already kind of passed that point.

[@dinamosflams]

To who really is in controll you Just need to look at what you can't legaly say or do

[@natew.3657]

Feeding your family with soda? Interesting priorities mom.

[@Dougiewoof]

I know right.

[@NickK1989]

How will I feed my children a healthy diet without high fructose corn syrup?!

[@jeremyanderson3819]

I am pretty sure the tax was for juices and sodas.

[@GergelyKosztolanyi]

@@jeremyanderson3819 Juices are also not that healthy. One cup a day - sure. One liter a day? Not so much.

[@joecremer3633]

Gergely Kosztolányi Even a cup a day is pretty bad. Drink water!!

[@TheGroovyGuitarDude]

I legitimately thought this was going to be about actual AstroTurf 😂

[@deaf-tomcat]

Same, I was like, " oh no, is astro turf bad now?!"

[@gear6th679]

Me too haha

[@xximpacts2cks]

The Groovy Guitar Dude - Daily Guitar Lessons who says "AstroTurf" anymore? It's called field turf now, not that Astro shit.

[@Quagthistle]

You're not alone. I did, too. I'm like, "What kind of shady stuff could astroturf manufacturers be into? Or is it that laying fake grass is actually harming the enviroment or something?" Yeah, clearly, I'd never heard the term before. XD

[@erbgorre]

ill lay down some astroturf so they dont scrub their kne-kne-kne-kne-knees

[@SamMasghati]

Recent episodes have been very informative. But this adresses a problem we didn't know we have and no one is talking about. More of these please

[@MiorAkif]

Sam Masghati indeed

[@BothHands1]

Be sure to watch the rest of the episode, he went over some other very important stuff. You can find rips of the whole episode on youtube. They'll get striked for copyright infringement anyway, so the ad revenue still goes to Oliver&co

[@helenanilsson5666]

You didn't know? As in, didn't know for sure or didn't even suspect?

[@vguyver2]

I've known about it for some time. I recommend that if you have Netflix, to watch the documentary Street Fight.

[@samlerf]

You mean money in politics? Secular Talk, young turks and rational national are talking about that for a long time.

[@Matthew_Murray]

The fact that there isn’t a law that says “It’s illegal for a person or company to pay, or provided financial benefit that can be easily converted to payment, a person/group for the purpose of political demonstration” is surprisingly shocking.

[@bigkirbyhj666]

Not really suprising tbh, just infuriating.

[@AFN2750]

Welcome to the USA!!

[@listen1st267]

I feel like there could be a lot of grey area that's hard to dance around. Think of people who were with trying to go to things like BLM demonstrations, the March for Life, or the Women's March. If someone gives you money for gas, food, or lodging (think donations so that people can take off work or school can spend the day demonstrating), then that might be seen as paying someone to protest. I imagine it'd be splitting hairs between protesters-for-hire and actual non-profit protesters

[@paulwblair]

A law like that would be struck down as violating the 1st amendment.

[@supahninja91]

@@paulwblair Uhh, how? I'm not American but isn't the 1st amendment protected speech? That would be a law targeted at lobbying not vocal support?

[@minieyke]

Personally, I just love how outraged soda lady looks at the prospect of paying some spare change more for her cokes. I don't see people that outraged over minimum wage stagnation, education inflation, or climate change and those negatively affect us all. She's a true American.

[@SaraH-jn5db]

Yeehaw

[@frizzlethecat2084]

Especially as her background doesn't exactly paint her as seriously underpaid.

[@Valentinathevamp]

🤣😂

[@RSAgility]

Right. “How much is your soda lady?” “$1” Oh, how much is your kid’s tuition? “$100,000.99, But you gotta spend money to make money” Translation: “I don’t like everyone else to have the same opportunities as me, because that shows I’m a nobody, and we are all equal”

[@aidenhoogstra8636]

And dude, if you’re getting financially destroyed by a few cents, SODA IS NOT A THING YOU NEED. My family isn’t struggling financially, but I don’t think anybody *needs* soda. Water is both cheaper and healthier, and if you were really low on money, you wouldn’t be buying soda. Such a clearly fake thing.

[@Smartaleckcomedy]

John Oliver may look like a toucan, but he has the sage advice and wisdom of an ancient British turtle. Keep up the good work!

[@TurbopropPuppy]

John Oliver is Zazu from The Lion King a sage old hornbill

[@christianschoff2490]

Smart Aleck Comedy I'm glad you didn't say owl.

[@timothymccaskey4362]

Smart Aleck Comedy: Turtles are stupid. Remember Terrapins for Trump?

[@jamestang1227]

Timothy McCaskey #NotAllTurtles

[@umpygoodness2369]

EXCEPT OLIVER DOESN"T TELL THE WHOLE TRUTH: astroturfing is OBVIOUS felony fraud and systemic FRAUD. ANY DECEPTION for money = FELONY FRAUD. IT'S A CRIME LIKE ANY OTHER... so why will NO ONE tell the public this? SPREAD THE TRUTH, because HBO won't let Oliver tell you the COMPLETE facts. Clickbait is also exact FRAUD.

[@jdvr3891]

I do think the Prince-guy deserves real credit. He felt remorse for what he had let himself be temted into, and immediately came clean about it. Sir, you have courage.

[@applemauzel]

Or, it could be a PR stunt for himself... He is a struggling actor after all, so making a name for himself is important if he want to no longer be 'struggling'. Now, everyone knows about him, so he is more bankable in a film than my roommate Jeremy.

[@giamiramontes5639]

@@applemauzel poor Jeremy

[@kolibri1555]

@@PRINCEJORDANTYSON yeah i agree...but damn dude change your name XD

[@jamesslick9879]

@@PRINCEJORDANTYSON Wait a minute... For real? That actually you? Dude, honestly, you commanded a lot of respect from me. Even though you look like the villian from Despicable Me 3, you have something a lot of people in the country don't: backbone. You fucked up, you knew you fucked up, you were honest about how you fucked up, and you made sure that people affected by it knew that you knew that you fucked up. That takes a LOT of courage, especially these days where people (me included) just hide behind screens, spout out total bullshit in the hopes that we'll get noticed, and then try to avoid accountability for it once we've attracted attention. You have my respect as a intelligent human being, which I'd argue is greater than the respect I give actors I love (RDJ and Cumberbatch specifically). And y'know what, when I have the time, I will actively search out a film piece with your name in it and watch it. Can't promise I'll enjoy it, but you deserve the chance for me to judge it. And who knows, maybe I'll really like it and then you'll get crazy famous and I'll say I knew about you before you were cool. Never know...

[@user-dp8gb9zu8v]

That's the same logic Boris Johnson had. and he looks like Boris Johnson.

[@enderz1341]

I can't spend 2 cents more on soda!! What am I going to drink? _Water?_

[@elvarestep3323]

Well, bottled water is more expensive than bottled soda, so if you live in a Midwestern town full of lead or a Southern town with fracking, you can be forced to buy soda, but in the case of the average American, yeah, this isn't at all a problem.

[@allegro6104]

@@elvarestep3323 wait are you overexaggerating or is soda actually cheaper than water in america?

[@elvarestep3323]

@@allegro6104 It's cheaper than bottled water, and since we have terrible water regulation, tap water is unavailable to some people, the famous example is Flint, Michigan, but a lot of towns in Kentucky and other fracking states also have toxic tap water.

[@quirkyblackenby]

@@allegro6104 no soda is actually cheaper than bottled water

[@listen1st267]

Also soda is consumed a lot more by lower income households than higher income households. The higher income ones generally buy more fruit juices and healthier alternatives. Lower income families can't always afford 100% grape juice and stuff like that so if your kids want something that's more interesting than water, you have to go soda. The concept is also the same with frozen foods and fatty snacks

[@FreakkeTheClown]

Historically we have been easily angered by drink taxes.

[@gennybaratta2460]

“Look when Britain taxed our tea we got frisky/imagine what gonna happen when you try to tax our whiskey”

[@lordythegreat88]

@@gennybaratta2460 Come to Australia, our alcohol is taxed 40% plus :S we are just too lazy to get angry lol

[@VincentGonzalezVeg]

fructose supresses the feeling of fullness and contributes to obesity, its not used but its proccessed by the liver and acts like a poison check out the book "Year Of No Sugar"

[@jamesloucka1952]

@@VincentGonzalezVeg so all fruits are poison? Or is it specifically when its extracted for use outside of what naturally occurs in fruits?

[@VincentGonzalezVeg]

@@jamesloucka1952 "everything can kill" so genrally theres a lethality of everything Just Like how dogs can die from Chocolate-the active lethal ingredient is theobromine dogs specifically don't metaboloze the chemical fast enough, everything has chemicals, and as organic organisms we are biological machines the book "Year Of No Sugar" The Author is going Sugar Free with her family Her, Her Husband, and two kids I was reading parts of it and taking notes because i was just taking notes on Eating/Digestion my body for the past 4 years has decided to refuse to proccess sugars of certian varieties, So im on a low "FODMAP" diet like lactose intolerance so when i drink a can of fruitjuice it feels like i have a rotary tool in my abdomen and it was at a 7 avarage for every day really i was reccomending that people checkout the book the author was talking about how the liver processes the fructose and its like an empty calory

[@1234eldibu]

I feel like “skepticism is healthy; cynicism is toxic” should be a mantra when consuming any kind of news.

[@tomhill3248]

The difference between poison and cure, is the dose. But sometimes you should be toxic. Like anytime you talk about either of our garbage political parties.

[@SennaHawx]

@@tomhill3248 Or while talking about your favorite Britney Spears song

[@tomhill3248]

@@SennaHawx Exactly!

[@DHorse]

While scepticism is healthy. Cynicism. Real cynicism is toxic. - John Oliver.

[@forrestculver7301]

I expected “Save our Tips” to be an anti-circumcision organization

[@AllenSJ5]

Would it also be anti-Semitic as well? :O

[@MaximumTheMokona]

Another successful Lindsay Bluth passion project.

[@kacibjordan]

LMAOOOOOO

[@TheMoonLayingLow]

Topical!

[@kneadysetgrow3220]

Brilliant :D

[@yeeyeeyeeye]

Four years late, but I think one of my biggest regrets might be unironically using The Center for Consumer Freedom as a source for an essay against PETA in middle school.

[@MasterArchfiend]

To be fair, PETA isn’t exactly one of the good animal groups. You used a bad source to attack a bad group. Like using a quote from Hitler to talk smack about Al Capone. One is definitely worse than the other, but neither are exactly nominees for Sainthood.

[@mechengr1731]

PETA is still a garbage organization, so don't feel too bad

[@zenkim6709]

While the source may indeed be (highly, extremely) suss ... the sad fact is that PETA is by no means an honorable organization, either. This isn't meant as a diss towards animal rights activists & the movement for promoting humane practices (it's not), but as a reminder that bad actors can appear anywhere & in any guise.

[@14104]

@@zenkim6709 How terrible is Peta really? I think the biggest criticism I've seen so far is that they kill dogs and cats. But so does most animal shelters and the reason for that makes sense.

[@onemoreguyonline7878]

I bet there are people who have done their college thesis on statements made by astroturfing companies

[@apanapandottir205]

Actually, kudos to Prince Jordan Tyson for coming clean.

[@nyjets2020]

sometimes this show feels like a college lecture disguised as a late night show. and i fucking love it. thank you for informing me about this topic.

[@thisisntsergio1352]

I genuinely love this show because of it.

[@thisisntsergio1352]

@@whoviandax8053 you're a great teacher. Thank you.

[@whimsical_me5135]

Are you kidding me? I didn't get to go to college but I feel like I know things about very specific subjects bc I watch these shows over and over cos they're informative and hilarious😂

[@bobmarley5651]

my dog heard Oliver shouting "bad dog" and got super sad because he thought he was in trouble

[@kozhedub]

Bob Marley RT if this made you cry :(

[@davidcoon1694]

Didn't make me cry made me laugh because my dog is dumb enough to do this too and he looks so pathetic it's hard not to laugh when I pick him up

[@seredahawke3207]

I don't have a dog but I actually worried about this happening.

[@PenguinLord10]

Fortunately for me (or rather, my dog) I had headphones on, but I know she would have been miserable if I hadn't.

[@andrewabbey3669]

Poor dog :(

[@markpinney7750]

The ceo of crowds on demand sounds like a chat bot that’s nervous about being caught in a stolen body.

[@AnthonyRossJr1701]

As a guy named Tony, I can say, John's impression is 100% accurate 😆🤣

[@isaacmorton1769]

foolish mortals the candles are put around the crib to prepare the ritual.

[@baronvonlimbourgh1716]

Lol

[@chantetm4405]

Satan told me these mortals are idiots. They put them in the wrong place

[@doot9695]

I have been reborn. Thank you mein freind

[@matthewhorizon6050]

Just dropped my ceremonial dagger 😂

[@DHorse]

Wouldn't that make it a ritual preparation ritual?

[@KBikert]

This is what I love about John Oliver's show. This is a political satire show yet they do more journalism than the majority of news outlets out there. Everyone else is just reacting to whatever is trending. John's main segment always blows my mind. They talk about stories that no one else is talking about. Stuff that should be bipartisan issues as well.

[@flavio4923]

KBikert even non american people like me watch it to understand western world and international issues

[@rizzurpa6729]

Even though there is a heavy democratic bias and im republican i still enjoy most of the show

[@TheNinthGenerarion]

4:04 I love these segments where he legally can’t say the truth because of lawsuits, he’s got great work arounds

[@MohamedElkashef1]

"An al dente Owen Wislon" is probably the best joke ever written.

[@darivreme]

Respect for the guy who stood up and told the truth. He could have taken the $100.00, but chose to tell the truth instead. That deserves my praise! A person's true nature can be seen when things are hard and he prevailed.

[@princejordantysoniii902]

Robert Zhelyazkov ..Thank YOU! with Love! Prince Jordan Tyson..(PrinceTyson.com)

[@phatbengt]

John Oliver took the word of an actual astroturfing organization (US Right to know = anti-vaccine, anti-GMO and more) and attacked a non-profit science promotor. (American Council on Science and Health). Hilarious, but sad.

[@Mirdclawer]

@@princejordantysoniii902 holy shit it's the real guy himself!😂😂 Congrats man you're a hero

[@akumamakima2280]

But he was already paid lol

[@freeloader69]

@@akumamakima2280 That's what I was going to say! The bastard most likely did it for shameless self-promotion purposes, which I also applaud!

[@timphillips9678]

"While skepticism is healthy, cynicism, real cynicism is toxic." A true statement for all the conspiracy theorists to consider.

[@vanessawhite2084]

Conspiracy theorists don't consider things. They just make shit up and believe their own bullshit.

[@phatbengt]

That is true, but also it should apply to everyone. John Oliver took the word of an actual astroturfing organization (US Right to know = anti-vaccine, anti-GMO and more) and attacked a non-profit science promotor. (American Council on Science and Health). Hilarious, but sad.

[@fbarok5]

So mentioning their donors is "attacking"?

[@phatbengt]

By attacking I mean the false statements Oliver made about the organization. Read about it here if you feel like it: www.acsh.org/news/2018/08/13/if-john-oliver-wants-be-funny-about-science-non-profits-i-can-help-write-better-material-13303

[@ergogray3143]

So Tim Phillips, what Astroturfing organization do you work for?

[@matthewcrites4197]

Prince Tyson looks like a discount Boris Johnson, who already looks like a discount Donald Trump

[@gennybaratta2460]

Matthew Crites so he’s a copy of a copy? Seems about right

[@veskokanchev2285]

Who looks like a discount orangutan. :D :D

[@tbhUSuckOo]

if anything trump is a discount Boris. Atleast Boris got some brains.

[@another1bitesdusty]

Trump is the least of anything or anyone in any category. There's no discounted version of him because you can't get any lower than zero.

[@MrHookernugget]

Looks aside, Prince Tyson is 100 times the man Trump will ever be. He actually had a conscience, and went back and admitted his wrongdoing, by his own will. And you know that dude needed the $100. There's currently an entire party of DC politicians who would never be capable of something like this.

[@Tsiskwahi]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE cover the well-documented astroturfing behind the recent protests against stay-at-home orders. We need your perspective on this @LastWeekTonight

[@horstherbert35]

Funny thing about astroturfing: it's always the OTHER SIDE doing it. wink wink nudge nudge

[@annabellealpar5285]

Idk if they are being paid. People are really that stupid

[@horstherbert35]

There are parrots, but there's also those who know how to train the parrots.

[@Borntu]

This comment didn't age well, and if you think it did then please be advised it is safe to come out of your house just like it always was.

[@jojojiles]

I've said this a million times to friends...critical thinking should be a class taught in school right along side math and history, with as much precedence. In today's world of social and mass media, it is one of the most important social skills you can give people.

[@GEricM]

Jojo Giles makes ya wonder why it aint

[@toniacollinske2518]

Absolutely agree! Philosophy used to be a required subject. It was painful! But indispensable in the development of critical thinking skills. Seems like debate class was also required. The US has really dumbed down.

[@calametrocity]

No state legislature is going to allow that, they have to protect themselves.

[@MrMojoRisinn]

Indeed

[@butterflyinambr]

I think the class where I learned that the most was Speech and Debate (which thankfully was required in my district). When you're looking at evidence, you always have to consider the source!

[@jopiagalis]

I had to write a paper about different types of propaganda techniques and how they’re implemented today and thanks to this episode, I could explain how astroturfing creates a bandwagon effect. My professor hadn’t heard of it before I brought it up so I spread the knowledge😂

[@cezarcatalin1406]

stonks

[@randyrankin682]

That's really cool. If more people were only this virtuous...

[@aoeu256]

Is what the US did in Panama and other Latin American countries count as astroturfing...?

[@joshuaanderson9938]

Sure

[@DHorse]

Hmmm. I don't hear of people knowledgable about propaganda that use it for anything remotely good. Nice to see your comment pop up.

[@HoneyRyker]

*Settling in for the evening with a glass of wine* Ah, time for “John Oliver explains the world to me”

[@a-totally-random-person]

'Right to Work' is the best and most dangerous example of this!

[@stoneman28]

...and people in those RTW states wear it as a badge of honor.

[@a-totally-random-person]

@@stoneman28 Ya they do. They work for significantly less money and crap benefits because of a catch phrase that sounds good. Dumb as shit.

[@couragekarnga8735]

This was not at all what I expected. I expected this to be about people claiming territory in space. It was still amazing, though.

[@andrefricke9998]

I thought so, too 😂

[@OnionChoppingNinja]

you and me both...

[@infamoussky22]

Me too, I was wondering for a second b/c I never heard of that before.

[@Nyonics]

You're thinking of terraforming. ;p

[@markschafer1828]

Zero Cool Citizens!! We must destroy the Bugs.

[@jerryquinn309]

So here's another fun fact: paid demonstraters often don't know they're part of an astroturfing campaign. I am a working actor and it is very common to hire people as film extras where you know you're supposed to be in a crowd reacting (in support, in protest, etc), but **you think it's for a fictional movie.** The release forms and w-9 forms look identical whether the final product is for a indie film or a slur campaign. Living and working in New York, such things are often filmed in Times Square and similar iconic locations, so these casting calls cross my path all the time. I'm pretty careful to sniff out the nature of the final project to the best of my abililty, but that's atypical. It isn't hard at all to round up a couple hundred working actors who will gladly take a paying background gig. I have definitely taken work of a similar nature but less nefarious ends, eg, being a "raving fan" of a comedian (not John Oliver, a less famous one) I thought was medicore at best, and needed their audience bolstered with fake fans.

[@claiminglight]

On the surface, there's nothing ethically wrong with offering pretend support for someone for pay. After all, people should be able to (and should be expected to) form their own opinions about someone without entertaining fallacious ad populum reasoning, so your acting gig shouldn't actually matter in the slightest. But dig a little deeper and you find the ethically suspect part: the center of the IQ bell curve has, time and again, proven itself unable to make well-reasoned decisions on their own. And so they're taken advantage of by stuff like this, time and time again.

[@Goldarlives]

Was it Kevin Hart?

[@leonchristian417]

Claiming Light The Bell curve was fallacious bullshit.

[@desolation0]

It's a common and, under normal circumstances, rational mental heuristic to take the testimony and apparent support of others into account when forming an opinion. It does not always necessarily lead to fallacy. There is absolutely not enough time in the day to form a full and well reasoned individual opinion on every topic available. You don't have to be an idiot to fall for this sort of stuff.

[@claiminglight]

Drew: That's just plainly untrue. If an idea can't stand without support, it can't stand with it. If it can stand without support, it doesn't need it to stand. Added: So while it might be rational from a corner-cutting point of view, you'll never have an answer for yourself that you can confidently call correct. Fallacious reasoning could *happen* to produce an objectively true answer, but you'd never know it as true if you arrived at it foolishly. And, of course, we have to remember the topic of the video itself-- highlighting the sort of hucksterism that makes crowd-following a foolish thing from the start.

[@Coloursofdreams729]

I do protest for free. My hate for trump comes naturally. But you can always fund me this passion ✌️✌️

[@megamihestia4049]

You gotta appreciate the how transparent they are about the level of opaqueness of their operations.

[@jaridkeen123]

**Paid for by Citizens for Fresher Orange Juice**

[@catfishwithwhiskers]

dangit I knew Oliver was in the pocket of big OJ

[@adhamwashere5320]

catfishwithwhiskers and all this time i thought he was in the pockets of dewalt ladders.

[@jackdaniel8628]

The oranges are people! The oranges are people!

[@davidhollenshead4892]

Its worse than that, as Mr. Oliver is also in the pocket of the efforts to legalize live baby burning...

[@promodpratap2696]

...and some oranges are more people than others...

[@kristinaerickson2353]

Did anyone else think he was actually going to talk about the enviromental and safety impacts of astroturf?

[@tamerlanrukachev5261]

me

[@electro-omelette3926]

Pleasantly surprised

[@mr.squidward9936]

That's exactly why I clicked. lol!

[@suicune2001]

I almost didn't watch it because of that. Lol

[@elivogel388]

I did, I freaking hate that stuff, and I was looking forward to seeing John bash it for a while.

[@littlesailor1533]

I'm here cuz of the astroturfing during covid-19

[@suderp8583]

yessir, super scary

[@quinn9310]

It’s getting unreal

[@psychicbyinternet]

For what, the lockdown protests?

[@littlesailor1533]

@@psychicbyinternet yes

[@Roger8176]

"He was riffing hard at that point." 😂

[@CassandraBankson]

*”Paid for by the citizens for fresher orange juice.”*

[@kosmosyche]

Cassandra Bankson At that very moment I died.

[@Korean_Autistic_Abs_Mis_Fail]

Another great example of Astroturfing would be "right to work" laws. Or as explained by Martin Luther King jr: “In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, such as ‘right to work.’ It is a law to rob us of our civil rights and job rights. Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining by which unions have improved wages and working conditions of everyone…Wherever these laws have been passed, wages are lower, job opportunities are fewer and there are no civil rights. We do not intend to let them do this to us. We demand this fraud be stopped. Our weapon is our vote.” -Martin Luther King, speaking about right-to-work laws in 1961

[@LJdaentertainer]

Good job 🖕

[@herpderpmonkey]

Report for spam. Jesus christ Cassandra, chill with trying to advertise your channel.

[@meyakabrown4725]

Cassandra Bankson 😂

[@TheFrugalVideoGamer]

The weird thing is, the "dog knocks a candle off a dresser" story was the most believable. Mother placing a candle in the crib? Not so much.

[@mardr7461]

I beg to differ; have seen plenty of reckless/careless "mothers."

[@TheFrugalVideoGamer]

Still less believable than "A dog knocked something over that *really* shouldn't have been knocked over"

[@Kate-ll9qo]

I dunno man I’m a social worker and we had a mentally ill lady bathe her little baby in boiling water because she was convinced it help get rid of all the germs

[@allison4970]

Kate Jesus. That's one of the worst things I've ever heard, and I worked in a Burn Unit.

[@EWSwot]

My roommate works in the humane society and they got in a cat that someone put in a microwave to punish it. After a lot of treatment the cat is going to be fine, but that still destroyed some of my faith in humanity.

[@DJDeonPearson]

When he was talking about the baby, and asked "How does it board a bus?", I freaking died!!! 😂😂😂

[@ilarious5729]

This was last john Oliver episode I haven't watched, i've been avoiding it cause I was sure artificial lawn can't be that controversial..

[@whydoineedahandle1058]

I've probably watched most of the episodes on KZbin 2 or 3 times now but I'm avoiding the chicken one at all costs

[@listen1st267]

@@whydoineedahandle1058 in all honesty, I had been avoiding the Churches one until a couple months ago

[@stevesix09]

Worst DIY tutorial ever! I still have no idea how to lay AstroTurf

[@tekbarrier]

Caper INC your avatar makes that abundantly clear XD

[@GoorooGaming]

Best laugh I had all day! ty

[@michaelodonnell5758]

Comedy gold

[@brooklyna007]

Yea I have an online presence, a flaming baby and about 20 to 30 people chanting "we want fresher orange juice!" on my lawn and my lawn still isn't ready for the soccer game this weekend. I'm confused.

[@bronsondeleon9624]

You did not listen, its a corporate hired fake company to make bogus claims and demonize their apposition via advertising, and social media etc.

[@KGisthename]

Man this show does actual good while entertaining. Thank you for informing the public on issues most of us would never even know about at all.

[@VideoGameCenter100]

And it's idiots like you who vote for Hillary and Pelosi and other sellout corporate democrats who allow these things to happen

[@torntokoroa3357]

@@VideoGameCenter100... The fuck are you talking about?

[@KGisthename]

From Memes 2 Dremes huh? Get triggered much?

[@rrrogan]

From Memes 2 Dremes holy shit lmao. I'm sure the GOP and the corporations you worship don't astroturf at all. Gtfo of here

[@ArawnOfAnnwn]

Astroturfing is not new. It's quite old, and has been covered many times before. If you don't know about it, that's on you.

[@buttersstotch2014]

That struggling actor dude was genius, he got media attention

[@raosiris2127]

John oliver is def one of my favorite people. Everybody that started on the daily show w jon stewart are great minds.

[@tristanneal9552]

Per usual, Trump was right about a problem while simultaneously being part of said problem.

[@TheVoidisEternal]

Tristan Neal Trump is human self incrimination.

[@Wallaceshead]

This is so accurate that I'm going to cry on my kitchen floor now.

[@focusconcentration8]

Everything Trump accuses others of, he is guilty of himself. Wouldn't be surprised if he has more paid protesters than anyone else.

[@Peek935]

hes always wrong but hes always right somehow godamnit

[@jackkraken3888]

Also he also got a great deal on paid protesters, I mean $50 is pretty cheap, while he complains about his opponents paying protesters $1500.

[@jerminator356]

Once again Last Week Tonight has put the spotlight on an important issue that nobody else is talking about!! Thanks Jon and keep up the good work !!

[@Varlwyll]

Alex jones was talking about this year's ago

[@Hirnlego999]

As have other programs, however Alex Jones libertarianism has no response against it.

[@gin3868]

Well, corporations ARE people so they technically can be called a grassroots lol

[@SAJe_53]

You will always be my #1 chuckle--hunk, John.

[@angelicacushing6032]

"You can pay people to cheer for you??? Ill get my checkbook" -Michael Bloomberg

[@CassandraBankson]

*Funnytime happy hour with Chucke hunk John Oliver is my favorite show.*

[@myhandlewastaken]

So clever. Please teach us.

[@herpderpmonkey]

*Spams more references of video to try to advertise youtube channel.* Cassandra, amiga, chill with the rapid-fire comments.

[@moremerry57]

Cassandra Bankson, fail. You should definitely leave the clever to Oliver.

[@b.parker1740]

Presented by Tyler Perry...starring Madea.

[@KyleLi]

Why has that man had 3 children who he said were under his care, be set on fire? I think the real issue is - if what he's saying is true, we should really be investigating this serial baby arsonist.

[@rickregan5714]

Putting aside whether it was fictional or not, that man was a burn surgeon. All children in his care were burned before he got involved.

[@Sekhubara]

Later on that guy did admit he just made the whole thing up about burning babies.

[@SFKelvin]

Actually, a very similar situation happened in San Francisco: the local Trash Company testified that "X" would "clog up the recylcing machines" unless San Francisco "banned X" or "passed this law." They did it for the 10cent paper bag law, phone books, etc. It didn't matter that there were no such "recycling machines" to gum up. This trash environmental lobbyiest just lied lied lied and nobody called out the BS. the Progressives just ate it up and the SF Chronicle parroted it. It drove me mad nobody would call it out. I wrote a letter, and they labeled me a "conspiracy theorist" and the clerk left it out of the file.

[@SFKelvin]

Start with pizza parlors and Catholic churches.

[@Sekhubara]

Pizza parlours?

[@StealthMarmot_]

I managed to catch and comment out a clear Astroturfing group I saw on Facebook, this show actually helped a bit. It was some sort of "Restaurant owners freedom" foundation type of thing, and I was able to pick it apart rather quickly by looking at how their website seemed to only be in my state, only seemed to have news or info on one particular bill, and the website was founded like 2 months earlier. It was a really terrible attempt at fooling people into thinking some bill would DEVASTATE restaurants, running them out of business. That bill? All it did was make it against regulations to use styrofoam containers for carry out or delivery restaurants. That's it. It even left several months once put into effect for restaurants to run out their current stock and get new ones made of cardboard or even plastic containers like a lot seem to use. Hell, most of the places I went to already didn't have to worry about it.

[@theveganqueenofdairy4682]

I really hope this clip gets trending again... having supposed right-wingers with signs that read 'my body, my choice' to protest face masks? come on!

[@rebeccaed2018]

Yup, a reddit thread investigating "liberation protests" brought me here.

[@zainshute]

Bex Ed this will show you who’s behind the stings right now. Can you reply to me on your thoughts after seeing how corrupt the US is? Watch the video and tell me some of your thoughts. Please I’d really love to hear your opinion!!! m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/gGTLd5mYfr2jnZY

[@rebeccaed2018]

@@zainshute Hi, sorry it took me long to get back to you! Thanks for sharing this channel with me, I had not seen their content before. When I saw your comment I ended up watching several of their videos. The one they posted today was great and needed as well (and I remembered that oops I forgot to respond to someone that for once was sharing something out of interest and not calling me a liberal shill/lying whore/communist cunt). I have been heavily invested in studying American misinformation and propaganda the last five years. It's a fucking mess, to put it lightly. There are so many bad actors influencing what happens and how people interpret it in the US right now. I think "good" people have an obvious weakness, and that is that they don't imagine the bad, and when they do they minimize it - "fringe groups", "a few bad apples", "some random radical". For five years I have been shocked and disgusted, how can people live with themselves when creating propaganda? How can people blindly believe in propaganda? Why do people feed old hatred? This shock and disgust is good, it's what I "should" feel, but with time you learn (rightly) to expect this disgust. Then you can be a step ahead of it. Sadly you have to allow yourself to role-play evil in order to understand it. You have to imagine being a villain with endless means. You have to look at a bad situation and think "how can I make this worse?" You have to look at suffering and think "how can I take advantage of this?" You have to look at conflict and think "how can I make this escalate?" Too many "good" people stick their heads in the sand. Too many "good" people think we are unique and "bad" is what was defeated in history. Too many "good" people refuse to stand up for the good they think just magically endures.

[@zainshute]

Bex Ed what makes it worse is that politicians that want to actually make a diffrence can’t get any influence because there competitors who spread hate and propaganda gets funded by billion dollar company’s and industry’s. We started out as small tribes around the world caring about one another to this. I hope humanity will open its eyes one day 🙏🏾😔

[@lucianflorinfeier3672]

Oh crap... I wanted to click the like button but in the process I knocked over the candle that was on my desk and it fell over into the baby's crib. It seems that the baby suffered a 63.27% burn. I should really stop putting a candle on my desk and just set it on the shelf above the other baby's crib with the other candles.

[@akilasmith6063]

Lucian Florin Feier depends on how active your little dog is.

[@milindmore22]

You killed it bro

[@fsaiduzzaman]

The lady left her car trunk open in that Americans Against Food Taxes commercial lol

[@viswadotch]

Thank you!

[@shubhamnew]

Which answers the question "What kind of person leaves a candle near a baby ?"

[@cathyleatherman3097]

John Oliver is the best at explaining everything he talks about in such an entertaining way

[@300IQPrower]

“Skepticism is healthy, Cynicism is toxic.” Holy sh!t John you can’t just drop Shakespearean wisdom like that

[@houdini6465]

“What if a lukewarm bottle of Smirnoff Ice was a person” 😂

[@catriona_drummond]

I made a screenshot of that picture. If I ever have to explain the meaning of the word "smug" to somebody I have the perfect instrument.

[@markschafer1828]

Anthony Lourenco Had me holding my stomach from the deep blissfully painful laugh...

[@metfan4l]

13:30 "What if a lukewarm bottle of Smirnoff Ice was a person" XD

[@caseykendall5506]

Either way, that is a seriously punchable face. Hell, my hand involuntarily made a fist just looking at that slimy smirk on his face in that photo.

[@ixlnxs]

I would so do him though. And more than once, because he's probably loaded by now.

[@interstellarsurfer]

Child support ftw

[@moduspwnenz]

sickest burn i heard in a while lol

[@NEWz206]

An English comedian providing serious top level cutting edge investigative journalism.Only in America

[@teamakesgames]

yo here from climate town :)

[@NavigatorTrig]

I thought this video was going to be john complaining about AstroTurf for 20 mins. And yet i still clicked.

[@justinutube]

Whiskey it's too green!

[@Dawill44]

Kind of wish it was...

[@jillmo6458]

Same.

[@ferjim2804]

Whiskey same 😂

[@rjb1113]

justinutube ף0ף

[@theamazingjay161]

"... or maybe not. We're not under oath." 😂😂😂🤣😂😂🤣🤣🤣😂😂😅

[@hamzab4433]

I'm gonna use that to get outta tough situations from now on. "Hamza, why did you kill that innocent man with a rusty butter knife?!" *shrug* "Well.......i wasn't under oath to not specifically kill him with a rusty butter knife"

[@hazukichanx408]

"Astroturfers are gonna come to your house, and *light your baby on fire!* ...Paid for by Citizens for Fresher Orange Juice." XD

[@kylew.4896]

I get so frustrated and depressed when I realize how much of a chance we don't have against corporate monied interests

[@VeteranofthePsychicWars]

Thanks for catching up John, this has been going on for years. At least 20+. Oregon had a land use measure that used a fake old lady character pushing to pass the bill reducing restrictions on land use. Ironically, developers were behind the push. Nice to see you're getting current.

[@crb2061]

If this were a Harry Potter novel, John would be the best Defense Against Dark Arts professor.

[@kanalkucker14]

He should be Dumbledore!!

[@zpervaiz7345]

crb2061 I d rather have him as professor Binns

[@Dumpknoedel]

I want to hear him insult mandrakes

[@cassandra2887]

Okay, but then he'll only last for 1 year. Hahaha

[@neonflights5951]

Well he already looks a lot like Harry Potter so

[@RandomStuffTutorials]

Saw the thumbnail and thought "How does a guy talk about astroturf for 18 minutes?"

[@emilyb3176]

If anyone could keep us entertained and informed about actual astroturf it would be John Oliver. I clicked on this cos I really wanted to see how he did it...

[@julieharmon96]

First comment was my first thought. Second comment was my second thought. Why I clicked on the video.

[@user-hc9qv9yb9m]

Well first it was called polyturf then AstroTurf and sometimes tartan turf in Dallas and the new England Patriots had super turf until the next generation of artificial grass came in....

[@eta2670]

The idea that someone could be “in defence of secondhand smoke” is both massively hilarious and utterly batshit x)

[@greenguy5294]

being a marching band nerd, i thought this was gonna be about **actual** astroturf lmao

[@ZesPak]

I have two remarks after this video: 1) stop using candles, it's 2018 2) where do I sign up for the 1500 dollars to protest?

[@Int868]

ZesPak I work for a candle company and we are looking to make cribs with candle night light. We will give you 1500 dollars but for god sake don’t say you got paid. Deal ?

[@RedZeshinX]

Prince didn't have a crisis of confidence, he had a crisis of conscience. Good on him for turning around and doing the right thing.

[@langolier9]

Once again this phenomenally factual and hilarious show brings a very very serious issue too many of us are unaware of into the spotlight thank you thank you thank you

[@DeathAngel-ft8oz]

The only reason i'd hire a crowd: So I could have people to hang out with.

[@shaunherbert7186]

hahaha' that's hilarious.

[@vargasbasti]

This should be on regular news. What a horrible world are we living on

[@patrickbateman161]

basti vargas you're just now realizing this?

[@TitoTimTravels]

I was looking for advice on how to properly get my front yard AstroTurfed... Imagine my disappointment... Thanks Oliver, now I want fresher orange juice! 😀🍹🇵🇭

[@KantoKait]

16:20 even with crowds on demand, nobody showed up for trumps inauguration 😂

[@uthmanbaksh3530]

I don't know of anyone actually angered by soda taxes. Those that like soda, me, will gladly pay more for it.

[@jb888888888]

Cook County Illinois was in a huge uproar over it a couple of years ago, because the County government decided to up the tax by 1¢ per oz. So for example a 2 liter bottle of soda cost 67¢ more. Vending machines, which aren't designed to take one cent pieces, had to either undercharge by 2¢ or overcharge by 3¢ for a 12 oz can. Dollar stores couln't charge only a dollar for the purchase. Etc.

[@GerardKean]

That's the one thing I remember from 6th form English in high school. The teacher drummed into us when teaching a module on advertising. When you see hear or read anything you have to consider who's telling you and why.

[@linosclassics]

Exactly. Unfortunately looks like your teacher was an exception and that common sense is on the decrease, otherwise these manipulative tactics would not be successfull enough. Not to mention that they should not be legal in the first place in my opinion..

[@wingman2183]

He deserves another Emmy!!! Amazing topics this season.

[@wolcek]

"I have to be concerned" somehow gives it all away.

[@Krydolph]

I had a really good idea about the size of a small baby, untill he felt the need to compare it to a dog - I don't know that dog breed, and now I am wondering if that baby was maybe bigger or smaller than normal babies since we needed that comparison!

[@jameswaugh183]

Kudos to the prince guy who took a stand and admitted his position! That's a brave move. John Oliver should've given that guy a shout out.

[@AdarshKumar-nj7rp]

Being featured on such a popular show is in itself a good promotion.

[@Onigirli]

It's nice to see struggling actors find god

[@mcnamaraky]

Yes, kudos to the guy who took money in order to lie to get laws changed in an underhanded disgusting way. Thank God he didn't stick to the contract he made agreeing not to reveal that. He really sticks by the agreements he makes and signs. He seems very trustworthy and is clearly an amazing actor as evidenced by his 3 minutes of Shakespeare here. Please shout him out so he can get roles where he only has to sell his soul to Hollywood monsters and not DC monsters. Kudos for "taking a stand?" Are we on the same planet? Taking a stand would have been saying "No" when asked "Will you take $100 to lie in front of people?" Doing it afterwards isn't taking a stand...it's agreeing to get paid to do something grimey and then acting like you didn't agree to get paid to do something grimey. "Yes I know it's terrible I lied for money, but I at least admitted it afterwards...I still kept the $100 though. I'm a saint. Please get me a role starring in Nolan's next film."

[@doctorshatethis_7541]

Thought this was actually gonna be about the astroturfing industry and was still down, that's how you know the show is great.

[@stevebob4918]

Hunter Manley I was actually a bit disappointed when I realized it wasn't

[@christianschoff2490]

I was too but I'm glad it wasn't about that because I want a fake front lawn soon.

[@alvatrous]

Same. I was like oh boy what does john have to say about fake grass???

[@lucidnightmare0014]

0:52 why is my biggest problem with this ad the fact that she LEFT HER CARS TRUNK OPEN!?!

[@jeansherwood2428]

Love the twist ending.

[@elvisneedsboatsbennett2455]

I keep all my lit candles in the crib with the baby...doesn't everyone?

[@Ruzarik]

Elvisneedsboats Bennett that baby is lit yo

[@DuhIdiot1]

Hey, you never know when the power's going to go out, and where's the last place you want to stumble and fall into in the dark? That's right: a crib with a cute little baby in it.

[@criskp6861]

Your dog is cute !

[@elvisneedsboatsbennett2455]

Cris KP thank you, his name is Booger.

[@jairolopez9734]

"Or not...we're not under oath" LOL that last bit was gold. This was as funny as it was informative.

[@ASHl33164]

You might not think you are , but John, you are my “chuckle hunk”

[@aadams1006]

I heard an ad about a month ago on the radio. It was an elderly woman saying she doesn't sign petitions because "they" steal your information. It sounded so suspicious! What information? It isn't like they need your Social Security number. I feel like someone locally had a petition out someone else didn't like, so that person or group put out an ad discouraging people from signing ANY and ALL petitions.

[@jaridkeen123]

Jhon Oliver is like the real life Cat in the Hat

[@ilmu011]

Jhon sounds like an evil alien overlord

[@spuriouslathos2518]

@@ilmu011 I, for one, welcome our new Parrot overlord!

[@xinyichen8144]

Washington...if you're listening....oh wait...your not listening and why would I think you ever would lol.

[@gordybing1727]

Hi All, At a guess, those companies that use astroturfing are in the S & P 500, and many people own shares in a index mutual fund that owns these companies. If people would write to their 401K provider and say I don't want companies to do this, that actually might work. Thanks for your time, take care.

[@samuelnoha490]

Very informative topic! 🔥 Keep it up 👌 👍💪

[@Rose_Nebula]

I saw this video in my feed and thought, “Great, a deep dive into fake grass.”

[@vigilantstranger6130]

I'm ashamed but I thought so too...

[@bjam89]

I am just glad i am not alone in wanting it

[@sarahgortler2738]

Same but he’s so good we still clicked

[@asmrtpop2676]

So glad I’m not the only multisexual who was all pumped for the fake grass episode

[@Saratrooper]

Big Fake Grass has it out for all of us alternative front lawn surface coverers.

[@DeltaAsherHill]

50% burn, 80% burn, then a 75% burn.

[@EpigTheEpicPig]

And then John delivered him a 100% burn. :D

[@BTFU93]

Chase T How many burns is that?

[@herbtenderson7335]

Damn. Burn.

[@jay.hartman1789]

I think John gave the stories in that order, but the order these stories happened IRL was 80% (and the mom put the candle near the crib) first, 75% (dog knocked the candle over) a year latter, and 50% (mom put candle IN the crib) at the most recent testimony.

[@MrGeorgeFlorcus]

Holy shit, that's over 200% burn! That is one burned baby!

[@rasharddavis321]

9:55 I love the Keri Russell joke to describe the difference between an anecdote and a lie

[@epicglacier1654]

My global conflicts teacher sent me this, absolutely hilarious and informative

[@FlauxT]

I haven't heard of 'astroturfing' until this video, beforehand I thought it was going to be a video about artificial grass. But reading through the comments, some of y'all thought it was about real estate in space? I feel much better now thank you. :)

[@keirfarnum6811]

Ihaia Rollo You mean I can’t buy a farm on the moon? I was looking forward to milking my space cows!