Fashion: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Trendy clothes are cheaper than ever. That sounds great for the people who buy them, but it's horrible for the people who make them.
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
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

[@underwaterlion5453]

I hope one day John will host the White House corespondents dinner...

[@Klokinator]

J Lal John doesn't host kiss-ass suckup events. Save that for the fake comedians.

[@logangraham3689]

***** Save that for the next Republican president.

[@daandekker6115]

Logan Graham we are saving colberts second time for the next republican president.

[@CaptainOvious123]

J Lal He's said in the past he doesn't want to

[@jakmanxyom]

CaptainOvious123 www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=323335539

[@Khorothis]

The little girl's eyebrows promise a painful death. I shudder just thinking about what happened to the food she brought.

[@Infloresence]

Khorothis since I have worked in chicken production you are right to shudder ...

[@Syngrafer]

Al J Those sweet, supple lips... Mmm.

[@muhammadaimanhassan679]

Kera C WHAT. DA. FUCK!? Holy shit....

[@postal2600]

Kera C Boy, that escalated quickly ...

[@MrIcenice44]

Kera C can i vomit now? I really feel like its a good time to :/

[@anawiltiwari8996]

Now I'm an Indian. Child labour and poverty are genuine issues here. And still you cannot imagine to be of any worth without being wrapped in those branded fabrics. Here garments are not just fashion statement, they are a representative of your socio-economic status and maybe even your character. And then there is this hollow sense of pride associated with a fucking piece of cloth. It's like the phrase 'born with a silver spoon in one's mouth' should be effectively replaced with 'born with a tag up one's ass'.

[@insertname8506]

Fuck yeah

[@kittycat3638]

thanks I could use that reminder

[@BothHands1]

holy shit, this is a very good comment. thank you for posting

[@quique7764]

Agreed but sadly many of these kids are driven to work so they can help provide for their family needs i.e. house, food, education, healthcare etc. Unlike many I would rather they be better paid, work in safe environments & pay more for clothing than eliminate these jobs then again if there were better paying jobs maybe kids wouldn't be forced or feel obligated to work.

[@leonorfonseca1711]

Quique They shouldn’t have to work in the first place. Kids are kids, they shouldn’t have to take care of their families, their families should be taking care of them. So the solution has to be better than to just raise salaries, and improve workplace conditions. Families need to be helped, maybe through access to free education and healthcare, as well as better salaries for those who are not underage, I understand your point, but I think we owe kids a better solution than higher paychecks

[@averyvonfrank3282]

Who else is here binge-watching old LWT episodes during quarantine?

[@Wannabe_critic]

Ya I’m just doing 1 year later and still in

[@defensivekobra3873]

Same, have started finding older ones that slipped through the cracks recently

[@arabchristraeger]

@@Wannabe_critic same

[@spencerofthecoast6415]

I've been binging old LWT since 2 years before quarantine, and I'll be doing the same in 10 years assuming the world isn't a smoking husk by then

[@averyvonfrank3282]

oh no not another of my old comments where i still typed like that

[@thesheepthatwentmooo]

This is why I walk around naked. The police call it "indecent exposure" or whatever, but I call it a silent protest. It's also very freeing.

[@thesheepthatwentmooo]

Gives a nice breeze.

[@Mgden605]

thesheepthatwentmooo just watched your 50 shades of grey parody amazing

[@mustardscroll7]

We should hold a march! "It's for the children," we'll scream :^)

[@ttanizawa901]

thesheepthatwentmooo Come to to Portland, OR. It's legal.

[@carsont7215]

thesheepthatwentmooo They should film a high octane action movie with stars who are all naked.... just to throw people off...

[@robertyang4365]

Has John Oliver done an episode on College Board? If not, I think he should.

[@WildArtichokes]

Robert Yang AP tests coming up? I feel your pain, brother.

[@robertyang4365]

***** :'(

[@Dbxto]

***** :( opening up healing wounds.

[@B1ackHawk50]

Robert Yang Raking in money without any regard for student education and well-being? Yup.

[@davmcnichol6731]

Joey Mack

[@johannageisel5390]

I'm sitting here, sewing worn-out cargo pants into a skirt. Recycling, yo.

[@cherry7590]

And I'm sitting here, cutting off the legs of my old favourite jeans and BOOM I got comfortable shorts. That's called UPcycling.

[@johannageisel5390]

@@cherry7590 Because the hem went up?

[@cherry7590]

Recycling: destroying the old and creating something completely new. Upcycling: CHANGING the old and creating something new.

[@johannageisel5390]

@@cherry7590 I was just making a punny joke. ^ ^

[@cherry7590]

@@johannageisel5390 I'm sorry! Me:☺. The joke: ↗️

[@JadeDragonRaze]

You should do another Fast Fashion episode but this time focusing on the Environmental Impact.

[@highsun76]

Hasan Minhaj: write that down! Write that down!

[@claudia8861]

@@highsun76 And he did

[@robearberbils]

@@claudia8861 yep. Hasan did a great job with his fast fashion piece

[@uthmanbaksh3530]

Hasan Minhaj did that on his show.

[@youssefboudaya5939]

@@highsun76 hahah i was gonna recommend hasan minhaj's episode of patriot act

[@GwentheNinth]

I've probably bought 64 sets of clothes...over the past 10 years.

[@GwentheNinth]

***** This is including: socks, underwear, gloves, etc.

[@crown-princesquirrel9719]

+hiimsmart owl. i haven't bought any. why should i? i have a fluffy tail.

[@GwentheNinth]

Dane Walker Is the concept of clothes washing foreign to you?

[@neollll]

+hiimsmart Same

[@justAguyDs]

+hiimsmart i applaud you

[@fernie51296]

This is why I'm sticking with made in the U.S clothes now. They are way more expensive. I rather have fewer quality clothing that aren't made from the overworked hands of children than to have loads of shit in my closet. And besides, the minimalist style is far better than all this weird crap.

[@netwolfe]

Fernando Herrera Would mine sharing were someone can find these made in America clothes? Or any other other made in America product? Because I struggle greatly trying to find anything that is made in America.

[@fernie51296]

netwolfe Lone Flag is a good one. Anything made in America tends to be very pricey but lasts way longer. You will pass some of these items down to your kids if you know how to take care of them properly. You can find Lone Flag on instagram and a lot of their followers and collaborations are with other made in U.S.A clothing brands.

[@I_Burger]

Fernando Herrera you should be a sponsor for lone flags lol

[@fernie51296]

***** hey I know quality when I see it.

[@w2c20042003]

Fernando Herrera The problem with your assertion is that you have to be able to afford your morality. Research the real unemployment rate and discover how many U.S. citizens can't afford clothes made in our own country.

[@maryannmclaughlin3714]

My dad's uncle said he had run away from a tailor in Romania who had bought him and had a shop full of children sewing clothes. Great-Uncle Max said he ran away WITH A CARNIVAL when he was 14 because he was tired of being beaten every day to sew buttons on shirts morning noon and night. I only halfway believed that, until I saw his immigration paperwork after he died, stating place of birth: Bucharest, Romania, 1886 and his employer listed was a touring carnival company. He also showed us the way to sew buttons on clothes so they never fall off.

[@abdyblanco4870]

Im sorry that sad

[@kebabmega6349]

RIP

[@ecamville2928]

When every show calls $39.99 cheap and you're here counting pennies to see if you can afford the $2.50 it takes to wash your hamper full of $19.99 clothing you need to wear to your $7.50/hr job.....................

[@kittycat3638]

good point... i guess this is targeting the middle class and up..? also nice profile pic

[@ltim558]

It's cheap as in "it should cost more to make", not as in "everyone can afford it". Good luck and don't beat yourself up for not being able to afford more expensive clothes. I personnally try to find most of them second hand :)

[@BothHands1]

ouch... but true

[@azarinevil]

The economics of fashion are a bit more complicated. I worked for a big retail corporation that had 4 different branded store chains. Each level of the chain was aimed at a different income bracket. They buy all the clothes for them from the same cheap source, pay cents on the dollar to make. The company I worked for actually started most fashion at the high end stores, where you could pay $80 a hoodie. If things didn't sell well they ended up at the mid-income retail store I worked at where we'd charge $40 for the hoodie. From us it went to a discount store for the low income shoppers, if it couldn't sell there at $20.. it ended up being sold back to third world countries to be recycled into new clothes.

[@pouncepounce7417]

Cheaper than it should be to make and still profit from selling it at this price. If lambourgini sells you a car for 80.000 dollars it is a lot of money but your eyebrows should still do the raising motion.

[@PranavVeluri2001navtheman20]

john oliver is my favorite talk show host because he actually talks about the issues that matter.

[@adamlaughlin8360]

john oliver is my favorite talk show host because wagon of mystery chickens

[@ICE9RLN0]

Talk about them. He get's involved. This man is a shining example for all of us. Tarnished with some swearing but still a shining example.

[@disneyfan101rocks]

couldn't agree more!

[@ICE9RLN0]

Yeah, I'm a fellow who get's involved so John has my respect

[@RahilSethi]

I don't like him. He yells out the societal problems many of us are aware of. If I start doing that in office, I will be thrown out. You need to give suggestive solutions that are novel and chances of them to work. Otherwise it's a waste of his energy and our time and energy to watch him yelling.

[@Elmgren76]

In the mid 1990's carpet companies in Nepal were banned by the West because they used child labor. The effect was that thousands of young girls ended up in prostitution instead of sowing carpets. Child labour is obviously not something anyone wants but its a complex issue that needs to be looked at from the worker's perspective as well.

[@Undecided_]

Elmgren76 also without child labour, a countries economy might collapse due to the lack of jobs. I mean they arent forced to work for a dollar a day on the brink of death, but do they have a choice?

[@Elmgren76]

Uncrowned Agreed. People have to do whatever they can to put food on the table. Sowing garments is a tough job for a kid but when the options are far worse I would be very careful before condemning child labour. In my country, Sweden, it was actually ILLEGAL for children not to work. Of course that was more than a 100 years ago but it sort of put things in perspective.

[@PurushNahiMahaPurush]

Uncrowned If it weren't for child labor, all our expensive toys would not be so cheap. Lets not forget that Britain when it was a developing nation had one of the worst child labor cases. Countries like Nepal, India, Pakistan, China (well not anymore I guess), Vietnam etc. are going through similar phases. No one likes child labor but these children cannot afford school and have no other option but to work for a living. I blame their parents for bringing them into this world. I believe that there should be a minimum requirement before you are allowed to have a child. That being the financial ability to take care of your child's upbringing till he/she is 16-18 years old. It sounds cruel and a restriction on freedom but its much better than poor people producing children, that they cannot raise, like machines and the forcing their children into labor. Children are a huge responsibility financially and emotionally.

[@DooMeis94]

Uncrowned It is a proven economics law that in poor countries it is more effective for people's wellbeing to exploit labour than not have jobs at all. Look for the infamous case of the NY manhole covers made by indian naked workers in close-to-slavery conditions: thay are surely not happy to do it but they definitely prefer it to doing nothing

[@Aclor79]

Elmgren76 This. If those girls were lying about their ages to get the job, it means they were desperate for it. Denying them that option would be harmful to them as well as clothing companies and consumers.

[@2_drifters44]

i work in fashion. my professor once told a true story of a young girl from sweatshop. the factory had to let go of those kids because of the exposure. the girl begged the manager to keep her or her family will sell her to brothel to support their son. child labor is crime but was escape from sex trafficking for the girl...

[@lauriewahl10]

The realities of the world is horrible.

[@Artyomthewalrus]

@Josny13 Solving world hunger and poverty is harder than it sounds - if it were truly possible that would be the best option, but it isn't feasible atleast in the near future. Stamping out both sweat shops and sex trafficking would lead to the child starving to death instead.... It's a lose, lose. Maybe we should instead focus on increasing pay/working conditions for children and accept a slightly higher cost for our clothing.

[@lozadoaleyda9900]

Wow that’s heart breaking

[@2_drifters44]

@Josny13OF COURSE sex trafficking and child labour are BOTH CRIMES. I knew this case would be totally misunderstood by some. I ONLY stated that things have both sides, we don't know the whole story of these victims. And as consumers, we choose NOT TO buy from these companies.

[@herakles6185]

@sheldon pereira If EU said to h&m and other manufacturers that they will form a institution with respective governments to have basic labour standards, then essentially ban all foreign companies selling clothes in substandard conditions from entire EU unless they comply with same standards companies would immediately shift their shit, otherwise entire EU market would be held by EU companies which would crash their companies. If EU and USA did same thing it would essentially do same thing globally.

[@mydogiscrazy13]

I love how he points out that everyone knows about child/slave labor, yet people get so blindsided by the sparkliness of clothes that everyone just forgets about the exploitation. BUY THRIFT STORE OR FAIR TRADE!!

[@Artyomthewalrus]

But then how will the children work? Often times they are driven into this life because it's the best of bad options. If that 12 year old has the choice of working in a garment factory, working in a brothel, or starving to death, which is the best option? Something has to be done, but a blind remove all garment factories will likely do more harm than good. Pressuring said companies to increase wages, increase working conditions might be a better option while we try to fix the root causes.

[@josei1624]

@@Artyomthewalrus But what kind if pressure are you suggesting, if not stopping to buy their products or at least try our best to minimize our consumption of it? I understand your comment but it doesn't conflict the message of the original one. To get change of any kind our society needs to have the will power to say no to cheap sparkly stuff. Because another thing is that I don't think fast fashion ,in the masses and for the prices that it is consumed, can be made by fair paid and safe workers. The reason those companys outsourced is because they can produce clothing so cheap if we want the workers to be paid enough we propably have to pay more. And if we idealize the world so everyone just stops buying fast fashion clothes and the business actually wouldn't work I feel like that's just as realistic as saying that we end child poverty.

[@snowangelnc]

I buy thrift store, but the problem is that it's the same brands, just second hand.

[@BlitzsieLDiscoLSnow]

@@snowangelnc Second hand is fine! If it prevents the plastic fabrics from going to landfill, and at least one less person buying new, then do it. Wear the clothing to death, until it is just usable as rags. Try to inspire other people to do the same, or inspire them to buy tailor-made/fair trade if their wallet allows them to. I've sworn off fast fashion two years ago, and am currently making my own clothing. It's not as hard as it sounds, especially for women (skirts are easy yo! And think of all the giant pockets you can put in!). The problem we as consumers created is to expect new fashion each season, but if you look at it historically, fashion changed only as slow as every couple of years, and then it was a logical progression of fashion, reusing the foundationlayers of the previous era (layers of petticoats to hoop skirts to bustles to bumpads, or stays to regency transitional stays to different versions of corsets). Every garment bought secondhand or made yourself is a small middle finger in the face of fast fashion, and if more people would buy less and wear clothing more often, the more pressure there will be on the brands to change their way of making profit. It's a slow process but I do really hope we can make a change for the better.

[@humbertoantonio2914]

"Forever21, allowing midwestern tweens to look like a 40-something year old alcoholic attending the wedding of a Tel Aviv nightclub owner." The best and truest way to describe Forever21.

[@lorealmadonna8]

John Oliver is amazing he tackles real issues in a humorous way. I just wish it was taken more seriously!

[@rennlc]

But he doesn't tackle issues. He, and everyone else working to create these shows, highlights issues so others might eventually tackle them. He's the fire alarm. Not the fire department.

[@lorealmadonna8]

rennlc​ Well that's more than any other TV show I have seen. 

[@GUILHERMEHENRIQUE-fd2oq]

Liste

[@lorealmadonna8]

***** Then they forget when the show is over and go back to their lives.

[@lorealmadonna8]

GUILHERME HENRIQUE What?

[@markdlo]

"aspirational poster for fire safety" Brilliant.

[@wiggl3s_821]

“Eat this wagon of mystery chickens” is not a sentence I ever thought I’d hear in my life

[@StrangeS]

From Bangladesh: this is still happening and a large portion of our economy is based on this. Only pros is that those of us who can't afford local brands clothing can buy rejected items of international brands such as GAP, H&M etc. They are generally 5-7 bucks.

[@alexandrezani]

I'm curious. What are the options available for the children and their families when they are not working in a sweatshop? I don't like to see children working in subpar conditions, but if they are doing this because it is necessary for them to survive, telling Gap to stop using sweatshop doesn't actually solve the problem.

[@robearberbils]

@@alexandrezani maintaining the status quo doesn't encourage improvement. They shouldn't have to trade quality lives for cheap, rejected brand name clothes. The world has learned that it can't depend on the USA these last few years and has become more independent. They've taken steps that wouldn't have taken them a lot longer if they hadn't been forced sink or swim to go it alone. The US, and corporations, like to keeps countries dependent on us to maintain our power. We're not helping the developing nation's by doing things like this. We're using them as substandard humans.

[@alexandrezani]

@@robearberbils We're not talking about countries though. We're talking about people. People who work in sweatshops do so because all the options available to them are shitty. They are very poor, very disadvantaged and their governments probably don't care much about them. My theory is that it you close a sweatshop, the people who worked in it just go from one crappy job to another equally crappy or worse job. I'd much rather we spend money giving these people good alternatives. Kicking them out of a Gap sweatshop might alleviate your conscience, but it probably won't improve their lives.

[@annadeak1184]

my frustration about this is the fact that even though I am willing to pay more for a piece of clothing, there is absolutely no guarantee that the companies would pay their workers or subcontractors more...

[@ucheokonkwo]

@@alexandrezani my thoughts exactly. The problem is not that they are underage but that their condition is so bad they had to falsify their age just to earn a living

[@louieshere]

He is genuinely good. He addresses the real issues in today's society we all choose to ignore.

[@emil_king8237]

Not really, this is nothing more than a back-handed advertisement for big pricier clothing companies. Atleast some people would change buying cheap clothes to moderatively expensive clothing after watching this which translates to more sales for those companies. I wonder how much they paid him to air this.

[@emil_king8237]

Alex Berry Just cause someone paid to defame one specific thing doesn't mean every news which criticizes is paid by it's competitors. But I do believe trump thing could be paid by clinton, afterall majority of media & entertainment outlets are pro-clinton, everywhere I see there is a huge bias against trump, like the recent manipulation by google the search results are altered in a way which favors clinton and hides the her crime results.

[@AbsentWithoutLeaving]

Not really. The point is that even the pricier brands use bargain-basement labor forces overseas, so switching to a higher-priced brand won't make a difference. The real way to effect change in this area is to pressure the manufacturers to provide side benefits - education! In order to sell goods produced under these conditions, the manufacturers should be required to fund a small school that provides an hour of education for every hour worked. Yep, that means they'll have to hire twice as many workers (at the standard low wage in that location) - and twice as many will benefit. That will either improve everyone's lot, or move manufacturing back stateside if the costs equal out.

[@louieshere]

Victorr r Wow. Really? That's what you got from it? wow.

[@emil_king8237]

Amazing Deepak Companies and countries go extreme, downright cruel lengths to gain edge over their counterparts. companies like Mcdonalds and pretty much every major fast food hub insert artificially created parasites into their food, which grows inside human body and destroys the good bacteria inside the stomach, regularly eating these foods will alter the brain to create lust for that food, which ultimately translates to more sales for them, this is the reason why good portion of americans and mexicans are fat and find it hard to abandon fast foods and reduce their bodyfat levels. Hypermarkets pump in specific chemicals near stations containing foods, these chemicals will alter your hormonal response by which there is an increased chance of you buying that product. The world is not black & white, it's not my fault that you think everything media shows is honest without no hidden intent. Ask someone who works as a journalist to know about the bias & bigotry of the media, especially when it comes to politics & corporates.

[@Redem10]

This is why I refuse to wear any sort of clothing

[@Tarudizer]

Redem10 So that on your upper body there is what, your skin?

[@Ambidexgame]

Tarudizer Yeah, he's black. Got a problem with that?

[@Lorden1516]

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@clevertronn]

Redem10 ME TOO

[@biggie4429]

***** that's how Jesus did it. I can't think of a better way to get close to him, it, the....

[@foaly8]

Love how he's wearing a plaid shirt too...

[@SacredDaturana]

And the guy pictured is one of the writers of the show, who probably wrote that line too. It's self-burns all the way down.

[@60sto80s2]

@@SacredDaturana funny thing its Dan Gurwitch from collegehumour

[@kiterafrey]

When I worked at Walmart in the early 2010’s while saving for college, we were required to sign a contract to start. I read it after leaving the. company (over a lawsuit for breaking OSHA law and me being in the hospital due to their errors in safety) and I realized we’d signed a contract with a clause telling us that during our duration of being employed that we couldn’t discuss child labor, prison labor, unpaid oversea’s labor, or talk about unions (even if we signed to one, we couldn’t tell anyone at work about it.)

[@frizzlethecat2084]

One of the things the US needs to have soon as possible is unions. Strong unions which can press for (usable) minimum wage.

[@kiterafrey]

Frizzle the Cat I agree, but unions not sponsored by the company. Safeway has a union for their brands, but it lets them get away with anything. I reported them adjusting my 60 hrs a week to 30 and the union had to be taken off the schedule “to look into it” along with the other 15 people effected, then we never got our back on the schedule. After a few months the union called to say they couldn’t keep looking into because were not paying dues from “lack” of hours. The lack of hours they requested. I’m so glad to be out of min wage work, those companies are so shady.

[@mobydicki9060]

You see the problem is that child-labour is not gonna stop even if you shut down these factories. Children in developing countries are working because of several other issues: lack of enough income in the family being the most prevalent of them. It's awful. These children need these jobs either to support their families or to support themselves. I think the question should rather be: what can we do to improve the general situation of that country so that children do not have the need to go to a sweatshop, lie about their age and get a job.

[@Mimi-cq4bg]

Moby Dick I thank you for the insightful comment. On youtube it's like finding a unicorn.

[@MrTrollaid]

It's true that GAP closing its sweat shops won't change a thing, but it doesn't mean they should stay open or that we should accept it. We shouldn't be supporting child labour, and as for its adult employees, it's directly the employer's responsibility to give them decent work conditions. That's the bare minimum of human decency that we should be demanding.

[@mobydicki9060]

MrTrollaid I totally agree with that. What I'm saying is, that wouldn't really stop the problem.

[@LudmorHun]

In an ideal world they could "stay open" with all the necessary improvements so they are not sweatshops anymore. (correct wages, proper working hours, healthy conditions, workers' kids going to school) In the real world, cheap competitors would cut under the now higher prices, using sweatshops. If only the majority would would be aware of this, and buy stuff responsibly :(

[@mr.shepherd_1776]

Moby Dick I we need more philanthropists in the world...

[@billigerfusel]

64 clothes per year? I don't know if I ever owned 64 clothes in total.

[@CamLovesOlliepop]

It's prob counting like every sock so a pair is 2 pieces of clothing. 😂😂😂

[@PinkieRockStar878]

Average American buys 64 garments a year factoid just statistical anomaly. Average American buys 12 garments a year. Clothes georg who lives in cave and buys 10000 clothes a day is an outlier and should not have been counted

[@swamivardana9911]

Includes undergarments and socks.

[@bachristus]

@@swamivardana9911 still big number. I am not American but let's count 10 pair of socks +5 pants+5 T-shirts+ 2 jeans + 2 jackets + maybe 10 of something other... still not close

[@swamivardana9911]

@@bachristus My son in law has 100 T shirts. He lives in Australia. Whenever he faces emotional distress he buys a couple of T shirts. But yes an an average it is a huge figure.

[@TheRealFoop]

NYC, where a $46 lunch is considered suspiciously cheap.

[@alshbsh2]

I think you are mistaking it for *DUBAI*

[@thomasroberts4299]

It's for 5 though, so 46/5 = less than $10 which - especially for a seafood dish - is pretty suspicious...

[@shanara99]

@@thomasroberts4299 Actually... it sounds about right, veering into expensive, for some countries. I mean. 8 $ a chicken? I would definetly eat it. I could go and buy one chicken freshly killed and rostisserie'd with fresh sauce, AND a bag of chips for 4 people for 8 €... So..... yah. Not cheap. Kinda expensive, even. Flautas for 1.75 $ each? Boooy, I buy 2 for 1 €

[@mcvgs1780]

Jesus fucking christ, where I live that's like two weeks worth of my food allowance.

[@ARichardP]

Depends on where you eat. Most lunches at places like Pret a Manger or similar in NYC are between $12 and $15.

[@Lashrito]

When I finally start a band, 'Wagon of Mystery Chickens' will be our first LP.

[@superskidmarkz]

It's not the companies that demand low prices. It's us.

[@JessieBanana]

+Biguss Dickus Yeah, but even in stores that have a higher price point and should be able to make their clothes here or pay their workers a living wage, such as JCrew, they often choose not to. The bottom line for a lot of companies is that they can make more profit. Apple has zero reason for building their products their the way they do. Also, not all of it is consumer greed. With so many jobs no longer in the US our Economy is becoming very one sided and it forces people to need things like clothing to be cheap. Many people can't afford clothing at a higher price point. It's a vicious cycle, that enables the rich to get richer, and ultimately the bubble will burst.

[@MRTOWELRACK]

+itsallpine A lot of people are unaware of these practices, but regardless of such, when practices are ubiquitous, those practices become the standard. That's where regulation becomes important, but regulation is often politically toxic. You're asking a lot from human nature for everyone to do something on merit. Regulation is key.

[@JessieBanana]

***** At this point it's a vast majority of companies. Many people do not have option of boycotting those places. Think about grocery stores and the food industry. Not everyone lives in an area with co-ops and other alternative grocery stores. Consumer choice is part of it, but it's largely the systemic and there has to be changes at a higher level.

[@JessieBanana]

As a whole we have plenty to eat in the industrialized west, but many families go without food security. It's something I see everyday working for a non-profit, don't be so presumptuous. Also, you may not be familiar with Food Deserts. A term coined to define large regions without decent grocery stores. Poor people in these areas literally do not have options. The choices you make are only as good as the options available to you. If it's between your kids going hungry and them eating you will buy what you need to. If it's not Food Deserts, than it's the reality that many people are stretching their food budget, and most other budgets, as far as they will go, leading not only to supporting abusive industries, but to more nutrition. Obesity and other food related illness, isn't always the product of having too much to eat, but having the wrong things to available to eat. I live in Portland and am a single educated adult. I recognize that it's a privilege I can execute my beliefs, because I have the income and community to do so.

[@coalsgrey3484]

+Biguss Dickus No. No, it's the companies.

[@lamosos]

Dammit, I was really curious how that little girl was going to turn that cart around.

[@PokeCubing]

Give me my brain back, you have stole my thoughts!

[@davidjaramillo8282]

lamosos lol me tooo !!! XD

[@jovicagasic98]

lamosos saaaame

[@OniSyphon]

This. I was like, "did they rehearse this? Will she back it up and do a 3-point turn? That cart is bigger than her!"

[@sanjs4650]

me too!! hahaha I thought I was the only one

[@ashlinday4469]

New favorite quote… “eat this wagon of mystery chickens”… perfection

[@radharoy730]

he even mentioned the issues in Bangladesh John, I'm from Bangladesh but currently residing in United Arab Emirates!! I love you and your show please keep informing us about important things which we are supposed to know!! god bless you John!!!

[@ahadumer418]

So you live in the UAE with a residency visa

[@radharoy730]

@@ahadumer418 yes exactly

[@TheSpecialJ11]

"Eat this wagon of mystery chickens" Now there's something you don't hear everyday. Or expect to hear from an episode titled "Fashion"

[@SmokeyEdits]

The way it cut off was amazing too.

[@IAMNOTASYCO]

it kinda reminds me of the game elysian tail were you punch a wall and suddenly a cooked chicken falls out... IT'S EVEN CALLED MYSTERY CHICKEN!!!!!!!

[@LordSandwichII]

The food analogy is a bit redundant because that's basically what fast food companies already do.

[@fakku000]

Love that comment:)

[@Kroatowa]

Nice one!

[@morgengabe1]

+Lord Sandwich And restaurants. Most staff don't even get minimum wage without tips, which are bullshit.

[@contactinspect]

?

[@LordSandwichII]

OveeSacks U mad bro?

[@justanawkwardnerd]

"Fashion - personality you can buy." That is so accurate?! Mind-BLOWN!!!

[@abhishekamol7464]

the level of emotion in his voice makes me feel so much i can't even !!

[@KerkorDragonblood]

"EAT THIS WAGON OF MYSTERY CHICKEN!"

[@drjosephfarah]

mystery rotisserie

[@Tamaki742]

Ol' Malley's Alley Yeah, not fresh sushi is mush.

[@CyberKirby]

MYSTERY CHICKEN

[@KanalDerGutenSache]

Fun fact: This was the first sentence my wife ever said to me.

[@omarshah1614]

Kerkor “chicken”

[@kathrynfisher9601]

"Eat the wagon of mystery chickens" sounds like an option for punishment on a Japanese quiz show after answering a question wrong.

[@edwardegan7858]

I have no experience or evidence to back that statement up, yet somehow it feels amazingly accurate.

[@resplndnt]

That little girl is killing it with the wagon

[@Furonanator139]

It sounds like the start of a myth in, well, most mythologies lol

[@jst7714]

I own a copy of the last Sears catalog from 1993: It's true, the vast majority of clothing was made in the USA.

[@schattentaenzerin]

Thank you so much for this episode. It's very important to keep this in our heads. What also irks me, is that there is so much shaming about clothing going on. At my last work place I used to get these "subtle hints" like "you must really like that shirt. You've worn it this week, last week, the week before. How nice!" or "I remember that dress from last year or was it two years ago?" or "look who got new shoes. I was starting to think you never go shopping" and I see kids getting mobbed because they don't wear the "right shoes". This is so weirdly psychologically implanted into our brains. I'd actually like to see more about where that came from. Yes, I have shirts that are over ten years old. Why throw them out, if they are fine? If someone buys over 60 clothes a year, there are 60 clothes going to the trash. But at least you can say "well, I'm wearing the color of the season"...

[@seigeengine]

As a fairly typical man, the sheer concept of paying enough attention to someone's clothing to recognize them wearing the same item spaced a week apart is... what is going on with people? The entire everything is on fire all of the time, and people are out here memorizing other people's fabric collection.

[@NuzhatSabrina]

I AM from Bangladesh, and I say this with a heavy heart- most of those children are better off than others in our country. What is making these children lie about their age and work more than 10 hours a day? Their families are STARVED. The education system is a JOKE. They'd rather be doing something they UNDERSTAND and make some money while at it! A good solution, as many before me in this thread have suggested, would be raising their wages. Forcing these factory owners to keep their greed in check. If you already are among the 20 richest men in the world, it wouldn't hurt to actually PAY your employees with the money they so need and deserve!

[@JadedCrypt]

I suppose a more depressing question is why a 14 year old needs to lie about being 18 to get a crappy job in a sweatshop :/

[@BigDeanEnergyGaming]

So they don't starve to death. Surprisingly extreme poverty exist in the world and these kids do what's needed but middle class Americans would rather they starve then work. Cause guilt?

[@Marinealver]

JadedCrypt Finally someone who looks at the source of the problem. Make no mistake the exploitation of this source of cheap labor is still wrong and should be considered criminal. But will simply closing a factory that employs 12-14 year old children help the 12-14 year old children if they have decided they need a job to make money so they can have some food? The economic situation is so poor in those countries that it forces labor to be cheap. Now if a young teen wants to make some money I believe they should be given the opportunity for employment but education should take precedence. Still it doesn't solve the problem of low wages even if you did curtail their hours. After all most of them lied about their age to get a full time job even one that pays poorly.

[@maxp3141]

***** Well - I'd say that you should pay that ~10-30% more so that the owner of the factory could pay the father of the 12-14 year old double so that the kid could go to school and daddy could provide for his family. At least in our supermarket we have these bananas and some other fruit that have a "fair-trade"-sticker on them and usually they cost just a tad more than the "industrial option" so quite often I buy those - I can't imagine why they don't have the same for clothes and other products as well.

[@Annaskiess]

I heard people protested to get some sweatshops closed but offered no alternative. Most of the kids ended up in prostitution :/

[@EvelynDayless]

***** maybe he's saying it's stupid they're restricting a 14 year old from giving up their future by quitting school to work untold hours in a sweatshop because the real way you solve social problems like destitution is always with capitalism.

[@Gravecoyote]

1:47 I like how the clothing that the lady says can go "from a sketch to 'the rack'" is a bra, implying something very different than what we all first imagined 😂

[@jonbbaca5580]

I still wear t shirts I bought literally 15 years ago when I was in high school. I wear socks until they literally fall apart and dissolve. I admit I've bought clothes from H &M, and they turn into shreds in 2 years tops, they're made of garbage materials. They're tempting cause they're hip and cheap as hell, but they're just garbage, no hate to the workers who make them. I've found so much success shopping at second hand stores, and if my $80 sneakers from 2 years ago have a hole in the sole, I don't give a shit, I'm gonna use Shoe Goo to repair them goddamn it! Back in the day everyone used to know how to sew and repair garments made of decent materials. Clothing used to be made to last a decade, damned what fashion dictated. Denim jeans were designed to last a lifetime, now we're told they're out of fashion every year? Fuck that! You even spend more now on jeans that are artificially distressed with fake holes in the knees you didn't earn? Pathetic. Fashion was once a real thing, but it's become nothing but a capitalist commodity. It makes me sad for everyone, but especially for those poor kids working for pennies to sew your mall fast fashion rags.

[@turqoiseillinois9955]

@Jon B Baca What an excellent statement.

[@jonbbaca5580]

@Spunky Tampons I'm not humble, I'm just a slob

[@tildasolberg5737]

Wait, people don’t learn how to sew in the US, we learn it in school

[@jonbbaca5580]

@@tildasolberg5737 where are you from? I can sew a patch on a jacket, but I sure can't sew a seam or anything serious

[@tildasolberg5737]

@@jonbbaca5580 I am from Sweden. We had a class called textiles in school.

[@owenhale8936]

My outfit during the spring, summer and early fall: Jeans and tee-shirt. My outfit during late-fall and the winter: Jeans and a flannel shirt. I'm a walking calendar.

[@attekangas673]

Me in in summer: A very thick and warm jacket and pants. That's also me in spring and fall. At winter i look like John Snow (alive) wearing five times warmer clothes than usual. (PS. Im from Finland

[@crown-princesquirrel9719]

+Owen Hale my spring collection outfit: my fluffy tail. my summer collection: my fluffy tail. guess the rest.

[@DewMan001]

+Owen Hale #ontrend #summerlook #allyeararoundlook #fashionista

[@that_llama_in_a_tuxedo4584]

My summer outfits:jeans and a t shirt. All other seasons outfit:t shirt, jeans, and hoodie

[@Johnny-rx4hs]

Are there any multi-billion dollar industries that AREN'T plagued by shoddy business practices?

[@Jaxymann]

+Phil Lewis If the Citizens United ruling is anything to go by, money and legally-dubious practices go together like peanut butter and jelly in the business world.

[@Megalomaniakaal]

+Phil Lewis NAN

[@Megalomaniakaal]

+Felix Kütt Sorry I meant No Answer, but cpus would answer indeed with Not A Number.

[@PragmaticAntithesis]

The Finnish government?

[@TeamPokemono]

Clearly not; they made a profit.

[@whatifkarlmarxbutbad3660]

Of Banana Republic: "They got ahead of themselves. For once." Savage.

[@thefenixfamily]

Oddly enough, the grocery store I work at has $5 rotisserie chickens. I'm... questioning the quality of it all a little bit, gonna be honest.

[@J.R.S.T.]

I realize that your comment is over an year old, but if you haven't seen John Oliver's episode on chickens yet, you should. He actually covers this business of $5 rotisserie chickens.

[@schattentaenzerin]

My dad always says "you can hide a lot under marinade" ;)

[@kratoselricsuzumiya8345]

Why do I suddenly feel like I live in the capital from the hunger games

[@izzyrafiei9087]

Because the world of the hunger games is similar to our world. In our world, children are also harmed for the entertainment of the wealthy, even if it is indirectly.

[@joefva]

Actually it is just the Kapital you live in !

[@sayanbiswas7364]

You are kidding yourself, District boy.

[@calunsagrenejr]

You live in the USA. The rest of the world views you not unlike how the Districts view the Capitol in THG.

[@heythere9371]

That's capitalism baby!

[@nitroneonicman]

I was literally just talking about this in my ethics class. Thanks for listening John Oliver

[@marlynhoman3978]

Green Raver Fart off boob , your music is terrible

[@sheenajordon5056]

Green Raver I like your music

[@marileeloper8992]

Green Raver Your music sucks dude

[@shauntarawls3986]

Green Raver Your music sucks dude

[@marlynhoman3978]

Green Raver I like your music

[@insidiouschaos812]

I would love to know how much the actual fabric of those suspiciously cheap clothes cost. Being someone who sews, fabric is *expensive*, especially when it comes to natural fibers like silk and wool

[@tima9790]

I am fairly sure there's a fair bit of plastic in them.

[@insidiouschaos812]

@@tima9790 i mean yeah of course but theres still a big price going into fabric, ar least on a small level. shirting from joanns thats a cotton and poly blend is still like 10-15 per yard, and a shirt takes 1-2 yards of fabric.

[@martinjrgensen8234]

To you fabric is expensive as it has gone through several distribution channels, all who need to make a profit. Garment companies probably buy it direct from the source

[@sarahamira5732]

Fabric is expensive to us (consumers) cuz it goes through tons of channels that all need to make money. Fabric isn't that expensive to make (compared to the price it's sold to us for), it's the shipping, manufacturing, cutting, labor, and execs paycheck that cost so much. These companies likely by their fabrics straight from the sources

[@wannabehistorian371]

There’s what everyone said plus economy of scale. When you get stuff in bulk the price of each becomes smaller and smaller.

[@ceofounder]

John Oliver is cable television awesomeness! God bless all of the children who are employed in those deplorable sweat shops/factories. No child on this earth should ever be exploited nor treated in such a inhumane way whatsoever!

[@PatriciaCross]

This is one of the primary reasons I buy 90% of my things second hand. No it doesn't completely avoid this problem; but it is as close as you can come really living in North America short of living in a homemade tent in the woods.

[@SwobyJ]

Patricia Cross Second hand is a nice half-measure when you can't reasonably do much more.

[@dicio4001]

Patricia Cross I love some of the cool stuff you can pick up second hand. I used to think it was basically old torn worn clothes in second hand but the standards (in Humana for ex) are quite high for their on stand clothes. If you are a non common size in terms of body you can find some gems in there. 1 season old clothes sometimes that would of cost you +100$ you get for dirt cheap.

[@YourMajesty143]

Patricia Cross Technically speaking, most "new" clothes are already secondhand. I've worked in clothing stores for years, especially working the fitting rooms. These are clothes worn by all kinds of bodies, and experience all kinds of wear and tear before finally being purchased. Often times, these clothes touch the floor at least 40 times before going home in your shopping bag. When I go into the thrift store, there are no fitting rooms and these items are most definitely washed and sanitized. The only real downside is the stigma. Otherwise, the clothing from the thrift store is about equal to commercial stores, if not better, in terms of quality.

[@jaquelynngering3586]

YourMajesty143 Yup, after working retail I was disgusted by how many times a day I retrieved all the same clearance rack items from the fitting room, and they cannot be washed. Gross.

[@wickermanout]

Patricia Cross Another option is to make your own clothes or to buy them handmade from indie brands... but then again they're more expensive, and people might not have that option.

[@LPChipi]

But what's Gap's possible excuse? Seriously. "Uhh we don't know, once a month a ship comes from a misterious land and drops some clothing here". There is no way in hell that nobody was aware of this. Specially when it happens again and again and again.

[@isaiclevinstein7910]

That's a good question, here is a follow up: Whats OUR EXCUSE for continuing to support this tyrannical industry. I know people who by piles of cheap clothing that they never actually wear or only wear once since. I wasn't one of those people and as a result I got made fun of through out most of middle school and high school (people stop giving a shit in college). My point is that if we, as consumers, spent a little more money on responsibility sourced clothing that we actually wear, instead of buying tons of cheap stuff, which we only wear a few times, if at all, the CEO's of these companies would be much more invested in trying to fix this issue.

[@hopethisnamesnottaken]

It's called "plausbible deniability". Just make your supply chain long enough so you can credibly pretend that you had no idea what was going on on its far end

[@julielewis4735]

As someone who makes clothes I really appreciate this episode

[@lesiqajeni3273]

The iPhone is now ten years old. So now the age of the people who make it

[@orchdork775]

Oh cool!! Any tips for someone interested in learning how to make clothes? Idk where to start haha

[@TainaElisabeth]

“Average american buys 64 clothes a year actually statistical error. Trust fund babies with no other responsibilities shop on their dads credit card twice a week and should not have been counted.”

[@arabchristraeger]

love this so much. thank you.

[@uegvdczuVF]

Those stories are nothing. I remember watching a documentary about sex slavery in Asia. There was a part where women who were ex-sex slaves saved from human trafficking are placed in work program to "give them a better future". The program is huge sweatshops where they work 12 hours a day every day, and are payed 60 dollars US for a full month! There were GAP and two other brands (can't remember which ones) clothes filmed in the factory. There were women who were running away from their "rescuers", some even to return to their pimps since what they were making wasn't enough to buy food after they pay the rent for factory owned shacks they lived in. And i do mean shacks - 4 posts joined by sheet metal with a hole for a door...

[@hafsashahid7936]

+uegvdczuVF wow. can you link me to that info?

[@officialbassgod]

....I got 5$ that I will feel horrible about but will be a hell of a bargain

[@ghoulishskeptic5749]

The thing is i don't know if he would get a strike on his channel for the content of a video of that and if they could get enough viable data. But that would be an interesting video

[@Kenji1685]

The even sadder part is that a lot of sex slaves in Asia are under aged.

[@Uruk02]

Ken the Eagle Black ppl are victims

[@1zippy]

shop at second hand stores if you want cute, cheap clothing that doesn't support the companies making them

[@laurenvv3230]

but... you're still buying the brand clothing, which technically supports it, since the first person had to buy it directly from that brand.

[@Mydiyday]

L VVa but you aren't giving the companies any more money by buying it second hand

[@TheYacu]

the money you spend when buying second hand doesn't get into the pockets of the brands.

[@kurtsudheim825]

TheYacu I know that it doesn't go to them, but is still does support them in a way, its part of the line bcuz the 1st person will still buy from the store knowing that "they're doing a good thing by giving it to someone less fortunate" (like me haha), its part of the line/chain

[@lizamostipan5133]

Are you for real? So if I buy seconds hand gap shirt it will make it less horrible? lol

[@snowangelnc]

One of the frustrating things is if you live in a small town without a lot of options, it isn't so much a matter of two garments hanging side by side and people are choosing the one made with child labor because it's a few dollars cheaper. For a lot of people it's because every single garment in every store in town is made by a company that outsourced it's production to sweatshops, or did that trick where they outsourced it to a better looking supplier that then subcontracted to a sweatshop. Your odds of finding and American made garment in a brick-and-mortar store around here feel like they're about the same as your odds of one day spotting a family of albino giraffes.

[@losersbecomewinners2043]

“Eat this wagon of mystery chickens” Things i never thought i’d hear

[@cartersheehan7440]

Holy shit. 0:15 Thats Dan Gerwich from CollegeHumor!

[@Ekvitarius]

Unfortunately, he and Owen left, the Jake and Amir left, and now, pretty much all the good writers are gone.

[@richsmountainbiking1262]

Nah they're still there, just only on CH's KZbin Red channel

[@BartimaeusTrilogyFan]

Yep, he's a writer for Last Week Tonight now. :D

[@fireruby544]

OMFG, that is Dan! And look all those versions of himself, he's owning that! Oh, what the hell am I saying? Of course he is, he's Dan fucking Gurewitch!

[@nodsib]

Hopefully John Oliver's food supply chain outsourced all that food to Dan and he filled those chickens and dumplings with Beef Gerwich

[@Ghostface2point0]

"eat this wagon of rotisserie chickens" is now my new catch phrase

[@katrinal353]

It's actually "eat this wagon of mystery chickens"

[@italian_mixx]

John needs to do an update on this.

[@dw5749]

He's a hero of today's society. God bless you John! Hugs from Poland!👍

[@gusrios4061]

"eat this wagon of mystery chickens"- john oliver

[@gigabic7487]

apparently

[@3Rayfire]

+gus rios Considering those prices, would it be ironic if those mystery chickens actually came from Wal-Mart or not?

[@3Rayfire]

+gus rios Considering those prices, would it be ironic if those mystery chickens actually came from Wal-Mart or not?

[@abdcefgh]

+beastman 1655 "I pretend to care but I love my slave-manufactured apple products" - john oliver (www.buzzfeed.com/cat1613/slavery-never-ended-it-grew-and-got-ignored-db1p)

[@leahprewitt5798]

Look at the photos in "Where Children Sleep" and see the photo of Indira from Nepal - a child who works in a mine, she is listed as seven, but her growth has been stunted by working in a mine and in the picture she is holding a short-handled tool. The global economy that put that hand tool in that child's hand is as evil as the person who fashioned it. The face lacks all trace of hope.

[@HillaryHorror]

Wait, did John just call Zara "low cost"??? A basic blouse from Zara is going to run you at least 70 USD and a basic dress will be around 100! Am I just incredibly cheap or is that not low cost?

[@David-nj6wd]

Hillary Leach Theres a reason why Zaras co-founder is the 4th richest person of the world.

[@priitmolder6475]

Hillary Leach I guess somebody knows how to multiply in Zara headquarters...

[@priitmolder6475]

Hillary Leach I guess somebody knows how to multiply in Zara headquarters...

[@25neworleanssaints]

Hillary Leach Yeah I thought the same thing, but i'm sure compared to other high end clothing stores it's considered cheap. Some of there clothing can be some what low cost if think about how much other places can charge for just a jacket, that can go up to 1,000$ at other places.

[@mdwild]

Hillary Leach Zara is the flagship store of a textile company called the Inditex group, the largest clothing retailer in the world. You may be familiar with their other labels such as Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Oysho or Bershka...all of which are more popular overseas than they are in the United States.

[@coolrunnings3]

LOOOVE JOHN n his SO to the point critical yet funny shows! The whole world should watch n learn from them. 👍👍🏻👍🏼👍🏽👍🏾👍🏿

[@mercedesdrake9113]

I would love to be in a financial situation where I thought $19 and $30 were cheap clothes. I have to buy $ and $7 clothes (at wal mart) because that is the only thing affordable.

[@vtgirl155]

shop at Goodwill, the Salvation Army, or a local consignment shop.You may even be able to MAKE money if the consignment shop buys your old clothes

[@jsmith1576]

@@vtgirl155 don't support the salvation army

[@001parth001]

Hey, The clothes should be durable, price doesn't matter. I know how it feels but it's an image created by society. Affordable doesn't mean cheap.

[@HyacinthMedium]

Goodwill is great, I was able to buy 4 shirts that I like for $7 total. Some of them weren’t even on sale.

[@tigerlily1118]

@@vtgirl155 Nope. Don't support Goodwill either! Look up their rating as a "charity." What they donate vs what they keep (their executives, president, etc). They're a bonafide business now.

[@StudioAnnLe]

Guess the only ethical thing to do is make your own clothing or go naked.

[@zachg593]

Ann Le {Anneorshine} I'm down for the latter

[@jankolbe2879]

Ann Le {Anneorshine} There's a growing number of fair trade labels if you can afford the higher prices. If not, I'd go with second hand clothing and here in Germany there are also platforms for trading clothes. It's a lot more comfortable than going to second hand shops and my experiences so far have been great.

[@Atilla_the_Fun]

***** Discount you say? So extra bangladeshi kids dying?

[@Atilla_the_Fun]

***** I see, I hope you are right.

[@jesslopezl]

You can try new brands, Everlane for example they explain you where the clothes are coming from, etc etc

[@JimS870]

My boots are made in the USA, as are my Filson coats and my jeans. My vest is made in Canada. I have a scarf from Scottland and a Barbour coat from England. But I had to dry extremely hard not to buy stuff that was made overseas, since I like to buy durable goods that give people good-paying jobs. They're NOT cheap. And people will say, "I can't afford to spend that on clothes." Yes you can. If you buy a 400 dollar coat and it lasts you 15 years, it was a pretty cheap coat. If you buy an 80 dollar fast fashion coat every few months, that's one expensive coat. Buy something good and keep it in good shape. A friend of mine can't figure out why her cheap purses and clothes fall apart so fast. Well, they're cheap and made with slave labour, what do you think is going to happen? In the end you throw them out, making it a huge waste of money. Think about where your money is going and buy stuff that lasts.

[@MsKariSmith]

+Jimmy870 You are so very right Jimmy, too bad more people don't realize this fact.

[@margaritam.9118]

Plus, things of more expensive brands come out of fashion very slowly. But it's still harder to plan the whole look if you know this is what you will have to wear for many years.

[@olivesticks4128]

+Jimmy870 Just... yes.

[@factsabouturmum9250]

+Jimmy870 I agree overall, but I'd like to point out that in many, many cases people legitimately can not afford anything nice. Forget the $400 coat, and forget the $80 coat as well. Far too expensive. More like, get a used coat from the thrift store for $20 and wear it until it literally falls apart, because that's what you can afford to do. The clothing industry does need a lot of work, yes, but we can't just ignore the realities of working class life, or worse, abject poverty. Most people would never be able to even consider that $400 coat.

[@margaritam.9118]

First time I misread your post as ''My boots are made for walking" and couldn't stop laughing.

[@sakuranovaryan9261]

I love hearing John Oliver. Cause he says what I can't =') All the Love from Bangladesh ♡🇧🇩🌸🤍💕

[@thejaramogi1]

For the Last 15 years, I had resorted to buying good quality 2nd hand stuff, which are costly sometimes but worth it!

[@jantulinja8917]

"eat this wagon of mystery chicken" sounds like a quote from a homestuck fan comic taken out of context

[@leosmart116]

you seem disconnected

[@Tobygamesiscool]

Filthy homestucks GERT OFF MAH LAHWN

[@vinnyneang7252]

i feel like i just found an easter egg. i have never found a reference to homestuck in the youtube comments before outside of homestuck related videos

[@crossofintimidation]

But what's the alternative? Almost all clothes you buy are made in different countries. Only thing you can do is make your own clothes, and I think that's awesome, but I don't know the first thing about that. And being a student, I buy everything including clothes on a budget. I would love to see these sweatshops closed down, but this is one of those issues that would be really hard to tackle head on. But if there is ever an alternative or way found to take on this issue, I will gladly participate in it.

[@johncampbell335]

Micah Murray In the last 30 years, I've spent about $30 on clothes. Thrift shops are full of *brand new* stuff but it's considered taboo or something. I can live with the stigma and save my money. Check out your local shops. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

[@MataTraders]

Micah Murray Fair trade (though not as available for men's clothing as it is for women's) is a solid option. Rather than abandon the workers in these countries, fair trade supports their families by forbidding child labor but paying adults a reasonable wage- one that can support a family. They get benefits, paid time off, and a lot of flexibility as well. Worth looking into!

[@hannahcampbell3567]

Micah Murray One little step we can do is buy fewer clothing items, and mend & tailor clothing when it needs it, rather than tossing it and replacing it.

[@OM-oy5yn]

Micah Murray The alternative is to legalise Mari jane u wanna?

[@albertoalberto536]

John Campbell Fortunately in my country we make a lot of good cheap clothes, because used clothes would be my last resort.

[@esvegateban]

1.75usd a flauta is PREPOSTEROUSLY expensive. Source: I'm Mexican.

[@claudia8861]

I thought the same. Way more expensive than 3 flautas outside any Mexico City subway station.

[@robertdolcetti1992]

I think that was the cost of the entire tray.

[@geministargazer9830]

Is it per Flauta or a plate price?

[@esvegateban]

@@geministargazer9830 per plate would me more reasonable, if the plate had at least 4 flautas.

[@Joopis]

And it never changed and here we are in 2023 with more fast fashion than ever

[@IncertusVeritas]

Don't you ever wonder why us, living in the so called "first world" enjoy so many benefits? Why we have so much to choose from at the stores? Why our companies make so much money?... One day we will all pay the price for the apathy we show for the rest of the world. Slavery was never abolished, it was simply embellished inside a system that labels it "labour" (Child-Labour, Hand-Labour, Bonded-Labour, Forced-Labour, etc. etc. etc.).

[@IncertusVeritas]

***** Keep on trolling... & be a good little system's Zombie...

[@000a300]

Incertus Veritas Slavery does not exist any longer. For the guideline of today's unequal exploitation is not "Work or we'll kill you because we can", it's "work or we'll both die". Companies exploit children/use force/ you name it because if they fail to do so, someone else will. And in the process they will sell at cheaper and overtake your role in the sector. As for the workers, they are willing to accept the conditions because it means having one of the few jobs for the massive population. We tend to forget that there is a massive population which means major needs in term of jobs. Having sweatshops is a baby step toward improvement of that situation. It means the developement of basic infrastructure and at least the worker will be able to feed himself at the end of the day. Trouble is they can never start to walk but that's another issue, and this is where the problem truly lies.

[@IncertusVeritas]

000a300 I guess you are a person that accepts the world as it is, right? Not worth fighting for... & a futile endeavor to try to change it. Very rational thing to believe. No wonder our man made world will never change... at least not from any effort we will make. Slavery is what it is; forced to work for anything without a possibility of a bright future... Just to barely survive & thousands die just like in the old days... Slaves received compensation of some sort, now a days we call it money. What's the difference if a person can't have the right to live in "humane" conditions, at least with the very basics. Over population is this system's BS fairy tale created by that 1% that owns everything.

[@000a300]

Incertus Veritas This is where I beg to differ. Change exists, and it is worth "fighting" so as to improve the situation of a few, at least from a moral ground. The thing, a singular and personnal effort will not be broad, and human nature will not allow for everyone to go for the same effort. Only when you reach a position in power you can starting changing things. Otherwise we are mere spectators, that I agree with. However, I'll stay firm saying the nature of exploitation is different from the "old days". Thousands upon thousands die, but not out of millions, but out of billions. The massive population pressure is putting far more stain on ressources of all kinds than our involvment in the countries that are a necesery evil to see any progress, (talking about companies, the IMF is simply a cancer). The difference is that we do not enforce a pressure with arms, the setup is already there by itself. We are not innocent but not entierly guilty for the situation neither. That is, I believe, the difference with "old days" slavery. Now you say this is a BS fairytale but... I fail to see how. I mean, when China had to put in place a one child policy and India a castration policy, do they not prove theirselves the importance of a population control scheme?

[@IncertusVeritas]

000a300 I do understand you completely; but I differ in the fact that when a person has no choice & it's born in a place where life & death is just a breath away we could very easily call it "bondage" "slavery"; working in a sweat factory for a bowl of rice is not how humans are supposed to live, we are at the mercy a giant genetic lottery that the great majority of humans lose just by being born in the wrong country or the wrong geographic location. Your last paragraph is just a simple question of management. This system is managed by greedy, socially shortsighted people; that old excuse that it is all so large, there's just too many people is not a valid problem simply because it is not a problem. The problem lies with our leaders, with power, with greed; basically our human nature. We are supposed to be better than that; we should be able to provide a real life for every single person living today... I always wonder, how many Einsteins, Mozarts, Picassos, humanity has lost because they were born in the wrong place? The most precious natural resource we are wasting, has & always will be Humans.

[@theresaqferguson1544]

Why do John Oliver videos make you so depressed and happy with laughter at the same time?

[@CobaltxBoom]

I don’t know it makes u depressed knowing this stuff but happy bc u want to do something about it

[@kohinarec6580]

It's funny, because it's true. It is so absurd.

[@thinkingoutloud3358]

Art

[@whocares9033]

I have a shirt that repeats "I will not come home drunk" over and over, getting worse as it goes (I wina dunk hom brump) That shirt is almost old enough to buy its own alcohol 🤣

[@thartmann9284]

The cameraman rolling his eyes behind Kathie Lee as she pretends to give some grandiose fascimile of a shit about workers will forever be the funniest part of this.

[@persecom]

Now we just need the follow-up video interviewing the CEOs to see if they enjoyed their lunches!

[@InfiniteRandom]

3:33 So that's why women's pants feel like t-shirts and t-shirts feel like 2 ply tissue. :/

[@MORPHOSYS]

I hate that.

[@dancepiglover]

+InfiniteRandom Seriously! One good thing about the 90's was that the clothes at least were thick enough to conceal your body.

[@InfiniteRandom]

I love when I go to the store and I find what looks to be a perfectly good article of clothing- except there are too many cut-outs and revealing areas- on top of being an already sheer shirt. Like I was at Discovery a few months ago and saw a nice button up, but for some reason, this shirt had latticecut outs on the front of the shoulder- the space between shoulder and clevage- despite having sleeves and a collar- and already being sheer. Honestly, sometimes it feels like they just cut shit out of clothes just because its girls/young women's clothes, regardless of the actual material or practicality of the cut-out's placement. Seriously, I feel like I'd have to buy 2 or 3 shirts to make 1 decent shirt with good coverage. If I wanted to "build" a shirt, I'd take up sewing and tailoring. (which is exactly what I'm trying to do) >.> It seems like my options are 1) deal with clothing f*ckery and pay too many for too little 2) go to the thrift store and hope to find some clothes that are my style and somewhat modern or 3) find *more* ways to adopt male fashion into my own (their stuff is made very well, but is not really my style)

[@TheJrerick]

+InfiniteRandom thrift store for sure. i work at a thrift store and see high quality name brands walk out the door for 1-3 dollars. Just find one that benefits animals or some sort of good cause, those stores get donations from companies. My sisters closet donates to my store with some crazy price tags still on the new clothing.

[@elyrose4090]

14:15 That's a good analogy 😂😂😂

[@Ramanarayan38]

Worked in the export market for 17 years.and thank you for making this.

[@MicJaguar]

I can tell you where the chickens came from. Right here in the U.S.A. Tyson has massive chicken warehouses with chickens crammed so tight together they go crazy, live in their own shit and cant even spread their wings. East TX is full of them. Then they cram them on trucks where the crates are half their standing height so they can't stand, exposed to the elements and driven down highways to their doom. See it every day driving.

[@ninethreefivesix]

+Christopher Busch So sad.

[@caitlyn7310]

+Christopher Busch Things like that are why i'm a vegetarian, by eating meat, you are supporting slaughter houses that horribly mistreat the animals and keep them in filthy conditions.

[@MicJaguar]

+Caitlyn Howlter Well, unfortunately not eating it won't change anything. We need to pass better laws and have better regulation. I am a meat eater but I dont want to see animals abused or mistreated before them are used for food. I had an idea for making cow toys and fields that have shad made by solar panels so cattle can play and have fun during their lives. When they get towards the last years of their average natural life span, they should be humanely killed for food processing. I mean, at the very least we could make them happy and comfortable during their lives.

[@gezblair]

The iPhone is now ten years old. So now the age of the people who make it

[@omarshah1614]

Welll they doooo say the best gifts are the ones your kids make.

[@offbrandcereals]

what is this even supposed to imply ? Apple execs are ten ? is that meant to be like a dig at them or something ? they're like billionaires

[@refa42]

google: apple child labor

[@jeronimotamayolopera4834]

DISMANTLE THE UNWELFARE STATE.

[@xxxdumbwordstupidnumberxxx4844]

offbrand r/woooosh

[@TributesAndUnique]

Since when was Zara cheap?

[@adykjopgarbag500]

Whatever the price they sell it, it is still cheaply made. Thats why the owner is a multi-billionnaire.

[@harryeichelberger4799]

Elliot is my spirit animal with that thumbs up and shifty brows lolz!

[@crowcade]

So, Dan from CollegeHumor works on this I take it? He was probably my favourite, and his style comes through so I'm cool with this.

[@TheVillon77]

***** I was wondering if someone else noticed. I checked CH Wikia (there is one for everything apparently) and it says so. Also Sarah Schneider writes for SNL now, and Jeff Rubin... works for Buzzfeed, I dunno maybe he's a boss there, but it doesn't sound like an improvement.

[@ackbarfan5556]

+crowcade And Owen Parsons works on the Daily Show.

[@AstroPsych_]

+TheVillon77 Wikipedia says yes. Dan works on this show, he's one of the head writers.

[@joshuaford9714]

the first fashion pic was a guy from collegehumor

[@tristramwebb9878]

Dan gurewitch

[@Iamunoriginal2]

the guy also looks like alex hirsch

[@davidyjeong]

hes a writer on this show now

[@joshuaford9714]

***** for reals? that's pretty cool

[@seanparkinson8753]

When I saw it I was like "Oh my god, DAAAAN!"

[@MrDsturman]

“Her brain is basically pickled in Chardonnay at this point” best line

[@chrilin5107]

And just done crying, few sec later the statement "trying as hard as we can" WTF does that mean...I'm leaning towards...not wanting to actually increase safety, raise pay, help families/community help so children won't have to work...it probably means finding another location or offering putting a plaster on a busted aorta🤬 this just keeps going until we all stop promting it. Btw thank you for bringing this up n generally using your platform wisely🙌

[@01234567891011121338]

Why did his first joke have to be so accurate to my life...

[@nathanbandstra6390]

because it is true for the most of us

[@zachjiecendol5633]

daquan rivers

[@matthew_natividad]

daquan rivers we r guys n it's just how we r

[@AnimePlaysMinecraft]

Dude, checked shirts are hot. That's why.

[@shanadir]

so GAPs defense is that they're not corrupt, just nearly criminally incompetent?

[@dillonlayton1399]

yea, but not just GAP, most companies use the same defense

[@megaming8896]

John Oliver: people in America bought 64 clothes per person last year Me who got 2 shirts and a pair of shoes because I was forced two

[@TheTambourinist]

Do you have plenty of stuff from the past? I don't buy much, but given that I don't have much currently, it's impossible to buy 3 things a year. I bought a pair of shoes a few weeks ago. They broke down when I was wearing them for the third time. They were still on warranty so I hope to get them fixed, yes. But for the meantime and till shops reopen I needed new ones - you need to go to work, you know. This happened to me so frequently in the past. The poor quality of things makes having few pieces of clothing very difficult.

[@juliancarr-deavelon8410]

Too

[@robertschafer9147]

I'm watching in 2019 and my favorite part is at 5:03 when the captions say GAAP instead of GAP which means it thinks were talking about the generally accepted accounting principles lmfao

[@brokenglassshimmerlikestar3407]

Fellow former accounting student says hi

[@HermitMoth]

This is a real eye opener. Thank you, John Oliver. You're saying what needs to be said.

[@looneyflight]

Teenage Hermit did you seriously not know? just asking. its easy to figure if you think about it. Now think about every thing else you get cheap and how they get it that cheap. Makes you really start to think when you consider food and how its so cheap.

[@h3lblad3]

And whatever you do, don't look up KFC's chickens!

[@400KrispyKremes]

All of my clothes, shoes included, are falling apart.

[@MrPensiveThinker]

Maybe you need to let go of dounguts

[@400KrispyKremes]

MrPensiveThinker You got cash? I got fried dough bro. How much you need?

[@LindsayMeadDailyVlog]

400KrispyKremes Mine too! I wear something till it's good and dead lol

[@macpduff2119]

400KrispyKremes That's because they were made in Bangladesh by a subcontractor

[@400KrispyKremes]

***** My Converse All Stars? I believe .

[@Moncriefs]

Your middle name is “One Free Topping” 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 man I am cryyyyin

[@ayooluwadurojaiye586]

John Oliver to put it simply, you are my hero