S2 E23: Washington DC Statehood, the Taliban & Chechnya: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

[@tarabontempo7162]

It has been 10 years and that ending song still gets stuck in my head! I love this show! Also John Oliver messing up the wave is hilarious

[@nl5828]

13:11 - “england, scotland, northern ireland wales, and now this song is done! …to be fair that song used to be A LOT longer!” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@foobar83]

lol i watched that part of the video too

[@matthewgoetter3127]

@@foobar83good job watching that part. Maybe the best part

[@samanthadavis8334]

Who else is just now noticing little Caleb McLaughlin at the end song?

[@frazierwillard9316]

I just looked it up because I couldn't believe it!

[@illusionofyourmind4644]

Someone interviewing him should ask him if he remembers all the words to the song. Also. Jesus now I feel ancient.

[@Gambit22003]

Who is he again?

[@riverhum]

@@Gambit22003 He plays Lucas in Stranger Things

[@Gambit22003]

@@riverhum ty

[@sypherlynx]

27:55 Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas in Stranger Things) in the closest row, second to the left

[@IrKeNoVa]

Ah, el negro. No es importante.

[@toober1066]

Taxation without Representation - isn't that what the Declaration of Independence was about?

[@anthonypalmateer4624]

Naw the DC lady was awesome I WILL NOT YIELD SIR fucken right!

[@LunaryxDiarmait]

27:55 That's the best song ever! Everybody needs to sing it!

[@laurenziontz379]

we know pete buttigieg now

[@acemiller101]

I've listened to this song over a dozen times through the years and I'll never get over the fact that 19 parents allowed their children come on HBO to entertain me with vulgarity!!😂😂😂😂

[@glenjennett]

I'm over 50 years old and that states song is new to me. I never had to learn that as a child, never even heard of it. It must only be certain areas that had to learn it.

[@JeffMarkBaker]

Yeah like DC 😂

[@Thortok2000]

Is there a single issue that Last Week Tonight has EVER covered that is.... better now?

[@Rowsy91]

I think Net Neutrality worked out didn't it? Some of the others it depends on your definition of better. The political episodes id guess half people think its better half worse in almost all cases haha Most of the issues i agree though seem to just be at the same place or worse 8-10 years later

[@alexanderrobins7497]

College athletes can now be paid and receive royalties for their likeness. I think some states are better about their bail policies. Maybe less good food is being thrown away, but at least manufacturers are required to specify how much of the sugar in a produce is artificially added.

[@necrocomicon8]

love how john was clapping like an excited child before he got into that british lord story

[@hudsend]

Can we call them something other than Washingtonians? Please? As someone from WA, it gets tiresome having to explain to people you didn't come from the capitol...

[@cwindsorjjj]

Jon usually gets me with the Switcheroo fake pic bit, Pete Buttigieg is the current secretary of transportation. Shame on me for actually knowing something.

[@adriennesugarman9795]

lol this is a 9 year old video. Buttigeg wasn't secretary then

[@PQRDG]

The musical number at the end was great, though I can’t help but think that all of those kids must be in university now.

[@joeygibson6867]

One in the front row is Lucas from Stranger Things

[@cagliari5984]

@@joeygibson6867who cares lol omg

[@Onigirli]

A good rule of happiness is to avoid thinking about the passage of time

[@ZT1ST]

@@cagliari5984 I mean, probably Max from Stranger things, for one.

[@frederickhollins4854]

The kids state song was epic lol

[@ZT1ST]

@4:00; For historical context, from what I can tell, this was Anthony Foxx back in 2015. So we can all learn our U.S. federal bureaucracy, and our U.S. history, together.

[@gg454lune]

You can also learn the song from the Animaniacs. It mentions Washington DC plus all the capitals. That's how I learned the states.

[@HerrCron]

Nobody likes Florida has only become more true with time

[@moorebounce]

They really need to make D.C. a state. They also need to let the U.S. territories go or make them states too.

[@csurname]

The other US territories are detailed in another S2 episode; they probably merit an extra song verse

[@backwaterbounty]

While I do agree that all the territories deserve statehood via full representation, DC takes priority. Population-wise, being apart of the continental US/mainland and of course historically it should have happened when they carved out land from Maryland and Virginia; it should have been the 14th state of the union. Having said all that, it did make sense at the time, especially when the population was so small. They needed to have a separate "state" so that the Federal Gov't would not undermine the State's Gov't, as state's rights was paramount and the federal govt didn't nearly have the authority n power it does today

[@rebeccakoch1890]

John looks so adorably awkward with the children at the end

[@jasonbean2764]

Maybe Washington DC should have its own DC comic book.:)

[@Ani-rq7wv]

I fucking adore how John turns into a bird when the kids start doing a wave❤

[@michaelvelasquez3988]

Awesome show, John and company 😂

[@dreamway9]

"Under god" was and ammendment to the original pledge of allegiance

[@Palia_Playz]

Am I the only one who heard the voice crack? Like he went “Welcome to Last Week ToNiGhT!”

[@danderedere]

I reacted to it immediately and went "You okay, John?" as if JO from 9 years ago could tell me if he had a bad voice day or not.

[@DrewSavo]

4:10 Hair: Black Height: Yes Face: Probably Built: Different Ears: Between Zero and Two

[@blogtwot]

Someone's been busy uploading all these, kudos to whoever that is.

[@LauraPL256]

Forever one of my fav episodes 😂😂

[@eringracecazad]

21:01-21:12 I believe John just summarized the plot of Falsettos lol

[@horusmasterjc]

Song was awesome

[@blueshirt12]

"Between zero and two" -- so, one ear.

[@stellacollector]

"Well then let's all kick out Florida 'cause no one thinks they're great." This aged like a fine wine.

[@patricknyhan7491]

Unless your transportation secretary is Pete Buttigeig!! 🥳

[@cleffa173]

5:10 “There are no more intimidating psy-ops masterminds in the world of warfare than scheming teenage girls.” Um, yeah! Any Total Drama Island viewer could’ve told you that!

[@ReneeKadlubek-gt9qm]

God bless....James

[@bobbyquinting3918]

Pandas have been off the endangered species list for quite some time -due to the fact that captive Pandas do indeed fuck a LOT! 🐼💕

[@BubskaLeDeux]

I hope I will find the context for this comment after watching the episode. 😅

[@preacherjohn]

That's good news.. 😂 .. Of course 9 years ago when this was first broadcast, things were different..

[@user-ve7hn1qf7l]

@@BubskaLeDeux u will don’t worry 😂

[@mmc8899]

So Mullah Akhtar only has 1 ear?

[@ehssanrj4868]

Hi john Oliver can you make video about Iran this week, This is the election week, we Iranian really like to here your take On what is happening here. it will be fun beleve me. People Of England used to like our Elections.😁

[@WesWells6]

Secretary Pete for president!!!😊

[@vetisyka]

It's hell year 2024 and im watching an old British scandal, it's like a breeze of fresh air

[@michaelparker5963]

No love for Gibraltar, John!?

[@fireflyfox93]

As a Floridan, that's fair 🤷‍♀️

[@mirrankei]

Personally I think Hawaii should be the -1st state. Just. Let's just give it back. We can still visit. Let them be their own country again, they deserve it. :(

[@ReneeKadlubek-gt9qm]

JO they are worried about the NEVER HAS ONE EGG BEEN SO EFFECTIVE AT TAKING SOMEONE DOWN comment and EVERYONE EVEN MACARONI IN CHEESE ARE IN ON IT smtjg like that. Overheard at my coffee place but not sure what they meant.

[@miscellanonymous]

18:52 To quote Mr. Oliver - "boobs"

[@RiseoftheLibertarian]

Rider bills should be illegal. Many things get passed because the rider is added to a popular bill thats certain to pass. I already think bills should only focus on one specific purpose instead of covering several different things that have nothing to do with each other, let alone add on a rider bill.

[@jennifergriel861]

13:22 the song used to be a lot longer “cues Yakko’s World

[@ReneeKadlubek-gt9qm]

Its about the kids for me. Ask luke what he meant about his CCM comment or likely Adam.

[@solotraveler37]

I was hoping they would show that Jason Chaffetz clip. I remember wjen he said it. What an embarrassment.

[@nanamikamiya6500]

“If you’re totally convinced that there should be just fifty states, well the let’s all kick out Florida ‘cause no one thinks they’re great.” Still true. I’d also kick out Texas for good measure.

[@ethzero]

13:10 ... and even though it's has got a little shorter over time, it's still embarrassingly too long.

[@forgiveman]

This is one of those chapters that show how the US is messing with its own population.

[@ReneeKadlubek-gt9qm]

Defining wonen in ways to control them or ways others view them us smtjg weve witnessed a lot of these last few decades. More work needed and more progress to come. Uts about controlling and leveling and power. So ill stick with those who havd a message consistent woth equality and who are advancing those caises.

[@matthewdriscoll8556]

Are there 51 stars on that flag?

[@matthewdriscoll8556]

Nevermind, I should've watched the whole episode.

[@-thedog-briangriffin9720]

Gotta agree with 2 and a Half man reference. Charlie Sheen was the whole show. Stopped watching after he left

[@Methus3lah]

Nice

[@ПуйлохуйлоЛА]

Lol the chichen and sisters bit shows how little USA understands about that part of the world. Especially Chechnya

[@Onigirli]

Thanks for elaborating

[@jerrik-415]

Those kids are now old enough to vote. Hope they do

[@michelleaneous]

12:00 #LexFridman sighting! 🦔

[@nebulan]

L o l I remember the dentist story

[@RiseoftheLibertarian]

People should not be living in DC. Its was meant to the be home to our federal government to keep it neutral among the other states. If I move next to a racetrack I expect to hear a lot of noise, I don't get to complain about it. If you move to an area that isn't a state why should you get state rights? You got 50 states to pick from. You either have to section out all the housing and add it to another state or states, or it becomes a state but then you have move everything to a new location. But, this shouldn't even be an issue because people shouldn't have been allowed to move there in the first place. It was owned by the federal government, the land should have stayed that way.

[@nomadiccleric5672]

What I've learned from rewatching these is LWT had a lot of animal sex back in the day....

[@asherbecker5997]

Pete Buttigeg, and ur right, secretary of transportation should never be president.

[@samuelrosander1048]

It irks me whenever people talk about republics as "democracy" and the societies that glorify them as valuing "democracy." Really, we value democracy and we have democracy, but only for a select few in both cases. We have no say in what our elected (or unelected) "representatives" do once in power, and pretty much every episode highlighting political problems (and many of our economic problems) is a testament to that fact. That's not "democracy," that's "authoritarianism with the deniability of elections." It's only democratic for the people above us. The rest of us are merely allowed to vote for which aristocrats will get to OFFICIALLY participate while the rest unofficially influence things in any number of ways that the rest of us don't have the capacity to do...and even pointing out the dynamics and the hilarious lack of democracy for the common folk results in all kinds of mindless attacks, even by people who should be vigorously agreeing! If you think I'm wrong, think long and hard about how much you personaly, directly participate in anything resembling the democratic process. Voting is not the democratic process, it's just one tiny step. Discussion/debate is a vital component, and if the people doing the discussing/debating are not also the ones making the decisions, then they're just "gossiping" or having an argument that amounts to nothing because the decisions are made by someone else. Seriously, take some time to think about it. There's nothing "democratic" about the United States or republics in general, except for the people at the top, and that's not significantly different from feudalism "but with elections."

[@cronykil74]

It's not just republics. You've essentially described every western democracy.😮

[@orlkorrect]

Representational democracy is the least bad system we've come up with. Direct democracy can work in small societies but there are no small societies left in a world with 8 trillion people.

[@samuelrosander1048]

@@orlkorrect How much time have you invested in fact checking what you just wrote? Because you literally just did a talking point without taking any time to think through it. What direct democracies have you heard of that you can point to? How do you know they can't work in larger societies? What constitutes a "small society"? When you accept the talking points without any evidence (there isn't any, and that's kind of the point), and then confidently regurgitate them as fact, it might impress others who have done the same, but it just proves you don't know what you're talking about. Representational democracy is "representational" for a small class of people, not the majority of the people. It's not the "least bad" system we've come up with, it's just one of a very few that we're allowed to have...by that small class of people. They made the same arguments to protect feudalism (until it was overthrown) just as they've been taught to do since at least Aristotle. Until you understand that dynamic then no argument against this system or its cousins will seem legitimate to you. When you finally do understand that dynamic arguments defending this system AND its cousins fall apart at the slightest touch.

[@ReneeKadlubek-gt9qm]

Never would be enabled before!

[@howiethao277]

Those kids make a great point. I know it’s 10 years too late but can we kick out Florida now? I don’t really care about DC getting statehood but I would sure like Florida to lose it.

[@kimberlyboyd5899]

American democracy my ass

[@Iason29]

The hypocrisy when they say they want to export it to other countries. You can't export something you never had. You wanna get involved in other countries to stabilise governments or save lives? Sure you can say that. But don't pretend you are gonna teach somebody else something you never learned yourself.

[@ReneeKadlubek-gt9qm]

Looking forward to accessing my money and deciding for myself what ill do with it. Thats a lot of royalties over the years!

[@ReneeKadlubek-gt9qm]

A lot of rape, assault, harassment, aggression, and touching my privates and accessing my private info.seems like a bunch of ppl will be sued. Like 2013 on

[@trstensvold]

3:37 Pete Buttigieg if anyone was wandering.

[@Rowsy91]

Not at the time of the video I have no idea who Obamas Trans Sec was.

[@ReneeKadlubek-gt9qm]

If anyone painted themselves red on my behalf will not be thrown under the bus unless rhey are trying to control and demean me in real life.

[@cidst8]

DC is fucking weird! Tons of stores where you can buy a stupid sports card or crappy art printed off a cheap home printer and get a bag of weed and psilocybin shrooms as a gift.

[@Will-wb6nk]

He's starting to grey 🥹

[@jacklatta1890]

I’m going to start a few internet rumors. Just saying, don’t believe anything for the next few weeks.

[@denverarnold6210]

I don't believe you.

[@Iason29]

What is an internet rumor? is it like internet lies? cause there are plenty of those

[@jacklatta1890]

Besides that, have you seen the sandwiches inside the crappers?🚽

[@ReneeKadlubek-gt9qm]

My stances and honesty are pretty popular. Lying, fraud, rape, harming women, hatmjng children, enabling pedo nonsense are not popular activities and never have been

[@Onigirli]

"enabling pedo nonsense" Please elaborate.

[@GuitarSlayer136]

order.

[@stoodmuffinpersonal3144]

ORDUH

[@GuitarSlayer136]

@stoodmuffinpersonal3144 Its funny seeing these get likes. Its one word of a full comment I left by commenting on every s2 video they uploaded in the order they were uploaded in.

[@ReneeKadlubek-gt9qm]

They gave me a ton if deference, time and energy snd it was not and is not my desire to waist professionals time. i hope they got info they needed and hope i made them laugh a lot. Gpes for our legit professional non exploiting politicans too.

[@ReneeKadlubek-gt9qm]

I dont condone drug use at all

[@TheToothless-666]

...anti-dentite

[@jrbird1983]

Y

[@ReneeKadlubek-gt9qm]

No james did not rape me. Yes i was driven into his companionship repeatedly bc other men were stalking me touching me and threatening me woth aggression and sexual assault/battery. Like in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, etc

[@ReneeKadlubek-gt9qm]

Oh im sorry my values are so out of left field that i am unwanted in various locations.

[@TheREALJosephTurner]

I need to preface this comment with: I am not far right. I am not a conservative. I am an independent. That said, I always find it interesting that people on the left support DC statehood, giving the people that live there the right to be represented WHILE AT THE SAME TIME scoffing at northern California for wanting to become it's own state because they don't have the numbers to overcome liberal southern California, to feel represented in any such form themselves. AT THE SAME TIME, I find it interesting that people on the right DO support northern California becoming it's own state while scoffing at DC. That's the government for ya though- DC and 5 territories with no meaningful representation and a large portion of a large state that has representation on paper, but it's buried under a population 500-1000 miles away from them.

[@TheREALJosephTurner]

@@jlm3744 It's not illegal for a state to split in two. The "new states clause" actually reads: "New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress." The last 16 words are the key.

[@fishbone3333]

@@jlm3744 US Virgin Islands has fewer people than Cedar Rapids, IA. No one in hell they should become a state with two Senators in the US Senate. There are already too many pissant small population states that each get two Senators.

[@CallmeLJ700]

What-aboutism at its finest. Northern California has representatives in the house DC does not. This is not a one to one comparison of lack of representation

[@filthybonnet]

@@TheREALJosephTurner I was about to say someone needs a history lesson on how West Virginia came to be.

[@dantehampton2570]

​@@jlm3744🤦🏾‍♂️

[@daniellundberg2875]

It's funny how he thinks the US is a democracy :D

[@denverarnold6210]

Do the people vote and have influence on elected officials? If so, that's a democracy.

[@necrocomicon8]

@@denverarnold6210 but do they really influence decisions?

[@denverarnold6210]

@@necrocomicon8 with exceptions like Russia, who basically stage an election, yes. They do.

[@necrocomicon8]

@denverarnold6210 who one the popular vote in 2016

[@denverarnold6210]

@@necrocomicon8 i said influence, not dictate. One'd be a fool to claim our system is fully fair or uncorrupt.

[@jlm3744]

I live just outside DC in Maryland, whenever I hear people from DC talk about statehood, most of the time its more of a DC pride thing and not much about having representation or anything like that. Me personally, I don't think it should be a state, Washington was created to be a federal district to house the federal government to represent the entire union and not have both state and federal powers. If people in DC want no taxation without representation either move or find some other work around to enhance the districts power, but to make Washington DC in its very own state is a silly idea. But hey if they do manage to somehow pull it off and make the city a state, then fine whatever. Also Puerto Rico definitely should never be a state either, Puerto Rico is a Latin island nation with its own history, culture, and Spanish is the dominant language. And statehood would be terrible for both the US and Puerto Rico financially, politically, and culturally. Also I am of Puerto Rican descent, before any of you think that I'm just some random guy bashing on Puerto Rico statehood, I'm Pro-Independence for the homeland.

[@JosephBuntrock-pv9fj]

Went in way too fast? Obama quintupled Bush’s highest ever troop count in Afghanistan. Tell me you don’t understand the war with fewer words next time.

[@bglidden88]

As they say...when in Heroin Rome

[@Onigirli]

Ha!... I dun get it

[@PuncherOfAbs]

Do they just try to but in and drown people speaking like that on a regular basis?

[@ReneeKadlubek-gt9qm]

Oh im sorry my values are so out of left field that i am unwanted in various locations.