Results: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and the John Oliver Effect
Published on 01/27/2021
QUESTIONS
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Comments
1.
1.
Are you a fan of Last Week Tonight and/or John Oliver?
I am too much of a fan!
4%
79 votes
It's okay
11%
243 votes
No
29%
625 votes
Never heard of it
38%
815 votes
Don't watch TV
8%
162 votes
Yes
10%
209 votes
2.
2.
Do you think Oliver's recent "work-from-home," set up, which he has nicknamed "the white void," has effected the quality of Last Week Tonight?
No effect
14%
295 votes
It's better - I hate the laugh track
3%
68 votes
It's worse - it feels too eerie for a comedy show
2%
50 votes
It's better - I like how eerie it is because it feels more intense and serious
4%
86 votes
It's worse - I liked the big studio set
3%
69 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
16 votes
Not Applicable
73%
1549 votes
3.
3.
Last Week Tonight is a satirical news show somewhat inspired by the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. In fact, John Oliver was a correspondent for the Daily Show and also took over for Jon Stewart as host for a few shows. The show is known for John Oliver's strange hybrid British accent (a mixture of Brummie, Scouse, and Bedford), the hilarious infographics, Oliver's acerbic wit, his self-deprecating humour, the absurd uses of HBO's money for things like obscure rat erotica paintings and giant marble cakes designed to annoy dictators, and the "John Oliver effect," which I will get into later. The format is somewhat different from the Daily Show, mainly because there are no correspondents and each show focuses on one large, but usually obscure and/or under-reported topic like Filibusters and Special Districts. If you haven't seen the show yet, do you think you would watch it?
Yes
12%
258 votes
No
32%
692 votes
Undecided
13%
274 votes
Not Applicable
43%
909 votes
4.
4.
One of the notable aspects of the show is something called the "John Oliver effect," where positive things have happened in the real world because of the popularity of the show and it's influence on policy and public figures. John Oliver himself does not believe in the effect but there are enough examples of it that it is hard to deny it's existence. Are you aware of any of these things that happened because of a Last Week Tonight episode (or coincidentally right after after a Last Week Tonight episode aired)?
In Washington State, they created a new bill where if citizens had an opinion on new legislation they could make an online video voicing their opinions. The politician who made the bill said that he was inspired by Last Week Tonight and their ability to turn boring issues into viral videos.
5%
114 votes
Not aware of any of these
83%
1775 votes
A month after John Oliver's episode on bail, where he talks about non-violent offenders being locked up before they are even charged of a crime if they don't have money for bail, New York mayor Bill de Blasio loosened bail requirements for non-violent offenders.
7%
155 votes
Last Week Tonight criticized FIFA, especially their treatment of migrant workers and John Oliver called for the resignation of their president Sepp Blatter. He offered to wear gaudy shoes, drink a Bud Light and eat McDonalds if Budlight, Adidas and McDonalds pressured the president to resign. Shortly after this, Sepp Blatter resigned and John Oliver had to make good on his promise and drink Bud Light, wear ugly shoes and eat every item on McDonalds dollar menu, truly taking one for the team. This moment in the show is featured in the clip above if you want a laugh.
5%
107 votes
This is actually a neutral effect but it is, all the same, rather hilarious. Maybe somewhat positive because it may have benefited the town's tourism? The mayor of Danbury, Conneticut decided to rename a sewage plant after John Oliver (now called the John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant) after Oliver made some catty comments about the town of Danbury. The reason was because "it's full of sh*t, just like you, John." The ultimate act of pettiness. John Oliver attended the sewer renaming in person in a makeshift hazmat suit.
6%
120 votes
Last Week Tonight had an episode on net neutrality, which discussed problems with internet service providers, which could be solved by the FCC if they changed the way the internet is regulated. After Oliver told viewers to comment on the FCC's website, there were so many comments (3.7 million) that the website crashed! The general public barely cared about this issue before, but because they started to care, after being made aware of it by that episode, the FCC changed their position and enacted strong net neutrality rules that classified broadband internet service as a public utility.
5%
113 votes
A Ninth Circuit Court judge cited a Last Week Tonight segment about the lesser constitutional rights of residents of US territories in a ruling in favour of the residents of Guam.
2%
52 votes
5.
5.
What do you like about Last Week Tonight and/or John Oliver? He is British and British people seem smarter
3%
69 votes
It seems like they do their research
8%
177 votes
I like the infographics
4%
81 votes
I think the John Oliver effect brings about positive change in the world
6%
123 votes
He is flawed and therefore relatable
5%
102 votes
I like the fact that he collects rat erotica
3%
59 votes
I like that the show doesn't pull punches
7%
156 votes
I like that the show focuses on one topic per episode and that the topic is usually something under-reported
7%
150 votes
It's funny
9%
200 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
22 votes
Not Applicable
76%
1616 votes
I generally like him as a person
6%
134 votes
I like his bizarre accent
3%
72 votes
6.
6.
What do you dislike about Last Week Tonight and/or John Oliver?
He looks like he lives alone surrounded by jars that he is too weak to open (see above)
2%
47 votes
His accent is too strange
2%
35 votes
He is British and I hate the British
1%
23 votes
I dislike the fact that he collects rat erotica
2%
50 votes
The show isn't funny
4%
83 votes
The show isn't well-researched enough
3%
55 votes
The show is boring
3%
61 votes
He seems biased toward a particular politician or party
5%
96 votes
I just generally dislike him as a person
3%
65 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
12 votes
Not Applicable
83%
1767 votes
The show is too crude
3%
67 votes
7.
7.
Who or what is the best political satire? John Oliver (Last Week Tonight, Daily Show)
4%
88 votes
Jon Stewart (Daily Show)
5%
111 votes
Trevor Noah (Daily Show)
4%
85 votes
Stephen Colbert (Colbert Report, Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Daily Show)
10%
209 votes
Samantha Bee (Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Daily Show)
2%
45 votes
Hasan Minhaj (Patriot Act)
1%
22 votes
The Onion
3%
70 votes
South Park
5%
112 votes
Other (please specify)
2%
35 votes
Not Applicable
64%
1356 votes
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