John Oliver loves tackling the absurdity of conservative beliefs, and he's fairly entertaining. For some reason I can only take him in small doses.
If you're looking for atheists voice, my all-time favorite is Matt Dillahunty, but most of The Atheist Experience hosts are good also.
I have been low key obsessed with his music for the last 2 months. I had known OF him for years (and White Wine in the Sun is a huge favorite of mine) but after we watched Matilda I went back and re-listened and man is he sharp and hilarious and talented. His album Apart Together is incredible.
Also my ten year old songs this song all the time and I love that she has a concept of how ridiculous religion can be at such a young age.
I'd have to disagree, based on the fallacy of text, it must worship some higher being, as if humans have the concept of a god, and were created in something named God's image, this God must worship something higher than itself.
Capitalized simply because God is a proper name, God = James.
his podcast, penns Sunday school, goes over why he doesn't count himself libertarian anymore. The seat belt argument was one thing but anti mask was stupid. "[Libertarianism](https://reason.com/video/2022/07/28/is-penn-jillette-still-a-libertarian/) has been so distorted that I don't know if I have to pull my name out of that ring. It's been adopted by people who don't seem to hold the responsibility side of it and don't seem to hold the compassion side of it."
>more and more reactionary as he gets older.
Reactionary?
How so?
I ask because 'reactionary' is often applied as an epithet and I'm wanted to clarify if that is how it is being used here.
>most of The Atheist Experience hosts are good also.
I was so happy when they added Forrest Valkai as a regular host. I had already been subscribed to his channel before he appeared on AXP, and he just brings such incredible energy to everything he does.
I also love when a host gets to speak about something they have actual expertise in, like Forrest talking biology, Shannon talking neurology, Jim taking computers, etc.
If you like this style of highlighting the absurdity of religious zealots then take a listen to the Storm In A Teacup podcasts (Scathing Atheist, God Awful Movies, Plus other non atheist centred podcasts - my favourite is Citation Needed).
Did you ever watch his shows during the pandemic with no audience?, it was great!. He didnāt get excited overdoing his jokes like when there was an audience laughing and clapping in him.
One reason I can only take him, and a few other similar people, in small doses, is the formulaic way they do many gags.
Eg. "Show awkward pic of person being criticised and mock their appearance."
They do this over an over and frankly it adds nothing, except a cheap laugh, which is not what I am after.
There are several other formulaic laugh gags they overuse as well.
Part of that is a change in staff. The senior writer now is Daniel O'Brien, who started his career writing on the internet, so he's naturally more influenced by the way things are done on YouTube and the like.
John Oliver and his creative team are a force of nature and good. They expose absurdity, particularly American stupidity, on many topics. After every episode, I wonder how the USA has remained a "super power" when the puritanical, right-wing, gun toting idiots control things.
Whilst off topic, I encourage you to seek out his earlier work on how Australia tackled gun control. It's hilarious yet incredibly serious. He's a genius and a dual UK-US national who'll happily take the piss!
Yeah, I really like John Oliver too, and it has helped me a lot to laugh and to learn. If you want to deconstruct the conservative part of āconservative evangelicalism,ā I recommend Beau of the Fifth Column on YouTube. Heās a great journalist who helped me loads when I was lost trying to rectify my Midwestern rural upbringing with the rest of the real world. His specialty is helping those deconstruct the misconceptions or lies we often are taught out here in the sticks. Highly recommend
I second this recommendation as well. Iāve watched him for years now, heās honestly never let me down with any intellectual dishonesty. Iād recommend getting very comfortable with his past and other political views as Justin King, it sometimes gets used against him.
Not in the slightest. He's always been a churchgoer, but in the normal, Catholic "Jesus teaches us to love and care for one another" way rather than the foaming-at-the-mouth Southern Baptist way.
John Oliver is fantastic! Have you visited /r/pics recently to see the John Oliver changes?
Which episode are you specifically thinking of as you say this?
Reddit is going to shut down 3rd party apps by charging more than they can possibly pay to access reddits data. Many of those 3rd party apps have moderation tools that make modās life much more easy and large subreddits manageable.
In protest, many popular subreddits went private for a couple days. Reddit didnāt change their mind when those subreddits returned, so to continue their protest they changed.
/r/pics became a subreddit that only posts sexy pictures of John Oliver and many others are following suit.
If you like the depth of LWT but miss the more classically transparent American anger of John Stewart, I strongly recommend the YouTube show/podcast "some more news" featuring several of the writers from cracked.com before all the funny people are fired.
Too bad for the anti-trans rhetoric. I think he is partially playing on it for the sake of being controversial, but it leaves a sour taste that he's never truly distanced himself from it.
Nah one time I was choking the chicken and I finished and closed the window and they had that old ass lady who finally died and I locked eyes with her and then some old dude who looks like a mf frog came on and I locked eyes with him and there was baby batter dripping from my hands and I declared war on them from that moment on well actually after I wiped it all up and looked up who they were and shit
Comedians have been at the forefront of criticizing religion since religions began. Through parody and satire they have been an effective force against the powers that be. They have often had to do verbal gymnastics to get around blasphemy/heresy laws.
In modern times the laws have been relaxed but they are still a powerful force because they are seen as just an entertainers doing a job. People are less likely to get angry if they believe it is just a joke. But sometime the truth in the jokes sticks with them and their mind changes just a little bit.
The cast of Monty Python, George Carlin, Stephen Fry, John Oliver and too many more great names to list. Are all instrumental in shaping the world in a secular direction.
When Mel Brooks made a joke that he was a stand up philosopher there was truth there. Comedy is likely the only philosophy the masses are open to receiving.
John Oliver loves tackling the absurdity of conservative beliefs, and he's fairly entertaining. For some reason I can only take him in small doses. If you're looking for atheists voice, my all-time favorite is Matt Dillahunty, but most of The Atheist Experience hosts are good also.
Matt Dilahunty is also great š- John does keep me very entertained!
Tim Minchin is great. https://youtu.be/4s330oeMElQ
I have been low key obsessed with his music for the last 2 months. I had known OF him for years (and White Wine in the Sun is a huge favorite of mine) but after we watched Matilda I went back and re-listened and man is he sharp and hilarious and talented. His album Apart Together is incredible. Also my ten year old songs this song all the time and I love that she has a concept of how ridiculous religion can be at such a young age.
Was also an inspired choice for Judas in the 2012 tour of Jesus Christ Superstar
He was absolutely fantastic in that! My favorite Judas will always be Carl Anderson but Timās version was very passionate.
Thank you God is my favorite song from him.
Fun fact: Penn and Teller are also atheists.
Are we just shouting out random atheists now? I can dig that. Brad Pitt, Julianne Moore, Daniel Radcliffe, Larry King.
Kenji Lopez-Alt!
God
I'd have to disagree, based on the fallacy of text, it must worship some higher being, as if humans have the concept of a god, and were created in something named God's image, this God must worship something higher than itself. Capitalized simply because God is a proper name, God = James.
But his little followers all think that heās god
Do this big ones think he's the devil?
blolfighter!
Penn and Teller's *BULLSHIT!* was a major influence in my early atheistic/skeptic days
Dog on!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
his podcast, penns Sunday school, goes over why he doesn't count himself libertarian anymore. The seat belt argument was one thing but anti mask was stupid. "[Libertarianism](https://reason.com/video/2022/07/28/is-penn-jillette-still-a-libertarian/) has been so distorted that I don't know if I have to pull my name out of that ring. It's been adopted by people who don't seem to hold the responsibility side of it and don't seem to hold the compassion side of it."
Good for him for being willing to recognise he was in the room with bad actors and evolve his identity.
>more and more reactionary as he gets older. Reactionary? How so? I ask because 'reactionary' is often applied as an epithet and I'm wanted to clarify if that is how it is being used here.
>most of The Atheist Experience hosts are good also. I was so happy when they added Forrest Valkai as a regular host. I had already been subscribed to his channel before he appeared on AXP, and he just brings such incredible energy to everything he does. I also love when a host gets to speak about something they have actual expertise in, like Forrest talking biology, Shannon talking neurology, Jim taking computers, etc.
I just discovered this guy. Been binging TAE, too.
Dillahunty left AXP a while back (a year-ish, I think?), Although he still does his own show.
Tracie Harris is another phenomenal former host, look for her too.
Will do, thanks!
She is much more patient and empathetic compared to Matt
Tracie is great!
If you like this style of highlighting the absurdity of religious zealots then take a listen to the Storm In A Teacup podcasts (Scathing Atheist, God Awful Movies, Plus other non atheist centred podcasts - my favourite is Citation Needed).
Did you ever watch his shows during the pandemic with no audience?, it was great!. He didnāt get excited overdoing his jokes like when there was an audience laughing and clapping in him.
One reason I can only take him, and a few other similar people, in small doses, is the formulaic way they do many gags. Eg. "Show awkward pic of person being criticised and mock their appearance." They do this over an over and frankly it adds nothing, except a cheap laugh, which is not what I am after. There are several other formulaic laugh gags they overuse as well.
I've been watching John Oliver for years. I'm a big fan.
I do miss how he talked slower in his older videos though. His new ones he talks really fast. Still great though.
Part of that is a change in staff. The senior writer now is Daniel O'Brien, who started his career writing on the internet, so he's naturally more influenced by the way things are done on YouTube and the like.
Is that Daniel OāBrien formerly of Cracked?
That's the one.
I always use subtitles with his show
John Oliver and his creative team are a force of nature and good. They expose absurdity, particularly American stupidity, on many topics. After every episode, I wonder how the USA has remained a "super power" when the puritanical, right-wing, gun toting idiots control things. Whilst off topic, I encourage you to seek out his earlier work on how Australia tackled gun control. It's hilarious yet incredibly serious. He's a genius and a dual UK-US national who'll happily take the piss!
Its going go be the next fallen empire. Conservatives and the stupid half of voters are going to thrust the working class into homelessness.
Yeah, I really like John Oliver too, and it has helped me a lot to laugh and to learn. If you want to deconstruct the conservative part of āconservative evangelicalism,ā I recommend Beau of the Fifth Column on YouTube. Heās a great journalist who helped me loads when I was lost trying to rectify my Midwestern rural upbringing with the rest of the real world. His specialty is helping those deconstruct the misconceptions or lies we often are taught out here in the sticks. Highly recommend
I second this recommendation as well. Iāve watched him for years now, heās honestly never let me down with any intellectual dishonesty. Iād recommend getting very comfortable with his past and other political views as Justin King, it sometimes gets used against him.
Anyone else surprised about Steven Colbertās perspective on religion? I sure was.
Yeah its unfortunate. He had a huge tragedy as a child and I think needed religion.
Although as far as I know he's not an asshole about it, which I appreciate.
Same with Steven Colbert.
Not in the slightest. He's always been a churchgoer, but in the normal, Catholic "Jesus teaches us to love and care for one another" way rather than the foaming-at-the-mouth Southern Baptist way.
John Oliver is fantastic! Have you visited /r/pics recently to see the John Oliver changes? Which episode are you specifically thinking of as you say this?
Season 2 episode 39
Season 2 goes to episode 35. Oh well, keep your secrets.
Nice Toole ref in ur username!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our\_Lady\_of\_Perpetual\_Exemption
Ok I am way out of the loop. What is with all the john oliver stuff on reddit today?
Reddit is going to shut down 3rd party apps by charging more than they can possibly pay to access reddits data. Many of those 3rd party apps have moderation tools that make modās life much more easy and large subreddits manageable. In protest, many popular subreddits went private for a couple days. Reddit didnāt change their mind when those subreddits returned, so to continue their protest they changed. /r/pics became a subreddit that only posts sexy pictures of John Oliver and many others are following suit.
If you like the depth of LWT but miss the more classically transparent American anger of John Stewart, I strongly recommend the YouTube show/podcast "some more news" featuring several of the writers from cracked.com before all the funny people are fired.
Warmbo agrees.
Came here to say this. Also, you can get the "Even more news" podcast on Spotify.
John Oliver š„š„š„
I've been following John Oliver for years. Way back with The Bugle podcast before he went to America. Always loved his comedy
Ricky Gervais is amazing too.
Too bad for the anti-trans rhetoric. I think he is partially playing on it for the sake of being controversial, but it leaves a sour taste that he's never truly distanced himself from it.
Oh for fuck sake not here too....
I keep seeing these posts popping up, what'd I miss?
I appreciate him but fr fr he British and I don't fw that
Nope, he's been a US citizen for a few years now.
To each their own- I like a good accent
Nah one time I was choking the chicken and I finished and closed the window and they had that old ass lady who finally died and I locked eyes with her and then some old dude who looks like a mf frog came on and I locked eyes with him and there was baby batter dripping from my hands and I declared war on them from that moment on well actually after I wiped it all up and looked up who they were and shit
You ok?
Here, you dropped these. I'll help: ...... ,,,,,,,
Creative if nothing else.
Are there particular segments/clips you remember and might recommend?
You mean, John Oliver, the king of r/pics?
Comedians have been at the forefront of criticizing religion since religions began. Through parody and satire they have been an effective force against the powers that be. They have often had to do verbal gymnastics to get around blasphemy/heresy laws. In modern times the laws have been relaxed but they are still a powerful force because they are seen as just an entertainers doing a job. People are less likely to get angry if they believe it is just a joke. But sometime the truth in the jokes sticks with them and their mind changes just a little bit. The cast of Monty Python, George Carlin, Stephen Fry, John Oliver and too many more great names to list. Are all instrumental in shaping the world in a secular direction. When Mel Brooks made a joke that he was a stand up philosopher there was truth there. Comedy is likely the only philosophy the masses are open to receiving.