China & Uighurs: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN points to it as an accessible, well-made mix of education and entertainment for anyone wanting to understand the Xinjiang situation.
What it is
John Oliver's Last Week Tonight segment on the Chinese government's treatment of the Uighur people, covering the human rights abuses in Xinjiang and why they deserve attention.
Recommended by 3 HN commenters across 3 different months, 2020 to 2025.
What Hacker News said
Strong rec cycomanic · 2020-08 · on “China Uighurs: A model's video gives a rare glimpse inside internment”
John Oliver did an excellent piece on the situation of the uighur last week you can watch it here: [this video] I have to say he has really developed his show into an excellent mix of education and entertainment. I used to not like him very much (didn't like his type of humor), but I learn something every time I watch one of his shows, even if it covers a topic I'm already quite familiar with.
Recommends mkolodny · 2021-03 · on “Nike Statement on Xinjiang”
In case anyone's not aware of what's happening in Xinjiang, this is a great Last Week Tonight episode about it: [this video]
Recommends blagie · 2025-04 · on “TikTok is harming children at an industrial scale”
I see. That question makes sense. I don't hate China. I'm very glad we have a competing model of governance, and I'd like to see a diverse range of governments in the world. China is experimenting with a very different model, and for all the faults with that model, I'm grateful for that. If the goal is to understand the anger and hatred, a good place to start is the persecution of the Uyghurs. That one is pretty over-the-top evil, and you can learn more here: [this video] There are many other such things happening. In general, hate is based on cherrypicking the bad things about "them" and the good things about "us." That's as true across political lines, as across countries, as across some religi
Cites netsharc · 2020-08 · on “Blanked-out spots on China's maps helped us uncover Xinjiang's camps”
They could put cartoon images of "land", like this TV show's overlay on top of a lady wearing Muslim dress: [this video] Interesting how the IMO Chinese "Eh, imma just half-ass it!" mentality (hopefully having visited the country and experienced half-assery, I'm allowed to comment) basically lead to this research work.
Cites nedsma · 2020-08 · on “China Built a Vast New Infrastructure to Imprison Uighurs”
John Oliver recently made a episode on the subject (China & Uighurs: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)) [this video] The Communist Party of China (CPC) are running sinicization and antireligious campaigns of ethnic and religious minorities. The totalitarian and authoritarian countries don't make good neighbors. China will be making inroads into Taiwan soon if the world does not act.
Cites cableshaft · 2023-10 · on “The Problem with Jon Stewart cancellation highlights a problem for Apple content”
Well AT&T and Warner/Discovery own the show, so one significant difference is it's a joke about just their company that they can determine if they're okay with or not, and don't have to worry about losing anything due to external third party retaliation. Whereas with a topic about China, that's a whole government that has a history of not being able to take a joke, and will likely retaliate and cost Apple a significant amount of money. Not saying it's good or right, though. John Oliver also had a whole show about China and their treatment of Uighurs, though, so that seems to be a more direct comparison. That aired back in 2020 and his show hasn't been cancelled yet. [this video]