Trucks: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Prefatory note:

We are not enamoured of John Oliver, nor for that matter, of any other establishment, pro-imperialist "comedian". We know damn well that when push comes to shove, or even long before that, they will be out there doing the devil's work, as turncoats like Steven Colbert so amply prove. BUT, there are no absolutes, folks, so we must recognise degrees of collaboration with a rotten status quo. In the case of Oliver, while he is firmly part of the imperialist media establishment, something in his persona leans toward the populist, hence he often features segments that, while not perfect from, say, a Marxist viewpoint (like all liberals Oliver is good at enumerating in vivid color the symptoms of capitalism but never mentions the disease), are still a contribution to educating his usually clueless audience about problems that clamor for some sort of solution. This is certainly the case with this segment on truckers, extremely hardworking people, and for that, we give him credit. —The Editor

Dateline: Apr 4, 2022

LastWeekTonight

John Oliver explains how truck drivers get paid, how they often don’t, and how companies exploit them to increase profits. What he doesn't do is tell his audience that all these ills are inevitable as long as people live under capitalism.

The views expressed are solely those of the author and may or may not reflect those of The Greanville Post