Prisoner Re-entry: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

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  • Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
  • Former offenders face enormous obstacles once they leave prison. John Oliver sits down with Bilal Chatman to discuss the challenges of reentering society.
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Комментарии • 5 тыс.

  • @charlesdarwin9830
    @charlesdarwin9830 8 лет назад +4235

    Somewhere in the US, there's a woman named Janice who works in Accounting saying "How does he know so much about me?"

    • @alonso071
      @alonso071 8 лет назад +7

      lol. so true

    • @alejandrocahuantzi7429
      @alejandrocahuantzi7429 8 лет назад +69

      +Chris Dodds I work with Janice in Accounting in Southern California. Haha

    • @charlesdarwin9830
      @charlesdarwin9830 8 лет назад +45

      Alex Cahuantzi So is it true that she doesn't give a fuck?

    • @macedossaulo8917
      @macedossaulo8917 8 лет назад +71

      +Chris Dodds she should say that, but SHE DON'T GIVE A FUCK!!!

    • @MrDUneven
      @MrDUneven 8 лет назад +39

      +Chris Dodds
      I don't know if she gives a fuck.

  • @SatanistSin
    @SatanistSin 8 лет назад +3077

    Dude... that guy grows tomatoes. Fucking tomatoes! FUCK YEAH! *T O M A T O E S ! ! !*

    • @heinrichthurston6961
      @heinrichthurston6961 8 лет назад +53

      Fuck yeah! TOMATOES!

    • @1997jankuschef
      @1997jankuschef 8 лет назад +40

      +SatanistSin Tomatoes make the world go round

    • @bitterrootfpv2207
      @bitterrootfpv2207 8 лет назад +13

      +SatanistSin when i go to the hydro shop i say that i grow tomatoes.

    • @r2dezki
      @r2dezki 8 лет назад +38

      +SatanistSin My mom grows tomatoes too. Man, self-grown tomatoes are effing delicious.

    • @DetectiveLance
      @DetectiveLance 8 лет назад +11

      +SatanistSin Hell yeah. And growing tomatoes is two steps from home made barbecue sauce :)

  • @mariokarter13
    @mariokarter13 8 лет назад +6077

    If you've served your sentence you shouldn't be treated like a criminal anymore. If the justice system didn't give them a life sentence why should we?

    • @josemunoz9695
      @josemunoz9695 8 лет назад +211

      couldn't have said it better myself

    • @stevetyler2222
      @stevetyler2222 8 лет назад +379

      Welcome to America. Every criminal sentence is a life sentence.

    • @owenrocks4696
      @owenrocks4696 8 лет назад +29

      Amen brother

    • @explodethebomb
      @explodethebomb 8 лет назад +115

      +mariokarter13 just because they served their sentence doesn't mean they have changed, however I do agree that just because they were in prison shouldn't mean they are considered criminals for life.

    • @TheScrubmuffin69
      @TheScrubmuffin69 8 лет назад +2

      totally agree man

  • @Velo-vl3qj
    @Velo-vl3qj 6 лет назад +4136

    The terrifying thing about Last Week Tonight videos on RUclips is that even though many of them are pretty old, they're still totally relevant because you just know that none of the terrible problems he's discussing have even remotely been fixed.

    • @thinkingoutloud3358
      @thinkingoutloud3358 5 лет назад +107

      Dylan exactly ... here I am 4 years later and very video is just as interesting and sadly relevant

    • @brysoncherry9884
      @brysoncherry9884 5 лет назад +87

      Sadly it will still be relevant enough to call it Last Decade with John Oliver.

    • @attaincognito2965
      @attaincognito2965 5 лет назад +36

      Bryson Cherry low key this would be a good if not disheartening title for a season 10 finale episode

    • @josestacy
      @josestacy 5 лет назад +3

      Great comment.

    • @mvez10
      @mvez10 5 лет назад +27

      your comment made me smile at first because i totally agree, but once the message set in, im left with a deep sorrow that will last for a long time... head down lol

  • @Lurdiak
    @Lurdiak 8 лет назад +2205

    They way ex-cons are treated in the US really makes the concept of "rehabilitation" seem like a joke.

    • @Missteree87
      @Missteree87 8 лет назад +73

      It's a complete sham. A totally mockery of fairness and justice

    • @plainOldFool
      @plainOldFool 8 лет назад +57

      +Lurdiak Considering how for-profit private prisons are on the rise, the cynic in me makes me wondering if it is intentional.

    • @eideticex
      @eideticex 8 лет назад +63

      +Lurdiak I've been seeing this myself and it's not just laws/rules, it's also the way people treat them upon finding out. I know an ex-con very well. She's a wonderful person, far better of a person than the vast majority I encounter every day. Despite how well people may grow to like here; upon finding out about her history they treat her like she's the scum of the earth. A history that occurred over 15 years ago, half of that time spent in prison. Her accounts of what happened in prison can only be described as mental torture. Her accounts of what she had to deal with during parole are much like you hear here but extend into far more like medical treatment. She had to miss a medical treatment which may have actually caused a problem that lead to surgery.
      The living restrictions placed upon ex-cons are a lot worse than they initially sound. You hear them and think it isn't too bad but then if you try and plot them on a map you find an extremely limited habitable area for them. What housing is available is either the worst possible living conditions, as in places that should be condemned. Or it's the most expensive in the area.
      I am struggling to find anything about the entire system that even resembles "rehabilitation". More like given every chance to fail by being thrown into a situation that would turn even a person with no felony history into a convicted felon just to survive.

    • @bbruinenberg
      @bbruinenberg 8 лет назад +38

      +plainOldFool I don't think cynic is the right word in this case. I think the words you're looking for are "person with more than a single brain cell." Because there is no way that it isn't intentional. The prison program is broken by design in every possible way that results in more crime. At this point America literally has a worse justice system than most countries with a dictator. I'm not even kidding. In countries like China you might end up in prison for opposing the government but at least you don't end up in prison for being poor for the remainder of your life.

    • @sting2689
      @sting2689 8 лет назад

      +Lurdiak That's probably because rehabilitation does not work most of the time....

  • @ainulkhairilezral7200
    @ainulkhairilezral7200 8 лет назад +3333

    Bilal Chatman. Salute. Respect. Growing tomatoes ain't easy.

    • @Simon-nx1sc
      @Simon-nx1sc 6 лет назад +97

      Yea that's true, I tried growing tomatoes once, but I totally failed!
      It really is hard, respect!

    • @4philipp
      @4philipp 5 лет назад +68

      He will go down in history as Tomato Man

    • @kellym9190
      @kellym9190 5 лет назад +26

      Simon That dude is the GOAT of tomatoes🍅

    • @erikaarnold4780
      @erikaarnold4780 4 года назад +7

      Ainul Khairil Ezral
      I killed a cactus 😬

    • @razenoid1554
      @razenoid1554 4 года назад +3

      @@erikaarnold4780 thats easy by overwatering them

  • @666Tomato666
    @666Tomato666 8 лет назад +2551

    *paying* for parole officers?! What the flying fluck!

    • @sexyohhenry4192
      @sexyohhenry4192 8 лет назад +42

      *fuck*

    • @unixone7558
      @unixone7558 8 лет назад +98

      +666Tomato666 By law that's a debtors prison (which are illegal), I see nobody raising an eyebrow to it (at least nobody who can make the changes)

    • @brandennelson7665
      @brandennelson7665 8 лет назад +14

      +Unix One What is a debtors prison if you don't mind me asking..Please elaborate

    • @unixone7558
      @unixone7558 8 лет назад +91

      Branden Nelson A debtors prison is effectively a prison where people who can't pay their debts are sent. When sent there, they must also pay excess fees and fines, effectively preventing them from ever paying off their debts and thus imprisoning them indefinitely. These were ruled unconstitutional as The Bill of Rights protects us from excessive bail and cruel/unusual punishment.

    • @brandennelson7665
      @brandennelson7665 8 лет назад +38

      +Unix One Ok I understand. You are absolutely right. I live in the state of Iowa. I have read the Iowa constitution and it states that a person cannot be imprisoned by going into debt. To me this should be with any agency. But instead they will send you to jail without hesitation if you are not able to meet their financial requirements. There are no loopholes in this system. Also not enough people are willing to speak up o this matter. A lot of these punishments fall under the "Double Jeopardy" clause as well. I am a person that wants to do right for a change and I am sincere about it. But the way things are setup makes it very difficult.

  • @megancotterly9357
    @megancotterly9357 4 года назад +623

    I went to prison 8 years ago. I was a perfect parolee. I actually was let off parole a year early, for good behavior. The only parolee my parole office did that to in 3 years. I have held a full time job and taken care if my 3 kids on my own since my release. And I still struggle finding a place to live with those kids. Nothing matters to landlords if you check the felony box no matter how long ago it was or how much you have changed your life since. There is no such thing as "paying your debt to society" and moving on. The debt is NEVER paid

    • @notsure1969
      @notsure1969 2 года назад +11

      That sucks.

    • @davechongle
      @davechongle Год назад +34

      its fucked man. we have the most prisoners in the world despite being like the 5th most populated country, we are one of the only countries that execute people still, we have the worst punishments for crime (slavery, extreme prison sentences, and solitary confinement which is seldom used in most first world countries,) and we have the highest rates of recividism (which seems engineered to be that way to make more money.) if you are a convict you can be denied many, many important things like loans, places to live, JOBS, and the fucking right to vote. our justice system is completely fucked, and i hope you are still well despite the deck being stacked against you.

    • @semafodje782
      @semafodje782 Год назад +5

      I'm so sorry, Megan.

    • @meganwynn372
      @meganwynn372 Год назад +4

      That seems patently unfair, since its not as if you got caught lying about it. Its all down a landlords exsperiances, and they should have a program that helps non violent offenders get back on their feet !

    • @CharlesRaines4946
      @CharlesRaines4946 Год назад +2

      So if someone age 45 was caught shoplifting at age 14 and went to some correctional facility for 6 months they would refuse to rent him an apartment some 31 years later?

  • @LordConstipation
    @LordConstipation 8 лет назад +2332

    I think we should take everyone in the White House, sit them down in a room together, and make them watch a marathon of Last Week Tonight. It won't solve anything, but maybe it will give them an idea of how poor the state of the country is

    • @SugaryCoyote
      @SugaryCoyote 8 лет назад +6

      +C Mufasa "It won't solve anything, " Right, because he doesn't have any answers.

    • @LordConstipation
      @LordConstipation 8 лет назад +146

      +SugaryCoyote It won't solve anything because they won't actually listen.

    • @SugaryCoyote
      @SugaryCoyote 8 лет назад +7

      C Mufasa Why doesn't he hire past offenders? John Oliver can help fix this problem.

    • @LordConstipation
      @LordConstipation 8 лет назад +22

      +SugaryCoyote I was just kidding with my suggestion, but that's actually a good idea

    • @Jorygun
      @Jorygun 8 лет назад +76

      +C Mufasa Better to make Congress the audience, not the White House. The White House really doesn't have a whole lot of power to change things. A few Exec Orders, but mostly he can just sign or veto what Congress does (if they ever do anything.)

  • @lateblossom
    @lateblossom 8 лет назад +3532

    I love how John Oliver just goes down the list of all of our country's problems, video by video.

    • @concretecloud7874
      @concretecloud7874 8 лет назад +42

      Makes for entertaining videos, but the problems are unlikely to change

    • @lateblossom
      @lateblossom 8 лет назад +32

      +Concrete Cloud Sadly true. Slacktivism at its finest.

    • @comedyman4896
      @comedyman4896 8 лет назад +28

      how do i install mincraft

    • @ceka50
      @ceka50 8 лет назад +11

      I dont know, something to do with photosynthesis

    • @ellahitchman5447
      @ellahitchman5447 8 лет назад +7

      So do I. The next video should be about ALL OF THE GOD DAMN AMIBBO RIPOFFS!!

  • @msjkramey
    @msjkramey 6 лет назад +3843

    How do we stop crime? I know! Let's limit their access to food, shelter, jobs, and education! They won't commit crimes out of desperation or anything...

    • @bobrolander4344
      @bobrolander4344 5 лет назад +185

      The list of all episodes of Last Week Tonight is essentially a sad long list of issues that neither Republican politician, nor a single ESTABLISHMENT Democrat will EVER even try to touch.
      *Neither Kamala Harris, nor Joe Biden, nor Pete Butigeg, nor Beto O'Rourke WILL EVER DO JACK SHIT about ANY of these hundreds of pressing issues.* In the end *making a buck* will be more important than a planet to survive on, more important than justice, *more important THAN LIFE ITSELF.*

    • @jackpadz6079
      @jackpadz6079 5 лет назад +22

      @@bobrolander4344 Well said. Very well said.

    • @lukebingus9432
      @lukebingus9432 5 лет назад +69

      It is absolutely deliberately set up that way so they can continue to jail and re-jail them and maximize profits. America is a corporate fucking wasteland.

    • @emanuelrojas2
      @emanuelrojas2 5 лет назад +9

      The crazy f%^*d up logic of our government and of us at times!

    • @user-rx2ur5el9p
      @user-rx2ur5el9p 5 лет назад +29

      That's very, very intentional. Private prisons are big business, and prisoners are the product.

  • @MorpheusOne
    @MorpheusOne 3 года назад +84

    Saying it for emphasis:
    Should never be operated for profit:
    1. Healthcare
    2. Prisons
    3. Education
    Corresponds exactly with:
    1. Life
    2. Liberty
    3. Pursuit of happiness

    • @ghani666
      @ghani666 4 месяца назад +3

      I’ve said the first 3 for years but never even connected them with the second three.
      This is very based.

  • @DavidPeveto
    @DavidPeveto 8 лет назад +2071

    Wait... Pennsylvania makes parolees pay to be on parole? And they will make you go back to jail if you can't pay? That's essentially a debtors prison. You can't make people go to jail for not having money, that's ludicrous.

    • @kkmatt
      @kkmatt 8 лет назад +103

      +David Peveto Totally fucked up right? And just think: the people who need to protest and change the situation are the most vulnerable of the population. It's hard to care what happens with the local and state government if you're just trying to put food on the table.

    • @nexusvexusus4096
      @nexusvexusus4096 8 лет назад +94

      +David Peveto LMAO. Do you even live here in the U.S.? Are you seriously just now finding out that you have to pay to enter a probation or parole program. Yes!!!!!! In many states, you have to pay to be in probation or parole!!!!!! In many states, that's the whole incentive for cops to lock up and arrest as many people as they can. It creates profit for local and state govt. budgets, or worse, a private incarceration company!!!!! When people think cops are out to target them with minor infractions, it's not a conspiracy theory or bullshit. It's real. Meanwhile, the cops get bonuses for fulfilling their quotas....errrr, I mean "performance standards".

    • @MeaghanTamara
      @MeaghanTamara 8 лет назад +15

      If you get a DUI in NY, for me 200 to enter out patient treatment and 60 per tx 3 times a week for 6 weeks or jail.

    • @DM-tw6vd
      @DM-tw6vd 8 лет назад +25

      +David Peveto I live in PA and too me this doesnt seem that ludicrous, Our state ran into a huge corruption case a couple years ago because "for profit" prisons were holding people longer than there sentences and also not letting the people or there families know why

    • @SadisticSenpai61
      @SadisticSenpai61 8 лет назад +38

      +David Peveto If your debt is owed to the government, we do have debtor's prison. They arrest ppl who can't pay their fines/tickets all the time. And if a prosecutor plays it right, you can be sent to prison for a private debt too. If he doesn't play it right, you can find your wages garnished to the point where you can't afford to live - at which point you might end up in prison for other things. Desperate poor ppl often turn to crime to try to survive. Your socioeconomic status says more about your likelihood to commit crimes and end up in prison than anything else for exactly that reason.

  • @dukespubber741
    @dukespubber741 8 лет назад +1269

    John, can you talk about the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which just became public?
    It's basically SOPA on steroids. Under this law currently being debated in Congress, fair use and public domain literally cease to exist, companies are allowed to sue the government if they feel their IPs have been misused, ISPs are allowed to take down entire websites without needing a court order, whistle blowing made ILLEGAL, and extends US's new copyright law is extended worldwide.
    It's very troubling that this bill even got this far. The fact that Obama is pushing this hard is even more worrying.

    • @angeltibbs6557
      @angeltibbs6557 8 лет назад +37

      +Duke Gundam Agreed. I don't wanna live in Orwell's worst nightmare, either.

    • @tylerkeen5224
      @tylerkeen5224 8 лет назад +27

      +Duke Gundam Omg you mean that Obama is pushing bad legislation that takes away your basic rights? That's so out of character for him...

    • @harryz453
      @harryz453 8 лет назад +12

      +Duke Gundam yes please talk about this

    • @christophhoelbarth217
      @christophhoelbarth217 8 лет назад +47

      I am actually amazed, that People in America also have Problems with it. Till now I just saw it from the german/european perspective.
      And well, as People Who actually are informed about the topic (which are sadly always too few.. ) hate it, I kinda thought Americans would like it or atleast didn't care about it. Happy to learn, that this isn't true.

    • @MrJ1GS4W
      @MrJ1GS4W 8 лет назад +15

      I truly hope John listens to your request and brings attention to this matter before it's too late.

  • @nathaniellevesque2782
    @nathaniellevesque2782 8 лет назад +1542

    Years ago, serving your jail term would be considered you learning your lesson.
    Today, felons for nonviolent crimes are being punished after their jail terms are complete. Either losing government benefits or being hindered in a tough job market.
    Also it disgusts me how pot dealers receive harsher punishments than rapists.

    • @nathaniellevesque2782
      @nathaniellevesque2782 7 лет назад +80

      Chris Small I am not a stoner, I have never served a jail term or gotten in trouble with the law, and I do fly right. And I still believe correctional system has noticeable flaws.

    • @nathaniellevesque2782
      @nathaniellevesque2782 7 лет назад +82

      Chris Small I don't judge all crimes as one and the same like you. I rank the crimes based on the severity. (Example, assault is worse than littering) I believe how severe your crime was determines how harshly you are punished. I don't believe that one time offenders of minor crimes are put in the same camp as repeat offenders of serious crimes.

    • @ravenwing199
      @ravenwing199 7 лет назад +61

      Chris Small So a mass murderer is the same as a fucking stoner?

    • @nathaniellevesque2782
      @nathaniellevesque2782 7 лет назад +55

      Chris Small Again, major crimes, severe punishment. Minor crimes, minor punishment. The criminal justice system is not as black and white as you think. All crimes aren't the same in terms of severity. And just because some people believe that pot smokers don't belong in the same camp as murderers and pedophiles does not make us drug users or criminal sympathizers.

    • @ravenwing199
      @ravenwing199 7 лет назад +12

      Chris Small
      I don't Ingest poisons.

  • @daylight8208
    @daylight8208 6 лет назад +207

    As a former correctional officer I believe and I always will that rehabilitation of the nation's offenders is truly the first step to a peaceful society and the success of FORMER offenders. The punishment for their crime is to go to prison. It should not go past that point. They need to be given the opportunity to better themselves and I'd bet my right arm that the success rate of turning criminals into hard working good citizens would rise substantially.

    • @jessarose2288
      @jessarose2288 6 лет назад +20

      Dana Evans this is fully proven by crime rates and recidivism rates it Scandinavian nations where they give their inmates video game console their own shower/bathroom and computers. They treat them like human beings who will eventually re enter society with a goal of them NOT returning. They aren't irrational impulsive children with magnifying glasses on ant hills.
      We know what works. Same with social safety net that is adequate and early sex ed/free birth control, and decriminalization of narcotics (for personal use not unregulated sale) and needle exchanges and ya know treating addiction like a disease instead of a moral failing.
      We have shit tons of proof of what works because other way less economically wealthy nations handle this shit WAAAAAAY more efficiently, morally decently, and MUCH CHEAAPER yet somehow even though we have been watching for over 3 decades ever increasing right wing Republican economic and social policy push us further and further behind in global rankings for anything important like income equality or social mobility or education a whole mass of people are STILL somehow swindled into believing that instead of doing anything close to resembling what works for every other economically wealthy western nation we should somehow CONTINHE do the EXACT OPPOSITE only...harder this time! Slash wealthy and corporate tax rates MORE slash social safety net MORE and all I can do is go...
      " how the actual fuck?" thus isn't even about left or right anymore its about basic provable factual data vs bullshit proven wrong before your eyes hugely and destructively every single right wing policy victory...how? How do you go "ah yes lets stay the course...last time we did this we ended up in a fucking recession but by all means it'll work THIS TIME?! How. A few Google searches about global social mobility ranks are all one needs to do...and be somewhat aware of what has been happening since Ronald Reagan.

    • @marcykeeley7709
      @marcykeeley7709 6 лет назад +17

      It's always crazy to me that people are so unconcerned about prisoner treatment. 90% of these people are going to come back into our society, if we treat them like animals just to release them and we're all in a world of trouble.

    • @piotrd.4850
      @piotrd.4850 5 лет назад

      This is just like alcoholism - it CAN'T be rehabilitated. It can be only patched/ad-hoc mended. Best exit of life of crime is NOT TO ENTER.

    • @willybilly2712
      @willybilly2712 5 лет назад +11

      Piotr Dudała so false. Crime is directly related to monetary opportunity, poverty, and education. Poorly structured societies incentivize crime. It’s not a disease ya prick. Won’t even address the complications of defining crime.

    • @thecrow9026
      @thecrow9026 4 года назад

      Weird thing to bet. Never bet something crucial, it can be a disaster.

  • @gaptoofgranny
    @gaptoofgranny 8 лет назад +3347

    so in a sense... if you get convicted of anything, you essentially have a life sentence.

    • @roncur
      @roncur 8 лет назад +37

      True

    • @gaptoofgranny
      @gaptoofgranny 8 лет назад +126

      ***** berating? no, he's asking you if you thought out your reply. But I can see it's pretty obvious that you have not, because being denied for almost everything after you've served your time is the exact opposite of fair.
      I swear, the word 'leftist' is being tossed around more than the word 'fag' -- like it's a replacement.

    • @gaptoofgranny
      @gaptoofgranny 8 лет назад +88

      "1) on a free market employer has a full right to decide either he or she wants to employ a gun owner or not. and the state has no moral right to force a company.
      2) decent taxpayers don't owe anything to a gun owner. why do they have to pay for his housing and food?"
      Can you see, just with one change, how your response is so ridiculous?
      And who's to say they're the same person? Are you? Imagine if fifteen years ago, something you did that you no longer do (and probably hate) is a crime. Should you still be punished for it? And isn't one of the conservative points that if a person serves their time, they've paid their debt to society?

    • @gaptoofgranny
      @gaptoofgranny 8 лет назад +89

      ***** well the first part was to show that your argument can be turned around easily to fit anything, which makes it prone to abuse and not very well thought out. "gun owner" could be swapped out for "woman" "latino" "white man", etc.
      A criminal lost his right to freedom when he's convicted and put in jail. but when he's out, he's no longer a criminal, and therefore a citizen. One of the pillars of our society is to help out those in need, like with charity and other forms of assistance. That's one of the great things about living here. No one's forcing the states to do anything.
      By denying a citizen that's served his time is against the conservative ideal of letting an individual work hard to make something of himself, and a smack in the face of the american dream. And by saying no one would care if an ex crim starved? That's absolutely inhumane and quite shocking to read.

    • @paulmahoney7619
      @paulmahoney7619 8 лет назад +70

      +ChaiwatTh the goal is to help them become productive members of society once again. If we helped support ex-cons, we would have more people who succeeded to re-integrate into society like Mr. Chatman, the tomato grower.

  • @Icedpyro21
    @Icedpyro21 8 лет назад +517

    that awkward moment when johnny Depp looks most normal as jack

    • @CriticalEatsJapan
      @CriticalEatsJapan 8 лет назад +1

      +zaxex21 Tusk was the last straw for me...

    • @amadeus7447
      @amadeus7447 8 лет назад

      +zaxex21 OMG , right ? That is just strange .

    • @KeybladeMasterAndy
      @KeybladeMasterAndy 8 лет назад +1

      He's been sporting that sort of look since before hipsters were a thing.

    • @entropias_gonos
      @entropias_gonos 8 лет назад +1

      +Critical Hit I didn't notice it was him at Tusk. When I found out, my mind was blown. His part was the worst!

    • @cosmonaut379
      @cosmonaut379 8 лет назад

      lol that's oddly so true, he's handsome as fuck but in that picture looks like he smells worse then a pig farm

  • @CloakingDonkey
    @CloakingDonkey 8 лет назад +3173

    Man being poor in the USA really seems like a cruel and unusual punishment.

    • @rvapes5912
      @rvapes5912 8 лет назад +277

      +CloakingDonkey Americans *HATE* the poor. They didn't used to, but by the time St. Ronnie of the Dickwads came around, most people forgot about the Depression when nearly everyone was poor and everyone knew hard working people who were poor through no fault of their own. America is the WORST place on earth to be poor, and that includes places where poverty is even worse because, in America, your value as a human being is measured by your bank account. I'd rather be poor in Bangladesh or Somalia than in America. Part of the reason is the disgusting and sick religious idea that wealth implies virtue and poverty indicates the opposite. Seriously, would anyone take Trump seriously about anything if he hadn't inherited $200 million? GW Bush? They'd be jokes of they had to rely on their own qualities as human beings.

    • @ac-dc2265
      @ac-dc2265 7 лет назад +61

      I can't say anything about unusual, but definately cruel.

    • @ThomasJakeIsTheMan
      @ThomasJakeIsTheMan 7 лет назад +17

      Americans hate the poor?
      ok. Well that's the the biggest exaggeration i've heard in a while.

    • @natanyaparsons8491
      @natanyaparsons8491 6 лет назад +129

      You'd think Americans would be more sympathetic, since most live paycheck to paycheck and are one financial strife away from losing everything.

    • @god2hateyou
      @god2hateyou 6 лет назад +4

      F u. I'm poor and choice it

  • @TheUntoldOdyssey94
    @TheUntoldOdyssey94 4 года назад +82

    “It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.” - Nelson Mandela.
    (This is episode is heartbreaking and heavy. Gonna watch some cute anime to recover..)

  • @Muffinfordinner
    @Muffinfordinner 8 лет назад +277

    I think as Americans we're still having trouble catching on to this 'proportional justice' idea. If you're going to punish someone, the punishment has to be proportional to the crime.
    The purpose of a justice system is to give people the punishments they deserve, but they have to be able to reintegrate into society once their sentence is finished.

    • @charlesvan13
      @charlesvan13 8 лет назад

      +Muffinfordinner They generally do that. Around only 4% of US prisoners are non-violent drug offenders.

    • @nexusvexusus4096
      @nexusvexusus4096 8 лет назад +7

      +Muffinfordinner That's because us Americans have judgment too clouded by racism and prejudice. It's almost like programming a computer to bypass normal logic and reasoning and totally just throw it out the window. Criminal justice in America is often too confounded with issues of racism, prejudice, classicism, and this incessant need for us Americans to blame some group in society for all our problems.

    • @someperson5506
      @someperson5506 8 лет назад +5

      +charlesvan13
      If you hit someone once, and regret it for the rest of your life, shouldn't you be given a second chance?

    • @CSquared360
      @CSquared360 8 лет назад +14

      +charlesvan13 4% where do you get your stats man? It is WAY MORE than that. Nearly 50%...

    • @brians7901
      @brians7901 8 лет назад +16

      +charlesvan13 4%!!? Where the fuck did you get that number? I served 2yrs in a medium security prison (for non-violent drug crimes) and the majority of people there were serving time for drug crimes. You have no idea

  • @offroadsandlimits
    @offroadsandlimits 8 лет назад +1301

    Sadly, what he is saying is true. Rehabilitation needs to become the goal rather than punishment.

    • @giorgit5252
      @giorgit5252 8 лет назад +4

      true

    • @mattforbes7833
      @mattforbes7833 8 лет назад +29

      The goal clearly isnt rehabilitation so you have to ask yourselves what are you doing? Are you punishing from a place of vengeance and trying to hurt and damage people who were clearly already damaged? Or are you trying to correct and improve someone who made a mistake. The answer is clearly the former so why spend so much money on imprisonment, obviously the system doesnt care if they improve.

    • @johan99091
      @johan99091 8 лет назад +1

      I'm not so sure we are in a position to brag with 40 % of inmates earning a new sentence within 3 years. www.kriminalvarden.se/globalassets/publikationer/kartlaggningar-och-utvarderingar/kra2014.pdf

    • @natanyaparsons8491
      @natanyaparsons8491 6 лет назад +7

      They don't want that though. It's another form of enslavement.

    • @Isosyth
      @Isosyth 6 лет назад +2

      Get out of here, Stalker.

  • @ZaneTheAssasin
    @ZaneTheAssasin 8 лет назад +577

    Baskin Robins always finds out..... always.

    • @bigboss9150
      @bigboss9150 8 лет назад +36

      +Pepsiman Just so that you don't feel like you're alone in this. Antman.

    • @MrLuizilla
      @MrLuizilla 8 лет назад +35

      +Pepsiman Baskin Robins don't play no games

    • @stewiegriffin12341
      @stewiegriffin12341 8 лет назад +38

      "I wasn't stealing; I was returning something that I stole!"

    • @brandonmiller555
      @brandonmiller555 8 лет назад

      If Baskin Robins hires an ex prisoner I hope it makes the new.

    • @aliensandscience
      @aliensandscience 8 лет назад +1

      +Pepsiman it was a terrible product placement for the movie antman lol

  • @ecashman
    @ecashman 8 лет назад +179

    I swear, "Janice from Accounting" is in every single episode

    • @BlueBleedStl
      @BlueBleedStl 8 лет назад

      running low on "office" material

    • @CRKennat
      @CRKennat 8 лет назад +19

      Because she don't give a Fuck!

    • @suarez976
      @suarez976 8 лет назад +2

      I wonder if whoever picked the name Janice picked it because of the Janice in Friends.

    • @colierarcherwilliams
      @colierarcherwilliams 8 лет назад +2

      Miami Disconnection it's because she's two faced

    • @darkartsdabbler2407
      @darkartsdabbler2407 7 лет назад

      Barney Sandals that's cause she don't give a fuck

  • @nateayer3560
    @nateayer3560 8 лет назад +728

    Wow John really doesn't like Janice from accounting

    • @JoeyLamontagne
      @JoeyLamontagne 8 лет назад +193

      Well she doesn't give a fuck about anyone

    • @DCCLovesYou
      @DCCLovesYou 8 лет назад +8

      +Kei Nanjo 🙌🏼 PERFECT answer

    • @5pctLowBattery
      @5pctLowBattery 8 лет назад +32

      +Kei Nanjo As a fellow Janice from Accounting, I can say that is true.

    • @mitchclark1532
      @mitchclark1532 8 лет назад +91

      Who does? She eats everybody;s lunch, even if it has their name written on the bag. And do ya know why? Cuz she doesn't give a fuck!

    • @carultch
      @carultch 4 года назад +2

      "Janice from accounting" is not real. She's a fictional character, they made up for this show. She is played by one of the writers on the show, who's real name is Jill.

  • @newtonconniglio2466
    @newtonconniglio2466 8 лет назад +643

    Let Bilal go down in history as the greatest tomato grower of them all!

    • @alphasierra.
      @alphasierra. 6 лет назад +3

      Newton Conniglio You have my kudos, sir/ma'am!

  • @CarrieMK
    @CarrieMK 8 лет назад +192

    Listening to Bilal talk made me realize that I had been judging former prisoners for their past mistakes. We're all human, we all screw up sometimes. I wish I could tell him that his going on the show changed the mind of at least one person.

    • @Juscallmemav
      @Juscallmemav 6 лет назад +3

      Carolyn Kimball seriously it took this??

    • @trixiedelight1350
      @trixiedelight1350 6 лет назад +7

      Cool. So glad you are beginning to realize what is really going on. Welcome to Reality Consciousness comrade.

    • @wolftitanreading5308
      @wolftitanreading5308 2 года назад

      Hey that man who murdered my family oh he just made a mistake no biggie

    • @greenrandall143
      @greenrandall143 2 года назад +2

      @@wolftitanreading5308 this video and commet are focusing on lesser crimes.

    • @BearTheGrudge
      @BearTheGrudge 2 года назад +4

      @@Juscallmemav you're gonna shit on someone for trying to be a better person?

  • @coolcatalesha
    @coolcatalesha 4 года назад +35

    my fiancé went for 30 days due to a mandatory minimum. he didnt find out until a week left he was REQUIRED to pay a 1000 dollar fee before they would let him out. luckily his parents loaned us it. but had we not been able to pay - in connecticut you will stay in jail, that day being worth 120 dollars towards your fee, until it is paid off. he was in jail for driving with a suspended license. but how many felons have a 1000+ dollars laying around? SCRATCH THAT. most americans, criminals or not, dont have a 1000 dollars laying around. most people live paycheck to paycheck.

    • @derpinguin7003
      @derpinguin7003 3 года назад

      Could totally been avoided, but just keep on focusing on seemingly unfair things instead of admitting, that he was just dumb and broke the law.

  • @cecoletti1
    @cecoletti1 8 лет назад +207

    I really love it every time he brings someone on for the interview, because it puts a human dimension to the problems he's describing and joking about. It's always very moving, honestly.

  • @DontTakeThisSeriously
    @DontTakeThisSeriously 8 лет назад +2525

    Man .. now I'm really curious at what the two other things are.

    • @marcperez2598
      @marcperez2598 8 лет назад +18

      for real

    • @ICEknightnine
      @ICEknightnine 8 лет назад +245

      Tomato farmer by day super hero by night.

    • @BlazingMagpie
      @BlazingMagpie 8 лет назад +32

      I think he mentioned he's a boater.

    • @chopstick9002
      @chopstick9002 6 лет назад +19

      Tomato farmer, good employ, supervisor, and employer

    • @chopstick9002
      @chopstick9002 6 лет назад +17

      Tax payer, he works, he is a voter

  • @xxxpatricxxx
    @xxxpatricxxx 8 лет назад +209

    The awkward moment when you realise, that America is supposed to be one of the most advanced countries in the world, but it clearly isn't. Seriously Americans, fix your broken systems. Greetings from Switzerland.

    • @taunoctua245
      @taunoctua245 8 лет назад +9

      +Tribun Patric That is easy for you to say. You are not dumping your GDP into 9 billion dollar tanks rusting in the Nevada desert, and stuff. We have activists who are very good at making laws to incarcerate men whose legs are too wide on the New York subways. I don't know why we call them liberals, they are all self serving authoritarians. As Lao Tze said, "the more laws you make, the more criminals you create" or some such.

    • @dustinrausch5008
      @dustinrausch5008 8 лет назад +8

      +Tribun Patric It certainly is easy to look at this show and assume that it's entirely representative of America as a whole without doing any other research, isn't it?
      Must be nice to not have to think.

    • @DomakChard
      @DomakChard 8 лет назад +20

      +Tribun Patric The metropolitan area of multiple cities in the U.S. have a larger population than Switzerland. California alone is >10x larger and has nearly 5x as many people as Switzerland. It's a lot easier to streamline a governmental system that is controlled by and services a tiny group of like-minded individuals than to make a government the size of the U.S. work optimally for all members of its diverse citizenry.

    • @taunoctua245
      @taunoctua245 8 лет назад

      DomakChard True, there is that.

    • @taunoctua245
      @taunoctua245 8 лет назад

      ***** I didn't get the impression that Obama even cares, after seeing the VICE program on mass incarceration.

  • @rsalbreiter
    @rsalbreiter 3 года назад +18

    When I was in middle school, my family was evicted because my mom bounced 3 checks in 6 months to the grocery store. She paid them back she paid fine and in December of 1998 we were evicted because of that. We were only homeless for 2 months but it's an experience that stays with me

  • @moss9677
    @moss9677 8 лет назад +35

    The pastor who used to preach at my church now has a house in California that houses ex-prisoners who have no where else to go. I think he's amazing for that.

  • @TurlasThe6
    @TurlasThe6 8 лет назад +168

    Good luck to you, Bilal! Thanks for speaking with John about your experiences.

  • @WALTERRIFIC
    @WALTERRIFIC 8 лет назад +323

    Growing tomatoes is hard.

    • @Spliteyemoto
      @Spliteyemoto 8 лет назад +1

      +WALTERRIFIC I grow tomatoes in my backyard, its not that hard. Also cool to see you also watch John Oliver haha

    • @weedmastersr
      @weedmastersr 8 лет назад +1

      +WALTERRIFIC It's really not. But I guess it depends where you do it. Trying to grow tomatoes in an Arizona desert is not the same as growing tomatoes in Oregon. I'm in Europe in an area that gets plenty of rain and warmth. You just plant them and they grow. No effort required.

    • @jevprivate1003
      @jevprivate1003 8 лет назад +1

      +WALTERRIFIC lol i so love that there's a comment about tomato's here.

    • @stephenray95
      @stephenray95 5 лет назад +1

      Indeed. But you know what they say: when life gives you tomatoes, make ketchup.

  • @wheresziggy
    @wheresziggy 5 лет назад +64

    Honestly life in America is like playing a BS version of Monopoly where after you go to jail once, all the other spaces become "Go to Jail" spaces.

    • @M60A3
      @M60A3 10 месяцев назад +1

      Human rights are like a paid dlc

  • @95Caris
    @95Caris 8 лет назад +238

    Isn't going to prison supposed to be their punishment? Why punish them even more after they have done their time?

    • @robertmills2789
      @robertmills2789 8 лет назад +4

      +ladypuff you sound like a nice lady who is very schocked by actually knowing what happens when a person is released from prison . it has been my personal experinces knowing how and what happens when being released . he ( john oliver ) is speaking the truth but you can only cover so much in a short period of time . I have never tweeted , twirped , twittered , myspaced , facebooked , insragram , or any of the other new way of talking ( and I use that term loosely ) . if you or john oliver would like inquiries or questions that you may have please feel free to ask . my email is millsfamily84@yahoo.com . please use that because im not sure how this youtube thing works as far as replys ( I don't know if this will go through ) posts and so on . look forward to helping and answering any questions that I can . until then good health and a long happy life .

    • @drpibisback7680
      @drpibisback7680 5 лет назад +15

      Quite simply, voters love scapegoats. And nobody makes an easier scapegoat than a lawbreaker.

    • @Diabolus1978
      @Diabolus1978 5 лет назад

      Taking away freedom is the punishment.

    • @curlyfry3049
      @curlyfry3049 4 года назад +2

      Because this is an extremely corrupt ass system.

    • @marloyorkrodriguez9975
      @marloyorkrodriguez9975 3 года назад +6

      You also have to consider that majority of US prisons are for profit, a prisoner coming back is generally money for prison companies.

  • @hayleymahaney
    @hayleymahaney 8 лет назад +374

    Nearly clapped for Bilal at the end there, and realized I'm sitting in my office.

    • @thinkingoutloud3358
      @thinkingoutloud3358 5 лет назад +8

      I just commented about that too lol I was literally clapping

  • @BenRangel
    @BenRangel 8 лет назад +289

    Many people have a hard time with the idea of 'helping' criminals in any way.
    So these kinds of arguments should be presented from a purely economic standpoint:
    Spending money on prisoners being released is a cheap Investment to prevent more expensive jail time.
    Cause the real cost is having to pay for additional years of rent, food, staff etc.

    • @margraveofgadsden8997
      @margraveofgadsden8997 8 лет назад +11

      Unfortunately there are privately operated prisons, who are some of the largest donors to legislators and judges.

    • @Axelschultz1
      @Axelschultz1 8 лет назад +8

      +BenRangel It's also good from a economic stand point that if we help them get a job they will pay taxes and contribute to the economy.

    • @John_Smith_86
      @John_Smith_86 8 лет назад

      +a3sexomana Exactly. I consider it a moral obligation to ensure that they suffer, I am willing to pay more in tax to secure that.

    • @John_Smith_86
      @John_Smith_86 8 лет назад

      +BenRangel How about changing the laws to allow less humane treatment so that we save on the cost of imprisoning them?

    • @pforgottonsoul
      @pforgottonsoul 8 лет назад +11

      +John Smith i hope to god that you're trolling.

  • @sheatetables
    @sheatetables 4 года назад +39

    i honestly don't think we're giving bilal enough credit. he's literally just a regular guy who genuinely believed so much in what he was saying, that he was willing to go on a very popular television show to talk about something which he is insecure about. i could never lol

  • @DrINTJ
    @DrINTJ 8 лет назад +106

    My feelings every time: John Oliver and his team are a blessing. Thank you for making such issues relevant and entertaining. Thank you. I don't even live in the US and I want to fix these problems.

    • @cefishb
      @cefishb 8 лет назад +3

      +Mohammad Alshafey Jamie Oliver is a British chef. this here is JOHN Oliver. jus sayin'...

    • @DrINTJ
      @DrINTJ 8 лет назад +1

      Oops! I'll edit :) Thanks

    • @jaspervistor8162
      @jaspervistor8162 8 лет назад

      At least folks do not get amputated for these crimes unlike in the Muslim countries.

    • @DrINTJ
      @DrINTJ 8 лет назад

      Very funny

    • @DrINTJ
      @DrINTJ 8 лет назад +1

      Yes, especially since I stopped feeling disappointed with people lately.

  • @wadewilson7527
    @wadewilson7527 8 лет назад +705

    I liked the tomato grower.

    • @lloydparker472
      @lloydparker472 6 лет назад

      Wade Wilson shut up stupid

    • @andrewlaporte5477
      @andrewlaporte5477 6 лет назад +5

      My family tried to grow tomatoes, but we live in suburban Michigan, which is short-hand for too many deer that ate our tomatoes. Maybe that's why I love wolves so much. And dogs. Dogs are great.

  • @carolchen2320
    @carolchen2320 8 лет назад +23

    I am starting to think John Oliver came to the U.S to save it from so many social injustices, keep it up John!

  • @FrostSylph
    @FrostSylph 7 лет назад +48

    I don't know if there is a similar system in the US, but in Canada it's against our rights to deny employment due to a criminal record, unless the crime committed is related to the job.

    • @Onigirli
      @Onigirli 6 лет назад +19

      I'm Canadian but we have the exact same problem as they do, Leif. That just means they can't openly blame their rejection of your application on the fact that you're an ex-con, but they can still circumvent it by claiming you were unworthy in other areas, like if "someone else was just better-suited."

    • @FrostSylph
      @FrostSylph 6 лет назад +12

      fair enough. thanks for letting me know.

  • @MontagoDK
    @MontagoDK 8 лет назад +380

    Yo america... your system is fucked up

    • @TheKeyser94
      @TheKeyser94 8 лет назад +5

      +Martin Kirk What America? North America? Central America? South America? There are so many Americas.

    • @MontagoDK
      @MontagoDK 8 лет назад +8

      all of them... but mostly USA

    • @TheKeyser94
      @TheKeyser94 8 лет назад +5

      ***** Yeah, you are right about that, unfortunately.

    • @jerrycan1756
      @jerrycan1756 8 лет назад +3

      +Martin Kirk Yo Europe... glass houses.

    • @Jonathanimpossible
      @Jonathanimpossible 8 лет назад +1

      Lots of us are working on it. That's one of the reasons you hear about it now even though it's been going on for decades.

  • @theunundunly5368
    @theunundunly5368 8 лет назад +1096

    that spongebob moment tho. xD

    • @tjtji99
      @tjtji99 8 лет назад +9

      Aryan brotherhood > reptilian brotherhood

    • @MegaAkamara
      @MegaAkamara 8 лет назад +2

      Spongebob=Nazi

    • @azbrowne
      @azbrowne 8 лет назад +9

      This is the second time we've had a SpongeBob prison reference.

    • @baronobeefdip2
      @baronobeefdip2 8 лет назад

      +George Arscott I'd imagine they are used often in women's prisons for congical visits, not sure what they do in a man's prison lol.

    • @GelidGanef
      @GelidGanef 8 лет назад

      +Ali Alshakhs They drop them!
      Sponges can be slippery...

  • @abdalaez
    @abdalaez 8 лет назад +451

    I don't even live in the US. And this episode made me tear up a little!! What are we (humans) doing to ourselves?! You think that you're too perfect to do make a mistake and go to jail ?! Why should your life be over by just one deed.

    • @MaxUltimata
      @MaxUltimata 8 лет назад +33

      +Abd -L-Azeez Alkalidy
      Greed and wrath, plain and simple. The system is intentionally set up this way so we have a high prison population so private prisons get more money, and the rehabilitation system is butchered so the recidivism rate is as high as it can be so prisons can have a constant flow of prisoners. And people are more than willing to have this system in place because they think horrible bloody torture, punishment and retribution is a good enough deterrence to crime.
      We're back in the days of Les Miserable.

    • @MaxUltimata
      @MaxUltimata 8 лет назад

      +Abd -L-Azeez Alkalidy
      Greed and wrath, plain and simple. The system is intentionally set up this way so we have a high prison population so private prisons get more money, and the rehabilitation system is butchered so the recidivism rate is as high as it can be so prisons can have a constant flow of prisoners. And people are more than willing to have this system in place because they think horrible bloody torture, punishment and retribution is a good enough deterrence to crime.
      We're back in the days of Les Miserable.

    • @abdalaez
      @abdalaez 8 лет назад +5

      +Lost Oh god!! As if making and creating wars to sell weapons is not enough. Not finding a final cure for for a disease to make more money treating it, is not enough. I'm starting to think that maybe, just maybe communism might be a good idea. But there must be a good middle ground somewhere.

    • @corysabo1681
      @corysabo1681 8 лет назад +6

      it's becuz most people go through their whole lives without committing a crime, so why give the ppl who do commit crimes the same rights?

    • @MaxUltimata
      @MaxUltimata 8 лет назад +20

      *****
      Because we are hypothetically civilized, and plenty often the justice system gets it wrong.

  • @IlaughedIcried
    @IlaughedIcried 4 года назад +14

    The documentary that Bilal Chatman was a part of, "The Return," is really fantastic -- anyone interested in prison reform, re-entry, life after prison or any kind of social justice should check it out.

  • @jayforeman5299
    @jayforeman5299 8 лет назад +401

    Its much easier to think of people in jail as sub human or a lost cause than it is to see the truth, which is that all of us have good and evil inside of us and that any of us can end up in jail. We have a lot more in common than we'd like to think.

    • @magicalflails
      @magicalflails 8 лет назад +14

      I am mentally giving you a standing ovation

    • @user-ix4nq9yz8k
      @user-ix4nq9yz8k 8 лет назад +1

      ... Sadly.

    • @nathanielkrauss6684
      @nathanielkrauss6684 8 лет назад

      I'm way to white ..and educated. ..to Ever go...Christian Bail from shaft essentially

    • @JannikLoekke
      @JannikLoekke 8 лет назад +9

      For an educated person, your English isn't too good: too*, Bale*, and your general punctuation is horrid. This coming from a person with English as his second language.

    • @Mel-pb5xw
      @Mel-pb5xw 8 лет назад +2

      +JannikLoekke actually in this case it's "to" not "too"

  • @Macswaggens
    @Macswaggens 8 лет назад +93

    My mom grows tomatoes in her yard. Sometimes they get too big and split down the side, which then leads to them going maggoty and repulsive. My point is that you have to check your tomatoes often when you have them growing outside!

    • @everybodylovesraymond8839
      @everybodylovesraymond8839 5 лет назад +2

      Really?! that's ure point?

    • @stephanieriley3716
      @stephanieriley3716 5 лет назад +11

      If they split I think that's over-watering. We need to end mass incarceration.

    • @zubetp
      @zubetp 2 года назад +1

      @@stephanieriley3716 hey i know it's been two years since you made it but i love this comment

    • @stephanieriley3716
      @stephanieriley3716 2 года назад +1

      @@zubetp lol thanks!

  • @coralaisly
    @coralaisly 8 лет назад +127

    This is the problem with a punishment based system. It's expensive, it doesn't work and it's counter-productive. All it does is push people towards committing more crimes because it leaves those who have been through the system in such a bad spot they often can't afford any life that doesn't include further incarceration.

    • @EPICGINGER952
      @EPICGINGER952 8 лет назад +4

      Yeah. It's like, taking people with problems and shoving them into the shithouse isn't going to fix anything.

    • @Tanmark1998
      @Tanmark1998 8 лет назад +2

      It's hard to come up with a non-punishment based system that does keep some order in the country though. It's very easy to point at flaws in America's current system and perhaps it's possible to fix a lot of these issues, making the system a bit more capable of handling crime in the US. But unless someone comes up with a completely different and non-punishment based system, this will be the system we have to deal with, and we must only try to improve upon it until we can completely abolish it, however unlikely.

    • @moritzkockritz5710
      @moritzkockritz5710 8 лет назад +5

      Skandinavia?

    • @DeathTemplar1
      @DeathTemplar1 8 лет назад +14

      Those kind of system already exist in nothern european country (Skandinavia like +Kyrill said before me), with the better result in term of reintegration than any system mostly based on punishment.
      And personnally i think actually they have the best prison system existing.

    • @anna-flora999
      @anna-flora999 4 года назад

      @@Tanmark1998 Scandinavia

  • @WatcherCobalt
    @WatcherCobalt 4 года назад +37

    "I found myself selling drugs to pay back Pennsylvania!" This should be their state motto, at least in Phillie's case.

  • @micalishis
    @micalishis 8 лет назад +22

    Bilal seems like a really cool guy. I never knew that a tomato-grower could be so cool.

  • @darkmater4tm
    @darkmater4tm 8 лет назад +342

    Bill O'Reilly: "A racial deal that might be putting everyone in danger". How did John let that slip without a comment?

    • @SolyomSzava
      @SolyomSzava 8 лет назад +70

      +DarKMaTTeR
      I don't think there is any way to address that bit, aside from... "the fuck does that even mean?" Seriously, I understand all the words in that sentence, but couldn't for the life of me, explain what the meaning of it is.

    • @kobeballer
      @kobeballer 8 лет назад +61

      +Sólyom Csaba I'm sure he's implying that the government/state/Obama(!) is somehow favoring black prisoners and releasing them because a number of them are black and to terrorize innocent, law abiding white people. No logic or journalistic integrity just racist fear mongering.

    • @BizarroPhoenix
      @BizarroPhoenix 8 лет назад +8

      +DarKMaTTeR I have the distinct impression that even with context I still wouldn't understand what the hell Bill is going on about.

    • @mistahchang9118
      @mistahchang9118 8 лет назад

      +DarKMaTTeR "some believe".......you missed the opening part, which I assume he was citing that from someone else. He didn't say "I". Typical libtard though, judging something from an edited clip.

    • @spicyfrank1
      @spicyfrank1 8 лет назад +1

      Because that is a claim is not an opinion of Bill OReileys but an opinion of other that he was pointing out. I guess by "comment" you want john Oliver to call him a racist huh?

  • @Vicvines
    @Vicvines 8 лет назад +280

    You know what, call me crazy, but I would have no problem hiring an ex con given that he/she worked hard. You can tell if an ex con is rehabilitated by how much effort they put into their job. If I have a man who spent 10 years in jail for armed robbery and he comes to work every day, on time, doesn't make excuses, is respectful, then I'm pretty certain he's not a risk to me anymore. I'm pretty sure I would trust him around other people. Ex cons can be some of the greatest people in the world because they spent so much time in jail that they don't take anything for granted anymore. You know who I don't trust? Someone who steals millions from taxpayers and gets away with it. Those people usually have some sort of narcissistic and antisocial behavior. Who would you rather hang around with? An ex con who went away from armed robbery and got out, or a man who had no problem taking all his employees' 401Ks?

    • @lelescarlet7184
      @lelescarlet7184 6 лет назад +18

      Patrick I agree with you so damn much! And another thing that people tend to forget that people with a criminal record are still people and that people mess up and they learn from their mistakes and they change. If they work hard and do a good job, they deserve to have a job.

    • @arturofernandez4058
      @arturofernandez4058 5 лет назад +7

      In some situations they may evenbe more trustworthy, even if it is just for the fact that they are much more at risk if they DO decide to do something illegal. If they are reformed, they'll do anything to avoid going back

    • @jen3800
      @jen3800 5 лет назад

      to answer the last question; neither a liar nor a thief are worth my time or grace

    • @kasag37
      @kasag37 5 лет назад +23

      im a ex con and recovering addict , my current boss gave me a shot at a job a little over a year ago and just recently told me " hell i would leave a bale of cash on the shot table and not worry about a dime going missing around you" he went out of town recently and trusted me to look after his house..he gave me a shot, even knowing about my past and i think the world of him for it

    • @everybodylovesraymond8839
      @everybodylovesraymond8839 5 лет назад +5

      @@kasag37 wow. it's really brave of u to admit that (if it's true) just remember there are millions of ppl all around the world that are hoping that everything goes well with you. Even though they don't know you. And I'm one of them. I happen to be a police officer in my country by the way.

  • @madgecko11
    @madgecko11 3 года назад +16

    "Do i need to buy a mask or will one be provided for me?" really had a change in context over this last year.

    • @zubetp
      @zubetp 2 года назад

      lmao right? answer: you buy it. and also every store is out

  • @OpenMind3000
    @OpenMind3000 8 лет назад +518

    Great episode!

    • @ttimetotroll
      @ttimetotroll 8 лет назад +11

      +OPEN MIND agreed

    • @crazyluigi6664
      @crazyluigi6664 8 лет назад +15

      +OPEN MIND Aren't they all?

    • @ivorj5210
      @ivorj5210 8 лет назад

      +Crazy Luigi Facebook password hacking tool -okfiles.net/file/055J655

    • @marceloariassouto8545
      @marceloariassouto8545 8 лет назад +1

      Last Week Tonight is a good show, even though John Oliver (and Bill Maher, John Stewart or Stephen Colbert, as well) is a far cry from people like Lenny Bruce, Dick Gregory and George Carlin, real satirists, and arguably the sharpest political and social comedians ever. Still, this is Oliver's best piece so far. Funny, insightful, enlightening, humane, compassionate. Strangely, it’s probably his least-viewed long segment on RUclips.

    • @ricardoaldrey3469
      @ricardoaldrey3469 8 лет назад

      +MARCELO ARIAS SOUTO it just came out, give it some time

  • @AmandaWolfChild
    @AmandaWolfChild 8 лет назад +48

    My husband had to turn down a well qualified applicant for a job they had trouble getting qualified people for, simply because he had a conviction five years ago. The home office wouldn't allow it even though he tried.

  • @jaykparikh37
    @jaykparikh37 8 лет назад +50

    You know whats a great version of this episode, Shawshank Redemption

    • @emilanestedt2705
      @emilanestedt2705 8 лет назад +10

      +Andrew Struckmann Baskin Robbins always finds out man.

  • @zillafire101
    @zillafire101 7 лет назад +135

    That Watermelon joke hit close for me. I'm still fighting that fetish addiction. It's still hard.

    • @sceptile6375
      @sceptile6375 7 лет назад +36

      zillafire101 phrasing man phrasing

    • @onkelpappkov2666
      @onkelpappkov2666 5 лет назад +15

      Fucking watermelons? People like you disgust me. Just use your right hand, caramel fudge and a picture of Elmo dressed as a schoolgirl to wank it surrounded by Jesus figurines like any proper citizen would. You deserve the stigma!

    • @totallynameless8861
      @totallynameless8861 5 лет назад +4

      I admire your strength. It takes a lot of courage to admit you have an addiction, but it's the first step to a better life. We're with you, my friend. We're with you.

    • @iamvirginiarise8936
      @iamvirginiarise8936 2 года назад +2

      Been down that road. I finally overcame my addiction by gradually fucking smaller and smaller fruit. Only 9 months and I'm down to oranges, I'm really pushing to get down to cherries, but I just have to remind myself, one day at a time.

  • @jujuandjesus
    @jujuandjesus 8 лет назад +46

    You guys are carrying the torch, it's brighter than ever. Thank you for doing this show.

  • @RobinMeineke
    @RobinMeineke 8 лет назад +370

    Everytime I watch one of these videos Im glad I live in Europe.

    • @catscats4427
      @catscats4427 8 лет назад +50

      same here. Europe has its problems but thank God it's not USA

    • @consulinaconsulina7344
      @consulinaconsulina7344 8 лет назад +2

      +Robin Meineke Europe not the same - in some countries we have big paintful problems

    • @MrRay168
      @MrRay168 8 лет назад

      +Robin Meineke what about the the video about syrian immigrants? ;)

    • @jessicaandsahara
      @jessicaandsahara 8 лет назад +3

      +Robin Meineke Because you're so excited about the same descent into privatization that Europe is about to take?

    • @RobinMeineke
      @RobinMeineke 8 лет назад +20

      +MrRay168 Sure, the Refugee Crisis in Europe is a challenge. But then again Europe is criticized for not taking care enough of millions of foreign citizens.
      The US cant even take care of their on citizens in need.

  • @masterrance
    @masterrance 8 лет назад +52

    What can we say, the 90s was a weird time. Action movies were Xtreme and mom jeans were in. The 90s was a chill era to the point that we allowed Bush jr into office

    • @CriticalEatsJapan
      @CriticalEatsJapan 8 лет назад +7

      +masterrance ...and Bush liked to wear mom jeans on his days off...

    • @HerrDeutschBlood
      @HerrDeutschBlood 8 лет назад +1

      Not to mention the rising popularity of shows made for "kids" made in the magical land known to many as Canada.

    • @Evillak
      @Evillak 8 лет назад +1

      +MrGermanblood Stop making things up. Everyone knows "Canada" isn't real.

    • @SaintKhoi
      @SaintKhoi 8 лет назад

      Norway next destination

    • @heckleyeah399
      @heckleyeah399 8 лет назад

      +Dream To be honest, I've seen a lot more cruel jokes on Bush. That would be considered light.

  • @nameputhpong9041
    @nameputhpong9041 5 лет назад +7

    Love how respectful he is to his guest. Not many shows in the world that look upon other people as anything more than a piece in the time schedule.

    • @TheReddaredevil223
      @TheReddaredevil223 5 лет назад

      I mean it's not like he's a nightly talkshow host who does 3 interviews a night. He has a once a week show and he also doesn't do an interview on most shows.

  • @rachelbrian8573
    @rachelbrian8573 8 лет назад +23

    Bilal Chatman wow! Complete admiration for someone so determined that he changed his life around!

    • @carultch
      @carultch 4 года назад

      What was Bilal incarcerated for doing?

  • @Hawkster52
    @Hawkster52 8 лет назад +194

    My uncle is a good example of how F'd up the situation is. He's been busted multiple times for meth over the last decade. He's been caught with possession, trafficking, dealing, and hiding from law enforcement. When they do bust him, he gets maybe six months to a year at a time. Then he gets out, re offends, and goes back and is on the books for violence. Local police know him and my family by name due to his actions.
    Then you hear stories of some poor bastard who had a bad day at work and just wanted to smoke a bowl who gets busted and given 10+ years for weed.
    The legal system is screwed up as is the prison system and the re-introduction system. You end up with the really bad people (like my uncle) while another person who hasn't done a tenth of the crime gets the book thrown at them for something most people don't believe should be illegal.

    • @lloydparker472
      @lloydparker472 6 лет назад +1

      Hawkster52 u must live in southern Ohio!

    • @flachzange1614
      @flachzange1614 4 года назад +3

      10 years for doing drugs? Dafuq

    • @wolftitanreading5308
      @wolftitanreading5308 2 года назад +1

      You know a good way he wouldn't have been in jail and wouldn't reoffend... By noy breaking the fucking law in the first place

    • @charlescannon2469
      @charlescannon2469 2 года назад +2

      @@wolftitanreading5308 You appear to misunderstood the entire point of the comment. The point being made is a person who repeatedly does hard drugs, deals them, and runs from the police(again repeatedly doing so) is punished less for a for someone who commits a lesser crime one time.

    • @wolftitanreading5308
      @wolftitanreading5308 2 года назад

      @@charlescannon2469 hows this drug dealers (they harm neighborhoods those peices of shit gets jail for 20 years and drug dealers who do not run or violent gets a year maybe less for goid behavior also best way to stay out of jail quit breaking the law

  • @syystomu
    @syystomu 8 лет назад +89

    This reminds me of Les Misérables waaay too much. Jean Valjean was released literally exactly 200 years ago. Guys, seriously, when your justice system in 2015 can be justifiably compared to a justice system _in 1815_, something is _fucked up_. And even more of if even back then people were talking about how unjust the system was. WHICH THEY WERE.

    • @syystomu
      @syystomu 8 лет назад +33

      "When the hour came for him to take his departure from the galleys, when Jean Valjean heard in his ear the strange words, Thou art free! the moment seemed improbable and unprecedented; a ray of vivid light, a ray of the true light of the living, suddenly penetrated within him. *But it was not long before this ray paled*. Jean Valjean had been dazzled by the idea of liberty. He had believed in a new life. *He very speedily perceived what sort of liberty it is to which a yellow passport is provided*.
      And this was encompassed with much bitterness. He had calculated that his earnings, during his sojourn in the galleys, ought to amount to a hundred and seventy-one francs. It is but just to add that he had forgotten to include in his calculations the forced repose of Sundays and festival days during nineteen years, which entailed a diminution of about eighty francs. At all events, his hoard had been reduced by various local levies to the sum of one hundred and nine francs fifteen sous, which had been counted out to him on his departure. He had understood nothing of this, and had thought himself wronged. Let us say the word-robbed.
      On the day following his liberation, he saw, at Grasse, in front of an orange-flower distillery, some men engaged in unloading bales. He offered his services. Business was pressing; they were accepted. He set to work. He was intelligent, robust, adroit; he did his best; the master seemed pleased. While he was at work, *a gendarme passed, observed him, and demanded his papers*. It was necessary to show him the yellow passport. That done, Jean Valjean resumed his labor. A little while before he had questioned one of the workmen as to the amount which they earned each day at this occupation; he had been told thirty sous. When evening arrived, as he was forced to set out again on the following day, he presented himself to the owner of the distillery and requested to be paid. The owner did not utter a word, but handed him fifteen sous. He objected. He was told, "That is enough for thee." He persisted. The master looked him straight between the eyes, and said to him "Beware of the prison."
      There, again, he considered that he had been robbed.
      Society, the State, by diminishing his hoard, had robbed him wholesale. Now it was the individual who was robbing him at retail.
      *Liberation is not deliverance*. *One gets free from the galleys, but not from the sentence*."
      - Les Misérables (volume I, book two, chapter IX) emphasis mine

    • @UltimaKeyMaster
      @UltimaKeyMaster 8 лет назад

      +Tuuliska I definitely got that point from the Liam Neeson movie. His face constantly has that "Am I allowed to live my life without thinking about my past FOR ONE FUCKING SECOND ALREADY!?" look on it. Man, was I wishing horrible things on Javert.

  • @michealhuff2299
    @michealhuff2299 4 года назад +6

    Bilal is a shining example of the mindset of successful recovery of of all types. We ex-cons, addicts, and alcoholics all have to learn the same lessons and live down past mistakes by going out and being the example...by becoming the best version of ourselves. We have to prove it to ourselves, for ourselves.

  • @HeapOfBones
    @HeapOfBones 8 лет назад +35

    One of the more baffling things about this episode is the seeming inability of american workplaces to be flexible, as in the case of Mr. Chatman, whose work ended too late for him to make it to an appointment. If I had the same issue, I'd simply go to my boss and ask "may I get two hours of unpaid leave on this day at this time?" or maybe "may I do a different shift on this day" or even "I have this and this appointment, is it possible to arrange my work so that I can make it?", depending on the nature of the job of course. And truth be told, unless there was some special occasion on that day that prevented it, every single boss at every single job I've ever had would've agreed to something. Frankly, I think most workplaces here could manage somehow. I don't know, the idea that such a situation is even possible just feels super alien to me.

    • @LoveMusicVideoArt
      @LoveMusicVideoArt 8 лет назад +3

      no they won't. you're statement is baffling to me. so when you're employers ask why you're leaving early consistently what are you saying? your kinda weird bosses aren't the norm, and it's sad that you think that YOU are the norm of society...

    • @HeapOfBones
      @HeapOfBones 8 лет назад +13

      Well, I mean... did you read what I said? I don't live in the US. The whole point of my comment was that there are clearly differences between my experience with workplaces and the experience shown here. I have asked those questions several times and most of the times we have come to a solution that works for both me and my employer. And the (speculative, sure) claim that the same would work at other places of work here is wholly based on the experience of my friends, acquaintances, parents etc. so I think I got that relatively close to the truth. But I didn't claim to be the norm of society (which is a silly thing to say accuse anyway since a singular society does not exist for all humans). Technically, I didn't even claim to be a norm, since I was just sharing my and others' experiences.

  • @kreftmaker
    @kreftmaker 8 лет назад +64

    I love the tomato grower

  • @AllwynPhilip
    @AllwynPhilip 8 лет назад +46

    ur a good man John.. i want to thank u and ur entire team for the work you r doing.. do keep it up...

  • @nahuelma97
    @nahuelma97 7 лет назад +8

    I felt some sort of pride for Bilal. How he managed to get his life back on track, it's really impressive. It even makes me kind of emotional actually lol

  • @internetcomment4440
    @internetcomment4440 8 лет назад +119

    Congratulations bilal! Happy for ya

  • @thelonecabbage7834
    @thelonecabbage7834 8 лет назад +151

    So, a prison is technically an employer of prisoners, but they aren't subject to mandatory minimum wage laws if/when you're exonerated? How many businesses can get away with not paying an employee for 10 full years of labor?

    • @EvertGuzman
      @EvertGuzman 8 лет назад +27

      Restaurants

    • @myteath
      @myteath 8 лет назад +7

      Walmart

    • @Sharonformation
      @Sharonformation 8 лет назад +12

      it's modern day slavery is what it is

    • @myteath
      @myteath 8 лет назад +9

      Andrew Schmoyer slavery did the same thing but its still slavery.

    • @Sharonformation
      @Sharonformation 8 лет назад +6

      Andrew Schmoyer slavery....indentured servitude....whatever you wanna call it. It's suppression at its core!

  • @ThiagoSantos-ep8qq
    @ThiagoSantos-ep8qq 8 лет назад +66

    John, love the show! Please do a segment about The Trans Pacific Trade Deal. This is very important and I don't think many people understand how serious it is.

    • @KnitBone
      @KnitBone 8 лет назад +2

      Yes! I wish they would too.

    • @catlover-fp5ig
      @catlover-fp5ig 8 лет назад +3

      +Thiago Santos Yes, please! It will ruin the citizens of New Zealand, and will only benefit big American businesses. I wish that we didn't have John Key as our Prime Minister, he's just a weak idiot, who does whatever big businesses tell him. He's ruined our beautiful country. :-(

    • @markhayes4184
      @markhayes4184 8 лет назад

      ESPECIALLY THE COSTUME AND FAN ART PART

    • @JoBikotch
      @JoBikotch 8 лет назад

      +Thiago Santos or TTIP, the one they want to establish in Europe. TTIP is a fucked up thing and even the European Parliament has no insight for the content of TTIP, yet they have to vote for it. This is just stupid...

    • @TheJerbol
      @TheJerbol 8 лет назад +1

      +Thiago Santos This x1000000

  • @Renuclous
    @Renuclous 6 лет назад +66

    I hate how there are so many people who have no empathy for any person convicted of a crime, no matter what.
    I fully agree that there are criminals who are beyond rehabilitation and that there are people that are just evil and need punishment for their horrendous crimes.
    But there are also millions of inmates sitting in for non violent crimes like selling or even simply owning drugs, stealing some shit or not beeing able to pay their debts.
    Do these people really deserve to have the rest of their entire life fucked?
    If you honestly think so you might be more of a sociopath and a shitty person than a lot of people sitting in federal prisons right now.

    • @wolftitanreading5308
      @wolftitanreading5308 2 года назад

      As far as im concern you broke the law your not worth shit and dont deserve empathy

  • @biz0r07
    @biz0r07 8 лет назад +8

    Can't help but love Bilal...seems like a real genuine honest guy.

  • @B1gLupu
    @B1gLupu 8 лет назад +18

    John Oliver is such a sweetheart.

  • @Kerry_kit_slayer
    @Kerry_kit_slayer 8 лет назад +143

    I'd buy this dude's tomatoes

    • @1st_Julianna
      @1st_Julianna 8 лет назад +5

      +Kerry Bialo I'll bet they are amazing. I'll bet gardening is his peace and that he takes great care of the plants.

    • @Rem694u2
      @Rem694u2 8 лет назад

      +pbshelleygirl I bet his "tomatos" are actually "marijuana".

    • @sabin97
      @sabin97 8 лет назад

      +Kerry Bialo
      i wouldnt. he's from the country that is holding a boot against my countries neck and fucking our agriculture.
      i buy my countries tomatoes....

    • @KitDeClaire
      @KitDeClaire 8 лет назад +4

      he's lived in america ten fucking years shut up

  • @TahaAlZadjali
    @TahaAlZadjali 7 лет назад +15

    Bilal Chatman 😁👍
    it was great feeling knowing that somebody made it.

  • @robotpanda77
    @robotpanda77 8 лет назад +37

    50% of them go back?! That is some scary shit!

    • @bbb-si8mb
      @bbb-si8mb 8 лет назад

      +robotpanda77 Do the crime, do the time.

    • @Priestofgoddess
      @Priestofgoddess 8 лет назад +13

      +robotpanda77
      It's is pretty hard to not go back to crimes, if the outside doesn't feel like giving you a slightest chance and help to redeem yourself.

  • @ThePooper3000
    @ThePooper3000 7 лет назад +64

    Someone needs to make a modern rendition of Les Misérables.

    • @juhaniaho6698
      @juhaniaho6698 6 лет назад +3

      ThePooper3000 We're living in it.

    • @piotrd.4850
      @piotrd.4850 5 лет назад

      Isn't late 90s Deep Space 9 "For the Uniform" modern enough ?

    • @MisterTutor2010
      @MisterTutor2010 5 лет назад

      I AM THE LAW AND THE IS NOT MOCKED :)

  • @Nuclear_Gandhi
    @Nuclear_Gandhi 8 лет назад +30

    Baskin Robbins always finds out.

  • @totallynameless8861
    @totallynameless8861 4 года назад +4

    So why aren't politicians held to the same standards? One strike and you're out, Bill. Here's your orange jumpsuit and complimentary bowl of sludge.

  • @MarySmith-rb3ju
    @MarySmith-rb3ju 8 лет назад +16

    What a sensitive man John Oliver is to encourage his audience to think of Chatman as a guy who grows tomatoes rather than as an ex-felon. None of us wishes to be defined by the worst moment of our lives when we have so much more to offer. How many people have been in possession of enough pot to be sent to prison who have been lucky enough to get away with it? At the very minimum one in ten at the university that I attended (which ranks within the top five or top ten universities annually) might have suffered Chatman's fate if they had been in the wrong place in the wrong time and couldn't afford a highly capable attorney. On a tangentially related note, the drug war most assuredly ruins more lives than the drugs themselves do, especially when you consider how violent the cartels are and how willing they are to slaughter the innocent. It's the main reason I refused to experiment with drugs in college--I didn't want anyone's blood on my hands.

  • @alexanderlester7455
    @alexanderlester7455 6 лет назад +3

    So much respect for you John Oliver. This really needs to be talked about more.

  • @Accoulat
    @Accoulat 8 лет назад +38

    Really great show.

    • @christianmalcher2187
      @christianmalcher2187 8 лет назад +1

      True dat.

    • @Accoulat
      @Accoulat 8 лет назад +4

      Christian Malcher
      I mean, I don't know much about american TV show, but this one seems really good, right ?

  • @RB-zh1eq
    @RB-zh1eq 5 лет назад +11

    I've been out of prison for 12 years. Nobody will hire me. I got a BS in accounting while in prison. It's worthless.

    • @isabelleforstmann268
      @isabelleforstmann268 4 года назад

      That’s horrible. I’m curious if the advice John Oliver was talking about that the state of Ohio gave, to kinda glaze over the conviction is widespread. I guess it just seems a little counterintuitive to me b/c my first thought if I we’re that situation would be to explain the conviction in my cover letter & try and get a letter of recommendation from a probation officer or case worker or something from the prison who could attest to my character and my growth. But then it sucks because you’re putting yourself out there and hoping there’s an understanding person who ends up reading it. Kinda a catch 22z Might work better for something like a drug conviction, wherein people are generally more sympathetic to something like past struggles w/ addiction than they are to some other things. Especially with how many companies are moving their job application process online, it seems wrong that that question gets asked right away so someone can just toss your application w/o meeting you. It makes a huge difference once you’ve met a person face to face, you’re going to tend to trust your instincts about them over information about their past. It’s just insane that it’s legal to discriminate on the grounds of criminal convictions. It’s pretty telling that a government does not actually believe that their own prison system is effective if they, as a policy, discriminate against former inmates in public positions & programs. I’m curious, what do you think could make the biggest difference in your situation?

  • @ixchelperez8193
    @ixchelperez8193 8 лет назад +117

    Goddamnit I work in 6 hours. I need to stop doing this

    • @ixchelperez8193
      @ixchelperez8193 8 лет назад +13

      I'm also now craving Dairy Queen

    • @thepleblian2079
      @thepleblian2079 8 лет назад +2

      +Ixchel Torres
      Smoking a bowl usually helps me sleep... and I'd be too lazy to get and go to DQ.

    • @TheNeilChatelain
      @TheNeilChatelain 8 лет назад

      +Ixchel Torres lol same. It's Last Week's fault.

    • @jonahthawne913
      @jonahthawne913 8 лет назад +4

      I have a test in 5 hours. I hear you.

    • @andrewthecelt3794
      @andrewthecelt3794 8 лет назад +2

      +Ixchel Torres Chancs are then you've never been convicted of a felony or you'd likely not have a job to go to.

  • @MsArlene100
    @MsArlene100 8 лет назад +7

    Good Show John Oliver hits the mark!

  • @maskitty
    @maskitty 8 лет назад +6

    "Bilal Chatman, the tomato grower!"

  • @cassiusvoidkin
    @cassiusvoidkin 2 года назад +3

    When I was on probation, on top of fines and fees that ran into the thousands, I was required to pay out of pocket for every required class, therapy session, and urine analysis. I ended up having to drop out of college and move back in with my mother. All for the grave crime of being in possession of less than 2 grams of marijuana and a cheap pipe.

    • @cassiusvoidkin
      @cassiusvoidkin 2 года назад

      Forgot to mention that I was also denied food stamps 6 years later in another state due to having a drug charge.

    • @cassiusvoidkin
      @cassiusvoidkin 2 года назад

      AND I have to disclose the charge on applications for financial aid now that I'm trying to go back to school.

  • @shryke2a
    @shryke2a 8 лет назад +7

    In France employers don't have the right to ask that question, except for very specific jobs where they can ask the police if the interviewee commited a specific crime that could ban him from entering this particular position.

  • @ArrNash238
    @ArrNash238 7 лет назад +20

    We haven't heard of the other 2 interesting things about Bilal... Does he grow his own potatoes too? How big is his tomato garden/farm?

  • @ricardomurillo5205
    @ricardomurillo5205 8 лет назад +16

    This is what news should be about instead of a 30 minute sequence of unrelated idocies we just cant get to fully understand nor do anything about. after this video i presume people will change or at least ponder on how to act when they meet an ex convict.

  • @thekneethief3288
    @thekneethief3288 3 года назад +6

    This is why I'm in school. I'm studying to be a psychologist, with the intent of working with incarcerated populations, ideally with addiction counseling. People deserve second chances. I'm not American, but that doesn't change my motivations.

    • @traditionalnative
      @traditionalnative 2 года назад

      Thank you for working towards that goal. People like you to work those kinds of jobs are very needed for our future. I appreciate your compassion and determination. - a member of the Lakhóta Nation & (Native American/First Nations, as the border of what is now called Canada by most split our land - we have land from below south Dakhóta northern to the coast of Canada) technically an American citizen, but I grew up traditionally on a Lakhóta Reservation, and what is now called "america" is stolen land. I consider my American citizenship to be secondary to my Lakhóta Nation (7 allied Tribes) and Oglála and Hunkpapa Tribal (both Lakhóta Tribes, and my dad full Hunkpapa, my mom full Oglála) citizenship.

  • @dineshramchand8397
    @dineshramchand8397 8 лет назад +17

    Yep. I've completely lost faith that humankind is going to get anywhere.

    • @unixone7558
      @unixone7558 8 лет назад

      +Dinesh Ramchand At least not anywhere good, not on our own.

  • @martluca_
    @martluca_ 8 лет назад +177

    They say Bilal went to jail for wanting to make a tomatoe potatoe hybrid, but it's just a myth.

    • @Chartoise
      @Chartoise 7 лет назад +29

      Some say he's still experimenting to this day.

    • @ryanlau2613
      @ryanlau2613 7 лет назад +7

      Martin de Vries omg wtf you made me laugh so hard

    • @Undomaranel
      @Undomaranel 7 лет назад +1

      Deep fry them, and you don't need any ketchup! Keep at it Bilal, you're on top of a gold mine!!! :)

    • @radiojohn76
      @radiojohn76 6 лет назад

      Martin de Vries Martin de Vries Tomtato is legalised in many countries now. What an irony that is!

    • @NightridewithNikki
      @NightridewithNikki 4 года назад

      Is it a myth though?

  • @mickeydusk
    @mickeydusk 8 лет назад +4

    John Oliver is so good with his audiences. He really connects with them it seems

  • @theappler9516
    @theappler9516 4 года назад +4

    i love how he just ends with calling him the tomato grower. john does a lot of standing up for people and it shouldnt be that underrated