Ah, the start of the workweek. You’ve got your cup of joe, your paper open to the funnies section, and an inbox just waiting to be tackled. What better way to ease into the workweek than watching a 20-minute Last Week Tonight With John Oliver segment about Belarusian politics? On September 12, Oliver’s main segment tackled Alexander Lukashenko, who has retained power in the Eastern European nation since its first free democratic election in 1994. The COVID-denying, anti-Semitic president has referred to himself as Europe’s “last dictator,” and as Oliver says, “bragging about being ‘the last dictator’ is like bragging about being the last RadioShack or the last person to make a movie with Harvey Weinstein. It’s not an enviable title.” Oliver outlines some of Lukashenko’s more egregious human-rights violations, including sending a fighter jet after a commercial flight carrying a dissident journalist, torturing and imprisoning activists, and feeding Steven Seagal a carrot. Watch the whole segment, and marvel at this politician’s comb-over.
It’s Monday Morning, So Why Not Let John Oliver Teach You About a Belarusian Dictator?
