Human stupidity is definitely a common theme in satire. This is a 3-part series by John Oliver, as featured on The Daily Show. It focuses on the US gun control debate following the failure of mild legislation in . Oliver does some investigating around the Australian gun control legislation passed in 1996.
In part 1, he interviews a strong gun advocate and Virginia Defense League lobbyist member Phillip Van Cleave. During the interview, his slightly sarcastic, demeaning, scathing manner is unnoticed by Van Cleave, and he answers the questions in exactly the way Oliver expects, his ultimate reason behind not supporting the legislation being that it doesn't work. And so, Oliver's sarcastic and subtly scathing answer brings us to Australia. There he interviews various politicians in a character mocking Van Cleave, full of absolutely dreadful logic, he asks questions of the Australian politicians about, all the while insisting that the legislation didn't work, but being told otherwise, he then brings the questions back to Van Cleave and scathingly presents to him the statistics. And of course, there's a small amount of mocking Australians. In part 2, Oliver interviews Harry Reid's aid Jim Manley, and Manley, saying that what's most important for politicians is to be re-elected, then sparks Oliver's newest mocking-point. He returns to the Australian politicians under the character of Manley, stating that political suicide is the most tragic thing, and that the most important thing is just being in office and being re-elected to office rather than actually helping people. He even goes so far as to build a memorial to those that committed "political suicide" on the day the legislation is passed. In part 3, Oliver returns to Phillip Van Cleave, and the conversation turns to the similarities with Australia that America has. Van Cleave says none, and Oliver responds with a scathing remark of exactly how America and Australia are frighteningly alike, sarcastically masking it as how they are different, and Van Cleave, unaware of how he's being mocked, nods in agreement. Then Oliver returns to Australia and asks them about the similarities of the US and Australia, comparing the similar arguments against gun control that Australians then and Americans now are presenting. He asks people if not being under the risk of getting shot in the face is worth not having guns, and everyone says yeah, it's worth it. He even goes to an ex-anti gun control advocate, still in the character of we all need guns and gun control won't work, and the ex-advocate says that he's actually become ok with the legislation over the years. Oliver, or at least Oliver's character, is flummoxed, and mocking the Australian way of life, goes on a "classic Australian retreat" where he meets a "kangaroo" and becomes a karate master. So, overall just a lot of mocking pro-gun advocates and a little of mocking Aussies.
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
