Refugees in America

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver

on accepting Syrian refugees in America

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is classified as a news satire television program that airs weekly on HBO. Despite its satiric classification, the show has been commended with its quality journalism which attracts an audience of people between the ages of 25-45. His quirky approach at news keeps viewers busting a gut while learning something interesting and important all the while. Typically, his show starts with a recap of political buffoonery for the week and then he takes a moment to put on a serious face and gets right into some deeply investigated topics. Topics of which would be skipped over by legacy media outlets because of their lack to catch the attention of audiences in typical monotonous fashion; however, Oliver's approach to these topics and his humor make these topics far more interesting.

On this particular episode, he dissects the method with which Syrian refugees are indeed "vetted", despite the claims made by other legacy media outlets who express fear that terrorists will make their way into the United States via the refugee program and carry out an assault on our entire population. Please excuse the crude humor - he eventually gets to the point around 5:03 where he explains the insanely lengthy process for which Syrian refugees must endure in order to get a pass to get inside the United States. The process can take anywhere from 12 months to two years and Oliver makes a good point that terrorists would be more likely to get in quicker by simply applying for a visa. Likewise he makes a good point about how irrelevant the claims of US Governors and their denying of refugee acceptance - people can pass through borders into different states without going through any sort of check point...there are no walls between states so what is to keep refugees from spilling in from a neighboring state? Prior to watching this episode I had very little knowledge as to of how the refugee process in America worked. Naturally, as with many Americans after the attacks on 9/11 and the more recent Parisian attacks, I have been very skeptical of the Syrian refugee crisis and its potential threat to America; however, being more familiar with the process by which they are admitted (granted that it is strictly followed) eases the concern a little...this is a process that mainstream media outlets should be more apt to take: Educate your viewers with legitimate fact based evidence and then allow them to form their own opinion of the topic rather than expressing opinions based on assumptions and then broadcasting it on every outlet. Nearly every clip I have watched where politicians discuss this crisis there is no reasoning or facts behind their words - regardless of party affiliation.

Typically shows like Last Week Tonight with John Oliver fail to provide quality journalism revolving around "hard news" but he does so in a very interesting and amusing manner and its almost always on a topic one would never even read if written otherwise. He has done specials on the IRS, the tobacco industry, sex education, and televangelists - all of which I would likely skip over in an article posted by Fox News or CNN; but his delivery keeps the show on my DVR every week.

Did this segment improve your knowledge for how Syrian refugees are admitted into America? Have you heard any other descriptions for the process on other media outlets? How do they compare?