04x26 - Confederate monuments

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John: welcome, welcome,

Welcome to "last week tonight."

I'm john oliver.

Thank you so much

For joining us.

Just time for a quick recap of

The week, which has been both

Hectic and depressing,

From last sunday's mass sh**ting

In las vegas to the escalating

Battle in spain over catalan

Independence to the ongoing

Recovery from hurricane maria

In puerto rico,

Or, as our president weirdly

Insisted on pronouncing it

This week...

We are also praying

For the people of

Puerr-to riii-co.

We love puerto rico.

John: no, you don't.

Nobody loves anything and still

Says its name like that.

If I ask you if you feel like

Italian and you say, "let us

Order some "spag-heht-ti."

I love "spag-heehht-ti,"

Then you don't love spaghetti.

You hate italians, and we are

Not having dinner together.

But trump wasn't the only world

Leader to malfunction this week.

In the u.k., Embattled prime

Minister theresa may addressed

Her party conference, hoping to

Quell a revolt from within by

Demonstrating strong leadership.

How did that go?

Nearly an hour into her

Speech, the sign behind her head

Began falling apart,

One letter at a time.

John: that's not a good sign.

Literally.

That literally

Wasn't a good sign.

Not everything I say has to be

A joke.

I'm allowed to just say

True things sometimes.

I'm allowed.

So meanwhile, back in the u.s.,

We marked the one-year

Anniversary of the

"Access hollywood" tape

With a series of grim stories

Concerning the treatment of

Women.

"The times" published a massive

Expose detailing movie executive

Harvey weinstein's years of

Alleged sexual harassment.

And his response

Was infuriating.

Because he and his attorneys

Admitted he needs help while

Also denying the charges and

Threatening to sue "the times."

And on top of that was this.

Well, in a statement

In response, weinstein says

In part, "I came of age

In the '60s and '70s when rules

About behavior and workplaces

Were different.

That was the culture then.

I have since learned it's not

An excuse."

John: yeah, you're right.

Your excuse isn't an excuse.

In fact, it isn't even an excuse

For that behavior in the '60s.

"Well, back then, we had no idea

That women didn't want to be

Forced to look at dicks!

That wasn't discovered

By scientists until 1998!"

It was a different time.

And new stories are now

Coming out, including an

Allegation from one local news

Reporter that weinstein

Trapped her in the hallway

Of a restaurant, tried to kiss

Her, and when she refused,

He proceeded to expose himself,

Before ejaculating quickly

Into a potted plant.

So, step aside, "chocolat."

You are no longer the most

Horrifying picture

That harvey weinstein

Has ever produced!

Meanwhile, donald trump, the

Harvey weinstein of presidents,

Had his own surprise for women

This week.

This is a story that could

Affect a lot of women.

A change to an insurance mandate

Means birth control

May no longer be covered.

Now employers can stop offering

Free birth control in their

Health insurance plans if they

Have a sincerely held religious

Or moral objection to it.

John: it's true.

The trump administration

Is making it easier

For employers to stop covering

Employees' birth control or,

As mike pence undoubtedly

Would put it, they are

"Defending the right of

Future babies to continue

Unimpeded through the

Male sin stick and directly

Into a woman's motherhole."

And on top of all this, there

Has been chaos in the white

House this week, particularly

Surrounding secretary of state

Rex tillerson, a man who in

Every photo looks like he just

Sold someone a top-of-the-line

Weber grill.

Well, it seems relations between

Tillerson and the president

Have hit an all-time low.

A report rocketing around

Washington: nbc news reporting

Tillerson had called trump

A moron.

John: yeah, a moron.

Now, to be fair, the state

Department denied that report,

Which actually prompted nbc to

Issue a crucial clarification

That he'd actually called him

A f*cking moron, which led

To this amazing tv debate.

Was it "moron"

Or "f'ing moron"?

It's unclear.

But you know, it was definitely

Moron.

A little bit of a difference.

John: I guess this is just

The type of discussion we now

Have on tv.

Does the secretary of state

Think the president's a moron

Or a f*cking moron?

'Cause if it's just "moron,"

That actually makes him

A moderate.

And look, the breakdown in this

Relationship is very funny.

But it could have serious

Consequences, because foreign

Powers might not negotiate with

A diplomat they don't believe

Has the president's support.

And if tillerson goes,

He might not go alone.

There is a reported

"su1c1de pact" forged between

Mattis, mnuchin and tillerson

Whereby all three cabinet

Secretaries vow to leave in the

Event the president makes moves

Against one of them.

John: that's right.

Apparently, these three cabinet

Members have a pact to quit

If one of them is fired,

Which makes sense, except...

Mnuchin?

I mean, he's sexy, yeah.

The guy's a perfect ten.

But mnuchin threatening

To resign is a bit like a bee

Threatening to fly out of a car.

"Okay.

f*cking go then."

And that instability within

The administration is even more

Concerning, given the most

Terrifying statement the

President gave this week.

The president raised a lot of

Eyebrows with this comment about

The military leaders he invited

To the white house.

Take a look.

You guys know what this

Represents?

Maybe the calm before the storm.

What's the storm?

Could be the calm --

The calm before the storm.

What storm, mr. President?

You'll find out.

John: what are you

Talking about?

For a start, no moment in the

Preceding nine months has been

Even remotely calm.

It's like we're two hours

Into a slipknot concert and they

Just said, "enough ballads.

Now we're gonna play one

That rocks."

And who knows what that means?

He could mean decertifying

The iran nuclear deal.

It could mean launching

All-out w*r with north korea.

It could mean a military strike

On "puerrrto riiico."

Or it could mean nothing

Whatsoever.

Because, and here I am directly

Quoting the secretary of state.

I cannot emphasize this enough.

These are his words, not mine.

It's vulgar and frankly I do not

Approve of this type of

Language.

Our president

Is a "f*cking moron."

And now this.

Announcer: and now dicks.

Just because of this happening

Along north michigan, going all

The way to state avenue.

In those storms, much like

Last night, moved to the north

And east.

This year the places that

Just don't have snow.

We are looking forward to.

Whipped we are going to be

Saying is a lot of energy

Climbing up.

Temperatures are going to be

A few degrees higher tomorrow.

Forecast shows you --

Watch the precipitation.

Some will head west.

Some kind of, I don't know if

It's a picture or message.

Crude version of a map of the

United states.

How is this one?

A cannon.

I don't know.

What do you do?

These you can buy.

These I make.

'S wanted I just make there?

Hold on.

John: moving on.

Before our main story tonight,

I'd like to do something

A little different and just

Quickly tell you about a beloved

Icon of my childhood: this man.

For 20 years, he made

The dreams of young people

Come true with his hugely

Popular "jim'll fix it" program.

Best known for his trademark

Jewelry, track suits,

Tinted glasses,

And havana cigar.

John: I know it's hard

To believe, but that

Bizarre-looking man,

Jimmy savile,

Was a national hero.

We named places for him.

We gave him a knighthood.

We even put up this statue

Of him, even though it looks

More like a cheese sculpture

Of george carlin that someone

Left in the sun.

He had a show called

"Jim'll fix it" where he

Basically granted wishes,

And like many kids, I actually

Wrote to him.

I asked him to make me

The mascot for liverpool

Football club.

And he never wrote back.

Which I'm actually glad about,

Because after he died, britain

Began to find out who he really

Was, and the truth was horrific.

He's gone from a much-loved

Entertainer and respected

Charity fundraiser to a man

Described by scotland yard

As a predatory sex offender.

Jimmy savile's headstone was

Here for less than three weeks.

His epitaph read

"It was good while it lasted".

John: oh, that is an

Unsettling thing to have written

On a gravestone,

Although nearly every famous

Epitaph would sound horrifying

Written on a sex offender's

Gravestone, from dean martin's

"Everybody loves somebody

Sometime,"

To rodney dangerfield's

"There goes the neighborhood."

Funny, but if he'd been

A sex offender, not so much.

Savile's headstone

Was taken down.

As was that sign

And that creepy statue.

Once we found out

He was a monster, we accepted it

Was no longer appropriate

To publicly glorify him,

Which brings us to our main

Story tonight:

The confederacy,

America's tracksuit

Sex offender.

In recent years, there's been

A robust debate over confederate

Symbols, from flags being taken

Down to statues being removed to

The white nationalist rallies

In charlottesville, both the one

That ended in v*olence

In august and another one

That happened just last night.

So as this debate is clearly not

Going away, we wanted to take

A look at some of the arguments.

Because you don't have to look

Hard to find people very upset

At the idea of confederate

Statues being taken away.

You can't change history.

You can't pick and choose

What you decide is history.

I think they ought to just

Leave them alone.

Leave them where they are,

You know.

They're part of history.

I just don't think we can

Erase our history.

It may not represent the best

Idea that anybody ever came up

With, but nevertheless it's part

Of our history and I think

It should stay there.

John: I'll give him this:

He's right that the confederacy

And everything that came with it

Is, to put it mildly, not the

Best idea anybody ever came up

With.

Because that, of course,

Is making grilled cheese

On a toaster turned sideways.

That's a billion-dollar idea

That is also worthless.

But they are right about one

Thing: we should remember

Our history.

So tonight, let's do that and

Look at the unique heritage of

These symbols, starting with the

Fact that there are a lot more

Than you might expect.

The southern poverty law

Center found some 1500

Confederate memorials

Across the country.

More than 700 of them are

Statues and monuments,

And 10 u.s. Military bases are

Named for confederate officers.

John: think about that.

There are u.s. Military bases

Named for confederate officers.

And they were the enemy!

They k*lled u.s. Soldiers!

That's like finding out that

Nancy kerrigan named her child

"Tonya harding."

Why would you do that?

That's a weird choice.

And tributes to the confederacy

Are everywhere.

In the south and, notably,

Some in the north too.

And that map doesn't include

Kitschy ways the civil w*r

Is presented, like at this

Family restaurant.

Dolly parton's dixie stampede

Brings a rip-roaring taste of

America to life!

Dixie stampede is a musical

Extravaganza of sight and sound

Centered around a friendly

North-south rivalry.

Friendly servers bring the

Delicious feast right to you,

Including a whole rotisserie

Chicken and all the pepsi,

Iced tea, or coffee you like.

John: yes, that's a

Confederate soldier serving

A small child all the pepsi

She likes, which is still,

Remarkably, only pepsi's

Second worst ad campaign.

And the thing is, if you grew up

With experiences like that,

It can seem like the civil w*r

Is just a friendly rivalry,

A fun, colorful part of u.s.

History.

But that omits the key fact

About the civil w*r:

The confederacy was fighting for

The preservation of sl*very.

And that's not my opinion.

That's just a fact.

There are many ways we know

This.

sl*very's mentioned in

Multiple states' declarations

Of secession, with mississippi's

Saying, "our position

Is thoroughly identified with

The institution of sl*very"

The confederate constitution

Contains a clause enshrining

sl*very forever, and then

There's the speech

Alexander stephens,

The confederate vice president,

Gave in 1861, in which he

Articulated the basic principles

For the confederate nation.

"Its foundations are laid,

Its cornerstone rests upon the

Great truth, that the n*gro is

Not equal to the white man,

That sl*very -- subordination

To the superior race -- is his

Natural and normal condition."

John: wow, "subordination

To the superior race"?

That is explicit.

If the confederacy wasn't about

sl*very, somebody should really

Go back in time and tell

The f*cking confederacy.

And yet, remarkably, many people

Think the civil w*r was over

Something else.

When people were asked what

Do they think the main cause

Of the civil w*r is, 48% said

Mainly about states' rights.

Only 38% said mainly about

sl*very.



John: and that's amazing.

Only 38% thought the civil w*r

Was mainly about sl*very.

In other words, look to your

Left.

Now look to your right.

Statistically, all three of you

Live in a country where only 38%

Of people think the civil w*r

Was mainly about sl*very.

And on that "states' rights"

Argument, for the record,

The southern states were

Ardently pro-states' rights,

But with some glaring

Exceptions.

Notably, when northern states

Passed laws to help protect

Runaway slaves, the south wanted

The federal government

To override those states' laws.

So, they loved states' rights,

As long as they were the right

States' rights.

The wrong states' rights would

Be states' wrongs, wrongs which

Needed to be righted by the

Right states' rights.

Look, to put it really simply.

They just wanted to own

Much care how.

That's a very hard fact

For some people to accept.

Especially if a member of your

Family fought for the

Confederacy.

And sometimes,

The understandable desire to

Distance your relative from that

Cause can lead to people

Distorting the cause itself.

Watch as one man at a community

Meeting in north carolina

Defend a confederate statue

By talking about his family

History.

My great-grandfather

Was a confederate soldier.

And I was proud of that because

My opinion of his fight

Was for his rights.

I don't know what his rights

Were.

I wasn't there.

He was dead long

Before I came along.

But I'm really concerned

About our monument.

I want it to stay.

It reminds me that I got

A little rebel in me.

You know, we all want to kind of

Be independent.

We all have a little rebel

In us, even the ladies.

John: oooh, even the ladies!

#Feminism.

#Confederashe.

And look, I don't know why his

Great-grandfather fought.

It's hard to know the

Motivations of any individual

Soldier.

What we do know is that, again,

Collectively, they were fighting

To preserve the institution

Of sl*very.

And I do get wanting a more

Comfortable history for your

Family, but in doing so,

You can't invent a more

Comfortable history

For your country.

Because you'd be erasing the

Actual, painful experiences

Of many americans, as a fellow

North carolinian explains.

When I walk past this statue,

I become very painful when

I think of the suffering

That my ancestors went through.

They enslaved people, abused

People for their own economic

Impact, and it should not be

Celebrated by these statues.

John: right.

That's the harsh reality of what

Was done by those confederate

Men, and, yes, even the ladies.

#Confederashe.

And if you want to see a perfect

Crystallization of what happens

When two people have wildly

Different views of the same

Symbol, just watch this local

News clip.

Why do you carry that flag?

Because this is my heritage!

My family fought to save their

Farm under this flag!

Who was working that farm?

John: ooh, that is a good,

Tough question.

And the news clip cut out there,

But we were so intrigued to find

Out his response,

We tracked it down.

And whatever you're expecting,

You're going to be surprised.

Who was working that farm?

My ancestors were.

My family was.

Who was working the farms

In the south?

They were poor.

Do you know how much a sl*ve

Cost back then?

John: whoa!

Whoa!

Whoa!

Whoa!

You know you're in the wrong

When you decide your best

Argument is screaming at

A black man, "do you know

How expensive you used to be?"

It is comments like that one

That landed this guy

On the cover of "holy shit:

That is not remotely the point"

Magazine.

And look, that's an intense

Example, but denial of this

Painful part of history

Can take many forms.

Pbs' "finding your roots,"

Where henry louis gates explores

Celebrities' family histories

And often finds some shit.

Famously, ben affleck

Pulled strings to get the show

To remove all references to his

sl*ve-owning ancestors,

And though he later apologized,

That impulse is not good,

Because it sanitizes history.

And while there's no easy way

To respond to learning

That kind of information,

It is worth watching

Anderson cooper find out

How one relative of his died.

Boykin was m*rder*d

By a rebellious sl*ve.

Wow.

Your ancestor was beaten

To death with a farm hoe.

Oh, my god.

That's amazing.

This is incredible.

[Laughs]

I'm blown away.

You think he deserved it?

Yeah.

John: wow.

You know what?

As a general rule, just try not

To live a life that could lead

A descendant to one day say,

"A guy smashed grandpappy's head

In with a garden hoe?

That's amazing!

Great job, that guy!"

But my favorite response

To a nasty surprise undoubtedly

Comes from larry david, who

Received a real one-two punch.

Are you telling me that my

Great-grandfather fought for

The south in the civil w*r?

What?

Are you kidding?

Oh, my goodness.

I hope no slaves show up

On this.

Please turn the page.

Now larry, this is another part

Of the 18th --

Oh, you did it.

You did it.

I knew it!

I knew it!

Unbelievable.

Boy.

Unbelievable.

Boy, oh, boy.

John: yeah, pretty,

Pretty bad.

And look, larry david is not

Responsible for what his

Ancestors did.

None of us are.

I have to believe that, because

I'm english, and I would like to

Go to an indian restaurant again

At some point in my life.

But we do have to reckon,

Personally and as a country,

With what our heritage means.

You can't ignore it,

Like batman.

You can't say it's something

Else, like town meeting santa.

You've got to actively,

Painfully come to grips with

sl*very and the lasting benefits

And disadvantages it conferred

In ways that, frankly,

We haven't yet.

And that actually brings us back

To confederate monuments.

Because there's something about

Them that symbolizes

Our reluctance to have that

Conversation, and that's

The dates they went up.

Because while some initial

Memorials were built, mainly in

Cemeteries, shortly after

The civil w*r, the real surge

Came much, much later.

The southern poverty law

Center says the majority of

The more than 700 confederate

Monuments in public spaces

Across the country were erected

Decades after general lee's

Surrender.

John: it's true, as this

Chart of the years they were

Dedicated shows, there was a big

Spike from 1900 to 1920,

As white southerners were

Reasserting their dominance

Through things like

Jim crow laws, with another

Spike in the '50s and '60s,

As the civil rights movement

Was gaining steam.

So those statues weren't so much

Commemorating recently fallen

Dead as sending a pretty hostile

Message to african americans.

And sending messages is what

Statues are often for.

This one says "we love freedom."

This one says "the most notable

Thing about our city is a

Fictional character," and this

One says "about yea big."

We still don't know what he was

Trying to measure, but whatever

It was, it was about yea big.

For some confederate

Statues, the intent

Is crystal clear.

In that town meeting from

Before, the statue they were

Debating was this one,

Which went up in 1914,

And a leader of the county's

Chapter of the kkk gave a speech

At its dedication, calling

The occasion an opportunity

"To recall the achievements

Of the great and good

Of our own race and blood,"

Which, again, is pretty

On-the-nose.

And the largest confederate

Memorial, the carving on

Stone mountain in georgia,

Is located where the



It depicts three confederate

Leaders on horseback and was

Completed in 1972, so there's

Color footage of the dedication.

After nearly half a century

Of work, the memorial carving

Here at stone mountain is

Finally finished, and officials

Are calling it the eighth wonder

Of the world.

We must recall those

Principles of loyalty, dignity,

And honor that shine through

The lives of men

We commemorate today.

John: yes, that was

Vice president spiro agnew

Commemorating the loyalty

Of literal traitors.

But what can you expect

From a man whose name,

Rearranged, spells

"Grow a penis?"

And some monuments went up

Even more recently.

I want to show you one that was

Erected on private land,

But very much

For public consumption.

And once you see it,

You will not forget it.

The statue was erected

In 1998.

It portrays nathan bedford

Forrest on his horse, g*n in one

Hand and sword in the other,

Surrounded by confederate state

Battle flags, visible for all

To see on the side of i-65.

Forrest was a confederate

General and an early leader

Of the kkk.

John: that is just

Terrifying, regardless of

Context.

He looks like if a nickel

Did cocaine.

So some of these statues

Commemorate people who fought

A w*r to preserve sl*very,

Were erected to assert

White supremacy,

And were dedicated

By klan members.

And yet, there is a blanket

Defense that tends to get

Offered by people --

And not just people.

Also this guy.

They're trying to take away

Our culture.

They are trying to take away

Our history.

John: okay, the argument

Is taking these statues down

Obliterates history,

Which is clearly ridiculous.

First, monuments aren't how

We record history.

Books are.

Museums are.

Ken burns' 12-part miniseries

Are.

Statues are how we glorify

People or, in the case of one

In tokyo, how we glorify

Giant radioactive lizards.

And yet the president's concern

Seems to be that tearing down

Statues leads to

A slippery slope.

This week,

It's robert e. Lee.

I noticed that

Stonewall jackson's coming down.

I wonder, is it

George washington next week?

And is it thomas jefferson

The week after?

You know, you really do have

To ask yourself, where does it

Stop?

John: I'll tell you where it

Stops: somewhere.

Anytime someone asks "where does

It stop?" The answer is always

f*cking somewhere.

You might let your kid have

Twizzlers but not inject

Black-tar heroin.

You don't just go, "well, after

The twizzlers, where does it

Stop?"

And the same is true of

Confederate monuments.

Think of it this way.

All people, living and dead,

Exist on what I'll call

The hitler-hanks spectrum

From bad to good.

And at some point on the

Spectrum, monuments to honor

People are inappropriate.

Although it gets tricky around

The middle, where, of course,

You'll find adolf hankler.

And look, there are clearly

People deserving of statues

Who were imperfect humans.

And sometimes our standards

Change over time, which can get

Tricky, because you're judging

Historical figures by modern

Standards.

But for many confederate

Monuments, especially those

Erected well after the civil w*r

Valorizing the cause or

Leadership of the confederacy,

This really isn't a close call.

This is your babysitter showing

Up in a jimmy savile t-shirt.

I don't care what you think that

Represents, you're not staying

Home with my kid tonight.

And for robert e. Lee

In particular, it's even easier

Because of this:

Interestingly, robert e. Lee

Was once asked about placing

Memorials at gettysburg in 1869.

The former general replied,

"I think it wiser not to keep

Open the sores of w*r but to

Follow the examples of those

Nations who endeavored to

Obliterate the marks of civil

Strife, to commit to oblivion

The feelings engendered."

John: it's true,

Robert e. Lee

Was opposed to statues of people

Like robert e. Lee.

So any city that decides to keep

A statue of him should at least

Add a speech bubble saying,

"You know, I told you

All specifically

Not to do this."

So, what do we do?

Well, I'd argue nothing

Is not acceptable.

And trying to paper over the

Cracks can make things worse.

In the '90s, richmond tried

To fix its "monument avenue,"

A street lined with statues of

Confederate leaders, by adding

African-american tennis legend

Arthur ashe to it.

And you can't just give

Confederates a black friend

And say, "we're good, right?"

We are good.

Arthur is up there.

So if we really want to learn

From and honor our history,

Perhaps the first step might be

To put most of these statues

Somewhere more appropriate,

Surrounded by ample historical

Context, like in a museum,

Where people go to proactively

Learn about history and also

To punish their children.

And please don't think of this

As a loss.

Because it's actually

A real opportunity.

And I'll show you.

Please come with me.

Because if a plinth becomes

Empty, that is a huge chance

For your area to honor someone

Who really deserves it.

And I have some ideas

For replacements that I'd love

To run by you.

First, beaufort county,

South carolina.

How about a giant statue

Of robert smalls?

He was born into sl*very,

Stole a confederate boat,

And sailed it to freedom

And later served five terms

In congress.

The guy is amazing!

Atlanta, texas?

You're the birthplace to

Bessie coleman,

The first african-american

Woman pilot.

Why would you not want this

In your town?

Florida?

You might not want an

Individual, but how about

Something that honors what your

State represents?

Something that says "you've got

A little rebel in you"?

I give you this statue of your

Official state reptile,

An alligator giving everyone

The finger.

He's called herman!

And he definitely says florida

While also having nothing to do

With sl*very!

And finally, there's charleston.

To you, I say this:

Why have a divisive confederate

Statue when instead that

Pedestal can be filled by

Your favorite son,

The actual stephen colbert,

Who will stand up there all day,

Telling you fun facts

About your wonderful town.

Right?

Charleston: we're the site of

The first free public library

In america!

John: fascinating!

Every year, we host

Zugunruhefest, the southeast's

Most comprehensive

Migration-focused

Birding festival!

John: incredible.

See, charleston?

You could have this 24 hours

A day, seven days a week!

Actually, I do need to

Do my show five days a week.

John: five!

How?

We're conde nast traveler's



In the world!

John: you could have this,

Charleston!

That's our show.

Thank you so much.

See you next week.

Good night!

The first public museum in

America.

The first naval victory over the

British in america.

John: I don't want to hear

That.

Of course you do.

John: it's complicated.

You started it.

No, you started it.