John Oliver responds to Paris attacks with ‘premium cable profanity’

In response to the terrorist attacks Friday in Paris, John Oliver harnessed the power of premium cable to deliver a profanity-strewn tirade against Islamic State and in support of the French people.

“It’s hardly been 48 hours and much is still unknown, but there are a few things we can say for certain,” said Oliver Sunday on his show, “Last Week Tonight.” “And this is when it actually helps to be on HBO, where those things can be said without restraint. After the many necessary and appropriate moments of silence, I’d like to offer you a moment of premium cable profanity.”

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And that he did, sounding off on the “unconscionable, flaming [jerks]” responsible for the carnage in a rant peppered with a wide variety of curse words that cannot be duplicated in this space. (You can watch the video here, however.)

Oliver ended his brief remarks on a more optimistic note by paying tribute to the beauty and power of French culture.

“It is important to remember: Nothing about what these [jerks] are trying to do is going to work. France is going to endure, and I’ll tell you why. If you’re in a war of culture and lifestyle with France, good ... luck.”

Because when it comes to the radical ideology of Islamic State versus “Jean-Paul Sartre, Edith Piaf, fine wine, Gauloises cigarettes, Camus, Camembert, madeleines, macarons, Marcel Proust and the ... croquembouche,” it’s truly no contest, Oliver said.

“You brought a philosophy of rigorous self-abnegation to a pastry fight.”

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