John Oliver devotes 27 minutes to the history of Asian Americans while debunking the "model minority" myth

The A.V. Club

On Sunday, The Last Week Tonight host presented what he called a “long-overdue, better-informed conversation,” and a “smarter, more nuanced” way of looking at the multifaceted Asian-American experience over America’s history. "As Oliver went on, doggedly unpacking the complex but ultimately simple reasons behind American anti-Asian rhetoric and violence, the host, as is his way, made the appeal that actually facing up to the truth of easily anticipated white backlash against Asians has multiple causes, but one sure outcome," Dennis Perkins says of the segment. "Noting that “a coalition is not a monolith” when it comes to Asian and Pacific Islanders in America, Oliver broke down how simply averaging out all AAPI-Americans’ attributes and accomplishments in all categories erases the culturally and historically disparate needs of different populations." ALSO: Oliver's segment addressed the 1982 killing of Vincent Chin, whom Amazon announced last month will be the subject of a limited drama series.