Watch John Oliver obliterate the logic behind considering corporations as people

So, Hobby Lobby is a mess, y’all. When the Citizens United case was decided way back in 2010 I wrote about why categorizing corporations as people is bad for women. But I cannot say that I saw this coming. The complete othering of women’s health care in this country is pretty demoralizing.

John Oliver, for one, was able to nail the absurdity of this decision before it even came down. Oliver’s  new “Last Week Tonight” is great — an extension of his hilarious time with Jon Stewart, but a bit more global and maybe more cheeky, too. I am not just saying this because he is British. (Ok, maybe I am, a little. But I have really enjoyed the show: his segments on FIFA and LGTBQ rights in Uganda have stood out in particular.)

Anyway, on Sunday’s show, right before the Hobby Lobby decision came down, he devoted a whole segment to the question at the heart of the decision, the same question experts have been examining since Citizens United: should corporations be considered “people” in the eyes of the law?

First lampooning the absurdity of the question (“No. Can we move on, now?”) he goes on to argue that, “If corporations want to be people, they should have to take the rough with the smooth,” joking that “female companies” like Wendy’s would only get to make 83 cents on the dollar. The whole segment is hilarious, but even more depressing considering the profound effects the decision will have on healthcare for American women. A true lol/sob situation. Watch the video below. 

Relatedly, two incredible Feministing alumna have published their own reactions to the decision. Miriam Perez gives three reasons the Hobby Lobby decision is worse for women of color in Colorlines today. And Ann Friedman processes her post-Hobby Lobby grief in words and pictures. Check ‘em out.

Lori Adelman is feeling cheeky. 

Brooklyn, NY

Lori Adelman started blogging with Feministing in 2008, and now runs partnerships and strategy as a co-Executive Director. She is also the Director of Youth Engagement at Women Deliver, where she promotes meaningful youth engagement in international development efforts, including through running the award-winning Women Deliver Young Leaders Program. Lori was formerly the Director of Global Communications at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and has also worked at the United Nations Foundation on the Secretary-General's flagship Every Woman Every Child initiative, and at the International Women’s Health Coalition and Human Rights Watch. As a leading voice on women’s rights issues, Lori frequently consults, speaks and publishes on feminism, activism and movement-building. A graduate of Harvard University, Lori has been named to The Root 100 list of the most influential African Americans in the United States, and to Forbes Magazine‘s list of the “30 Under 30” successful mediamakers. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Lori Adelman is an Executive Director of Feministing in charge of Partnerships.

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