S2 E18: Online Harassment, Charleston & Putin Theme Park: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Mass Shootings in the United States

• The host expresses frustration over the lack of action taken to address mass shootings in the United States, highlighting the recent tragedy in Charleston, South Carolina.

Confederate Flag Controversy

• Despite its association with racism and the racially motivated shooting at Emanuel AME Church, the Confederate flag continues to fly at full staff in front of the state capital in South Carolina.

Russia's Military-Themed Amusement Park

• Russia unveils plans for a new military-themed amusement park called Patriot Park, where children can play with heavy weaponry and grenade launchers.

Redesign of the US $10 Bill

• The US $10 bill is being redesigned to feature the first woman on the nation's paper currency in over a century.
• Treasury Secretary Jack Lew defends the decision to put a woman on the $10 bill, stating that it is widely used and important.
• Despite the initial plan to replace Andrew Jackson with a woman on the $20 bill, Alexander Hamilton's image will remain on some of the $10 bills, sharing the spotlight with the chosen woman.

Online Harassment of Women

• The internet has become an integral part of modern life but has also become a haven for harassment, particularly for women.
• Women online often receive horrifying messages, including bomb threats, rape threats, and even death threats.
• These threats can have a devastating impact on women's lives, leading to anxiety, depression, and even suicide.
• The internet has also given rise to a new form of abuse called revenge porn, where naked photos of people are posted online without their consent.
• Revenge porn can have a devastating impact on victims, leading to job loss, relationship problems, and even suicide.
• There is currently no federal law specifically against revenge porn, and only 23 states have passed laws specifically against it.
• This means that victims of revenge porn in many states have limited options for legal recourse.
• Some women have had to send naked pictures of themselves to the copyright office in Washington to prevent strangers from seeing them.
• The current laws and responses to victims of online harassment are often inadequate and victim-blaming.
• The "don't take naked photos of yourself" solution is not always effective, as photos can be obtained through hacked webcams or other means.
• A new bill called the Intimate Privacy Protection Act aims to address non-consensual pornography, but it has some exceptions, such as for public figures.
• Companies need to be more diligent in clamping down on revenge porn, and the internet community needs to change its mindset about the dangers of the internet.