John Oliver shows why the internet is a terrible place for women

Last night’s episode of Last Week Tonight focused on the internet, and how it’s turned into a terrible place for women. Host John Oliver spent much of his 15-minute segment outlining the virulent strain of abuse and threats faced by feminist critic Anita Sarkeesian, journalist Amanda Hess, and virtually “any woman who makes the mistake of having a thought in her mind, and then vocalizing it online.” Oliver then transitioned into the world of revenge porn, and the shockingly scant legal recourse that its victims are afforded. It’s an honest and brutal critique of the way many people live online, perfectly punctuated by a spoof commercial for dial-up starring two pervy men. And if the whole story seems overblown, Oliver says, “Congratulations on your white penis — because if you have one of those, you probably have a very different experience of the internet.”