Ep. #18: Our Government Isn't Holding Corporations Accountable. Can We?

Today, Antoinette does a deep-dive into how we can hold corporations accountable for their actions in the COVID-19 era.

Before we leap into the corporate world, Lucas looks at the latest ways Republicans are distorting information to distract from their own incredible unpreparedness on Coronavirus. He points to recent Republican insistence that red states shouldn't be "responsible" for blue states when, in fact, blue states are the ones who usually subsidize their red counterparts. (The Dave Weigel tweet he references during this mini-rant can be found here). He also looks at some repugnant statements from HHS Secretary Azar.

For the main event, Antoinette leads us through a short and sorry history of corporations. Antoinette investigates how we got to a place where we treat corporations as people, and why corporate malfeasance rarely results in individual accountability.

She also has some suggestions for new ways we can think about corporations in America during this strange time. Finally, she unveils some actions all of us take do today:

* Flex your muscle as a consumer. Dig into the practices of your favorite businesses, demand better when necessary and route your money to local and independent businesses. Hold corporations accountable for their behavior during this pandemic.

* Cultivate a conversation on social media about good corporate behavior. When a corporation's practices don't align with your values, let your circle know and organize together to create change.

This episode was recorded on Monday, May 18, 2020.