April 6, 2005
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TUESDAY POLITICSThe Yes Men
Sorry it’s so late in the day but I just couldn’t get here till now. I’m all Poped out, so I thought I’d tell you about this adorable DVD I just watched about two guys I never heard of before who apparently have been Seriously Pranking on behalf of us liberals for some time now at very high levels on the world stage. Mike Bonnano and Andy Bichlbaum are on the surface bright, young, slightly nerdy-looking guys who are for some reason obsessed with the idea of raising political consciousness by impersonating representatives of such lofty entities as the World Trade Organization and horn-swoggling whole audiences who think they’ve come to hear a perfectly straightforward presentation. They began by setting up a web site that mimicked the WTO’s so closely that people took it to be the real thing and began inviting them to functions as WTO representatives. Don’t ask me to try to explain in any sane way the details of the 3-4 major pranks they pull off in this 1 hr-20min documentary – suffice it to say in one Andy wears a suit
that can be yanked off (a la Britney Spears) to reveal a gold skintight suit from which a huge gold penis can spring out that has a TV monitor built into it for keeping track of employees. In another prank, Andy delivers a deadpan speech about feeding Third World countries by recycling McDonald’s burgers through one human waste process after another. Don’t ask. In another Andy appears before an audience in Finland to announce that the WTO has decided they’ve been operating in an evil manner all these years and have decided to disband and rethink how to turn themselves around. And in all cases, the audiences fall for it! It’s hysterical. Here’s an example of their most recent escapade (post-movie) against the Dow Chemical Company to give you an idea. And of course, the Yes Men have their own web site. So anyway, when you go to bed tonight – or tomorrow night or whatever – just smile to yourself to know that somewhere out there in the night Andy and Mike are dreaming up another way to shed some light and some humor on this nefarious world. It’s a hard job but somebody’s got to do it.
Deep Thought: “It’s funny that pirates were always going around searching for treasure, and they never realized that the real treasure was the fond memories they were creating.”
Today I am grateful for: Snoring
Guess the Movie: “Surely you can’t be serious.” “I am serious… and don’t call me Shirley.” Answer: Airplane, 1980.
Winner: thenarrator.
Environment Put Center Stage at Corporations’ Annual Meetings
by Abid Aslam
WASHINGTON — Investors concerned about environmental degradation and its long-term impact on corporate profits have launched a raft of proposals seeking to improve the “green” performance of some of America’s top brand names. (Rest of article here.)
End of Day: 8:38 pm
+ = Back yard finally mowed!
- = Tension at work.
Comments (11)
I can’t believe they get away with it! man what a living It makes you wonder what an education is good for
Is it Finding Nemo? lol
What a great site!
I guess if I were the activist type I’d follow in their footsteps.
RYC: A senator is a senator and (ostensibly) represents your state, regardless of party affiliation. It’s good that you made your voice heard!
The Yes Men are incredible, aren’t they? I think they’re doing a valuable public service, daring to be irreverent. Irreverence can be empowering to those who witness it, if it catalyzes some questioning and some independent thought. And darn funny, too.
Be well!
Thanks for this story. When you can’t attack them through “mainstream news” you’ve got to be more inventive (the Dow Chemical thing is fantastic – of course in Michigan they’re still waiting for Dow to apologize for killing dozens of children back in the 70s when they mixed fire retardant into cattle feed and poisoned the water supply on thousands of farms – “oops!”).
Airplane?
I haven’t seen it yet, but the WTO one sounds hysterical. They’re amazing.
Airplane – yes!
Hilarious!
On a serious political-economic note…if you subscribe to the New York Times website (registration is free), I highly recommend reading Thomas Friedman’s op-ed piece about the flat earth…you’ll see why he calls it that when you read it.
There is more than one way to get people to listen (and hopefully to think).
It’s not Young Frankenstein, is it?
I will do a blog about our elections as many people do not believe that we do not vote for our PM its only the people in his district that votes for Tony Blair
Thank you for confirming that that was indeed a giant gold penis-like object protruding from his pelvis. I was so afraid it was just me and my dirty mind.