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THE YES MEN |
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July 20, 2007
The Yes Men are Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno, two impersonators who
use satire to bring media attention to issues that otherwise might be
overlooked.
"We actually see this as a form of journalism. Or perhaps more
precisely, the form of collaboration with journalists," explains
Bichlbaum in his interview with Bill Moyers.
"A lot of the issues that we address journalists want to cover.
But...in many situations, editorial
control won't let them unless there's a good little hook behind it. And
so, we've found a way to create funny spectacles that give
journalists the excuse to cover issues."
The Yes Men have impersonated representatives from
Halliburton, Dow Chemical, Exxon, and others, giving public
presentations aimed at exposing what they believe to be discrepancies
between how these groups want to be seen and how they really act. They
call this process, "identity correction."
While some criticize them for deception and call their hijinx
unethical, they argue "these kinds of [corporate and political]
wrongdoings
are at such a scale - they're so vast compared to our white lies that
we think it's ethical."
What do you think about the Yes Men's methods? Take our poll.
Mike and Andy released their first film in 2004 entitled, "The Yes Men," as well as a book, THE YES MEN: THE TRUE STORY OF
THE END OF THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION. They plan on releasing a new film shortly.
Here is a look at some of the Yes Men's more famous "identity corrections":
Dow Chemical
When Dow Chemical bought
out Union Carbide in 2001, they became one of the world's largest
chemical corporations. However, some believe
they also inherited a connection to the Bhopal Disaster, which occurred
in 1984 when a Union Carbide pesticide plant released an estimated
40 tones of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas, immediately killing nearly
3,000 people with thousands more experiencing partial or permanent
disabilities. The victims of the disaster have been fighting Union
Carbide for years for reparations for the tragedy, but Dow has claimed
that since they purchased the company after an Indian Supreme Court
approved a $470 million settlement agreement by Union Carbide, the
responsibility is not theirs.
So the Yes Men set up a fake website, www.dowethics.com,
which was very similar to Dow's official site. They then emailed a
press release
to newspapers and media outlets across the country stating Dow would
never take responsibility for damages from the Bhopal gas disaster
because they were only beholden to shareholders.
After Dow denied these accusations, they worked to get the
original Yes Men site shut down. The Yes Men in turn set up an
alternate fake site,
which the BBC found and sent an invitation for a "Dow official" to
appear on the show. Not knowing that he was an impostor, the BBC
broadcasted an interview with
Bichlbaum posing as Dow Chemical "spokesman" Jude Finisterra, where he
claimed Dow would mark the 20th anniversary of the lethal gas leak
in Bhopal, India by paying out $12 billion to the survivors, "simply
because it is the right thing to do." Within a few hours, the real Dow
unmasked Bichlbaum as an impostor.
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
When the Gulf Coast Reconstruction and Hurricane Preparedness Summit
was being organized in Louisiana, the Yes Men saw an opportunity for a
hoax on the housing situation in New Orleans. They contacted those in
charge of the summit, claiming to be from
the public relations firm Hill & Knowlton who was representing the
Housing and Urban Development secretary. They claimed to have a major
announcement to make at the summit.
Following Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco, Bichlbaum rose
to the podium under the alias of Rene Oswin, an official at the
Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and delivered a speech in which he
claimed the HUD would reverse its plans to demolish 5,000 units of
perfectly good public housing in order to help fix the housing crisis
in New Orleans. He also claimed that Wal-Mart would withdraw its
stores from the area to encourage local competition, and that
ExonnMobil and Shell promised to spend $8.6 billion to finance wetlands
rebuilding due to their record high profits from the past year.
Officials on all sides of the hoax worked to expose Bichlbaum
as an impostor, denying all the claims he made while calling him
insensitive
and cruel. However, Annie Chen, media coordinator for Survivors
Village, a tent-city protest for the reopening of public housing in New
Orleans, told CNN, "Right now, a lie is better than the truth."
Catastrophic Loss Conference
The Yes Men
performed a prank at the Catastrophic Loss conference hosted by the
Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, Florida. Posing
as Halliburton executives, the Yes Men donned their new product, the
SurvivaBall, which was designed to "save corporate executives from the
effects of global warming." Setting the price tag at $100M, the Yes Men
called the SurvivaBall a "gated community for one," which could
"protect managers from natural or cultural disturbances of any
intensity or duration."
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Visit The Yes Men's official Web Site
Visit The Yes Men's parody Web Site about Dow Chemical
Read Jonathan Swift's satirical essay "A Moderate Proposal" on solutions
to the Irish potato famine"I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy
child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled."
Read the Yes Men parody Halliburton press
release"The
devices - looking like huge inflatable orbs - will include
sophisticated communications systems, nutrient gathering
capacities, onboard medical facilities, and a daunting defense
infrastructure to ensure that the corporate mission will not go
unfulfilled
even when most human life is rendered impossible by catastrophes or the
consequent epidemics and armed conflicts."
Just Say Yesby Andy Bichlbaum and Michael
Bonanno, THE VILLAGE VOICE, August 27, 2004 "If infiltration is your style, to get into Madison Square Garden itself you have to have
a press pass or be one of the thousands of RNC volunteers - of whom, rumor has it, at least a few hundred only look like
Republicans."
Watch Andy and Mike on DEMOCRACY NOW! from May 12th, 2006 discuss their Catastrophic Loss Conference prank
Read an Inteview with the Yes Men
MOTHER JONES,
April 2005."It's an issue of time. There are so many stations with so few journalists that they cannot possibly verify all of
their sources. That's how corporate press releases end up parading as news."
Watch these hijinx from The Yes Men online:
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THE YES MEN
Bill Moyers gets in on the joke with two impersonators who use satire to make serious points about media
consolidation, journalism, business ethics, and separating fact from fiction in a world of spin.
MARTÍN ESPADABill Moyers talks with poet Martin Espada about the power of words to effect social change.
>Watch teacher and poet, Aracelis Girmay, read her poem.
>Read selected poems from Martín Espada and Aracelis Girmay
VIEWER MAILBill Moyers highlights your comments, questions and concerns.
>Have your own question and comment for Bill Moyers? Join the conversation on the Blog.
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