The Yes Men
If ever there were two boys after my own heart, it's got to be these pranksters. More subtle and professional than Abby & Jerry, more visual and creative than Michael Moore, more serious than the original Pranksters or Punked or Funt, culling the best from all of the above... these guys have the balls, literally, to stand up in front of WTO members, cameras rolling, in a gold lame "manager's leisure suit" featuring a giant inflatable phallus (with balls) containing a screen for viewing remote workers.
They do this, and more, believe me, completely straight-faced. They don't break, even when pelted by Plattsburg students after telling them of "WTO's" plan to recycle human waste into McDonalds burgers for the third world. Even more shocking, was watching their speeches in front of WTO member organizations. They spoke about why the Civil War was a waste of time and how good Nazism was for trade, they showed visuals that were completely offensive and no one in the highly educated European audience so much as batted an eye.
They were able to score these speaking engagements on the basis of a domain name they got; Gatt.org. A number of people, including those, probably now fired ones, who invited them to speak, arrived at their decoy website and the games began. They started their life of pointing the finger back at the rich and powerful in 1999, when they got the domain gwbush.com, and had lots of fun with those who cared enough to remember the all important W. As with the WTO website, it looked almost identical to the original, except for some outlandish statements that were couched in phraseology that gave the impression (to the brainless, real yes men of the world) of plausibility.
Bichlbaum & Bonanno (real names) targeted the WTO for the same reason it attracts such vehement protest when it meets. The World Trade Organization is a consortium of big business interests that seeks to sway governments toward open trade policies that leave their members unfettered. These are the guys who brought us "trickle down economics"; let companies exploit the environment and the workers as much as possible, and all will be well.
I wish I could tell you more, but, this movie, which I, unfortunately, found highly disappointing, even frustrating, told very little about their target. Here they have real filmmakers documenting their antics, they have four hours, two for the film, two for the commentary, in which to discuss the very real effects on the developing and developed worlds, of the activities of the WTO. Instead they are entranced by their own cleverness. What a waste. Michael Moore, got 5 minutes of film time to point out how impoverished these Mexican border towns are fifteen years after the implementation of NAFTRA. Why not, instead, take a lesson from Moore, who makes the issue, not himself, the star.
I would love to take this opportunity to inform my readers and friends with info about policies and laws and treaties that have been implemented and how they have affected workers and the environment all over the world. But, I'd have to research it, there sure wasn't much in the film. They make the point that WTO members are so insensitive and removed from reality that they will sit and watch someone advocate outright slavery and Nazism unquestioningly. Like Moore, they are good at highlighting the thinking of people who are completely cut off from the plight of those affected adversely by implementation of their philosophies.
But, where Moore approaches in a relatively open, honest way; seeks to address the thinking head on by offering thought provoking ideas to challenge, the Yes Men just do their little goof, show their targets as ridiculous dupes, and, that's pretty much it. There is so much more to good documentary filmmaking and promoting change. By approaching K-Mart with an injured boy, Moore gets them to see the light, and they take bullets off their shelves. These boys show a lot of clever technical skills, but, where's the heart? Where's the change, the progress? They are just as immersed in their own little world as those they seek to embarrass. Why not explore the issue more fully and show how we are all complicit as we buy shirts for $5. at Wal-mart?
I guess the only way I could stretch out the positive in this film would be to say that they show just how insulated and unquestioning people can become when laden down with untenable world views. I do find it fascinating to watch people defend philosophies that fall apart upon questioning. When you watch people unable to recognize contradictions in their thinking or deal with the logical consequences of their views, it instructs, it lifts us. We saw none of that in this film, just some guys that think they're very clever and some rich folks that dismiss them. At the end they send out phony press releases to 25,000 journalists that the WTO was disbanding. None reported the story.
Anyway, I hope they will next target WIPO, if I don't take them on myself. It's sort of the international RIAA and worth just as much exposure.
They do this, and more, believe me, completely straight-faced. They don't break, even when pelted by Plattsburg students after telling them of "WTO's" plan to recycle human waste into McDonalds burgers for the third world. Even more shocking, was watching their speeches in front of WTO member organizations. They spoke about why the Civil War was a waste of time and how good Nazism was for trade, they showed visuals that were completely offensive and no one in the highly educated European audience so much as batted an eye.
They were able to score these speaking engagements on the basis of a domain name they got; Gatt.org. A number of people, including those, probably now fired ones, who invited them to speak, arrived at their decoy website and the games began. They started their life of pointing the finger back at the rich and powerful in 1999, when they got the domain gwbush.com, and had lots of fun with those who cared enough to remember the all important W. As with the WTO website, it looked almost identical to the original, except for some outlandish statements that were couched in phraseology that gave the impression (to the brainless, real yes men of the world) of plausibility.
Bichlbaum & Bonanno (real names) targeted the WTO for the same reason it attracts such vehement protest when it meets. The World Trade Organization is a consortium of big business interests that seeks to sway governments toward open trade policies that leave their members unfettered. These are the guys who brought us "trickle down economics"; let companies exploit the environment and the workers as much as possible, and all will be well.
I wish I could tell you more, but, this movie, which I, unfortunately, found highly disappointing, even frustrating, told very little about their target. Here they have real filmmakers documenting their antics, they have four hours, two for the film, two for the commentary, in which to discuss the very real effects on the developing and developed worlds, of the activities of the WTO. Instead they are entranced by their own cleverness. What a waste. Michael Moore, got 5 minutes of film time to point out how impoverished these Mexican border towns are fifteen years after the implementation of NAFTRA. Why not, instead, take a lesson from Moore, who makes the issue, not himself, the star.
I would love to take this opportunity to inform my readers and friends with info about policies and laws and treaties that have been implemented and how they have affected workers and the environment all over the world. But, I'd have to research it, there sure wasn't much in the film. They make the point that WTO members are so insensitive and removed from reality that they will sit and watch someone advocate outright slavery and Nazism unquestioningly. Like Moore, they are good at highlighting the thinking of people who are completely cut off from the plight of those affected adversely by implementation of their philosophies.
But, where Moore approaches in a relatively open, honest way; seeks to address the thinking head on by offering thought provoking ideas to challenge, the Yes Men just do their little goof, show their targets as ridiculous dupes, and, that's pretty much it. There is so much more to good documentary filmmaking and promoting change. By approaching K-Mart with an injured boy, Moore gets them to see the light, and they take bullets off their shelves. These boys show a lot of clever technical skills, but, where's the heart? Where's the change, the progress? They are just as immersed in their own little world as those they seek to embarrass. Why not explore the issue more fully and show how we are all complicit as we buy shirts for $5. at Wal-mart?
I guess the only way I could stretch out the positive in this film would be to say that they show just how insulated and unquestioning people can become when laden down with untenable world views. I do find it fascinating to watch people defend philosophies that fall apart upon questioning. When you watch people unable to recognize contradictions in their thinking or deal with the logical consequences of their views, it instructs, it lifts us. We saw none of that in this film, just some guys that think they're very clever and some rich folks that dismiss them. At the end they send out phony press releases to 25,000 journalists that the WTO was disbanding. None reported the story.
Anyway, I hope they will next target WIPO, if I don't take them on myself. It's sort of the international RIAA and worth just as much exposure.
posted by Intervision at 4:23 AM
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