The Yes Men Fix the World”: In New Film, Anti-Corporate Pranksters the Yes Men Continue to Jolt

[G_j]

watching these guys on Democracy Now!
awesome!!

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/7/23/yes_men


The Yes Men Fix the World”: In New Film, Anti-Corporate Pranksters the Yes Men Continue to Jolt Polluters and Profiteers

Anti-corporate pranksters and gonzo political activists the Yes Men are back with a new film, The Yes Men Fix the World. The movie follows Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno as they infiltrate and expose the world of big business through high-profile outrageous pranks. From ExxonMobil to Halliburton, no industry is too big for the Yes Men’s hoaxes.

One of the country’s favorite anti-corporate pranksters and gonzo political activists, the Yes Men are back. This time with a new film called “The Yes Men Fix The World.” An official selection at this year"s Sundance Film Festival, the documentary debuts on HBO on Monday.

“The Yes Men Fix the World” follows Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno as they infiltrate and expose the world of big business through high-profile outrageous pranks. From Exxon Mobil to Halliburton no industry is too big for the Yes Men"s hoaxes.

The film opens with one of the Yes Men’s most audacious pranks: impersonating a Dow Chemical spokesperson on BBC World News in a 2004 broadcast that reached 300 million people. Andy Bichlbaum, who identified himself as Jude Finisterra and claimed to represent Dow Chemical, took responsibility for the world’s largest industrial accident which took place in 1984 in the central Indian city of Bhopal


...more..


btw, their first movie: The Yes Men, was incredible

[anonymous171]

1. Awesome. nt

[omega minimo]

2. Rec +5

:bounce:

[G_j]

3. snip

BBC WORLD: It’s a mess, certainly, Jude. That’s good news that you have finally accepted responsibility. Some people would say too late. It’s three years—

JUDE FINISTERRA: Yes.

BBC WORLD: —almost four years on. How soon is your money going to make a difference to the people in Bhopal?

JUDE FINISTERRA: Well, as soon as we can get it to them, Steve. We’ve begun the process of liquidating Union Carbide. This is, as you mentioned, late, but it is the only thing we can do. When we acquired Union Carbide, we did settle their liabilities in the United States immediately. And we are now, three years later, prepared to do the same in India. We should have done it three years ago; we are doing it now. I would say that it’s better late than never.

And I would also like to say that this is no small matter, Steve. This is the first time in history that a publicly owned company of anything near the size of Dow has performed an action which is significantly against its bottom line simply because it’s the right thing to do. And our shareholders may take a bit of a hit, Steve, but I think that if they’re anything like me, they will be ecstatic to be part of such a historic occasion of doing right by those that we’ve wronged.


JUAN GONZALEZ: The hoax ran twice on BBC World and was picked up by the major news wires before the BBC determined that no man named Jude Finisterra worked at Dow and that he was an imposter. The action caused Dow’s market value to drop $2 billion in less than a half hour. Later that day, Dow corrected the apology that their supposed spokesperson had made.

MARINA ASHANIN: This morning a false statement was carried by BBC World regarding responsibility for the Bhopal tragedy. The individual who made this statement identified himself as a Dow spokesperson named Jude Finisterra. Dow confirms that there was no basis whatsoever for this report, and we also confirm that Jude Finisterra is neither an employee nor a spokesperson for Dow.


AMY GOODMAN: Well, that action was from over five years ago, and it brought the ongoing tragedy in Bhopal back in the spotlight, reminding the world of Dow Chemical’s responsibility to those who survived the catastrophic gas leak. This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Bhopal disaster, which has killed over 25,000 people. But Dow Chemical has still not been held accountable.

We’ll get to more on Bhopal in a minute, but right now we’re joined in our firehouse by the Yes Men Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno.

We welcome you to Democracy Now! The film will be airing, that you made, on HBO on Monday night, on July 27th, which includes this story. Now, Andy, Jude Finisterra, first, how did you come up with that name, when you were walking into the Paris studio, of Jude Finisterra?


..more..

[omega minimo]

4. "Finis Terra" -- Subtle............

"This is the first time in history that a publicly owned company of anything near the size of Dow has performed an action which is significantly against its bottom line simply because it’s the right thing to do."

:rofl:

[G_j]

12. not..

:rofl:

[gorfle]

6. Fantastic!

I had never heard of these people!

You can find them on Youtube and see the whole BBC interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlUQ2sUti8o

The action caused Dow’s market value to drop $2 billion in less than a half hour.

Now that is fucking justice, right there.

If those Yes Men were smart they would have bought a freaking fortune of Dow stock when it plunged and made a fortune, then give it all to the Indians.

[G_j]

5. Exxon Hoax: Vivoleum

The Yes Men - Exxon Hoax: Vivoleum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkLzK13rI-Y


...
AMY GOODMAN: What about some of your other pranks over the years? Can you talk about some of your favorites?

MIKE BONANNO: Well, there are quite a few now, and a lot of them are in this new movie, and that’s going to be released theatrically in the fall, as well. And one of, I think, our favorite, most entertaining ones, and that one was this Exxon hoax, where we represented Exxon and invented a new biofuel called Vivoleum that’s made from the victims of climate change. We announced to a big petroleum conference that we’re, you know, inventing this new biofuel, and we actually gave them candles made of the fuel and lit them and, you know, watched how they respond to that.
...

[dysfunctional press]

7. since you're only allowed 4 paragraphs- why did you duplicate the first two?

just because the other site did, doesn't mean that you have to...

read what you post before you post.

[G_j]

9. yea, well, two sentences..

so what?
you can't click on the link..?

[ihavenobias]

8. I wish I had HBO.

K & R

[Blue_Tires]

10. k+r

[G_j]

11. k