The Yes Men Take to the Airwaves Tonight but Still Unlikely to Change the World
You know the dog days of summer are upon us when the Washington Post’s television highlights include tonight’s The Yes Men Fix the World, a new HBO documentary about those zany activists/performance artists, who go around impersonating corporate executives.
Their particular form of protest comes from poking fun at serious issues such as world trade rules, corporate greed and the human role in global warming. And, they are so good at it that the suits usually don’t know the joke is on them until it’s way beyond face-saving time.
They’ve pinioned officials at the World Trade Organization, FEMA and Halliburton. In my book, I included their 2007 antics at a Canadian oil convention. Impersonating executives from ExxonMobil and the National Petroleum Council, The Men had a roomful of industry types on their feet and solemnly lighting candles made from what they claimed to be the next big renewable energy source: Vivoleum, a “fossil fuel” supposedly made from the human flesh of people killed in hurricanes, floods and other global warming-related disasters.
Given what's on TV this time of year, there are many worse ways to spend a Monday night. But even before seeing it, I have a complaint for the filmmakers: the title. The Yes Men certainly make it more fun to fret about corporate corruption and lack of political will, but change the world? At best, they call attention to its many dysfunctions.
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1:35 am
"At best, they call attention to its many dysfunctions."
That was their point. Did you even watch the documentary?
6:11 am
Hey Christine! I hope you did not tun in last night, because you should come see it in the theater in October...by that time we will have fixed the world, I PROMISE!
The title was meant to be ironic... but by the time Autumn rolls around we are sure to have succeeded and you will no longer be pre-emptively disappointed!
Best,
Mike
The Yes Men
8:07 am
Mike,
I don't have HBO, so I haven't seen it. Send tickets to the show c/o the city paper! If you're planning to save the world (even ironically) I'd love to see it.
Regards,
Christine
8:10 am
As for you, Jared, you need to work on your reading comprehension! As stated in the piece, I hadn't seen the documentary. And it's only logical since the story posted hours before program aired.
5:10 pm
Outstanding stuff. I'm looking forward to the next adventure
10:28 am
This could easily have been named Corporate Jackass or Borat does business. But saving the world? We'll see.