Say yes to "The Yes Men"
Mick Moore
Issue date: 3/10/10 Section: The Edge
Out of the thousands of films mankind has produced in this first century or so of cinema, there is one film that I have yet to meet an opponent of. In fact, across campus' nationwide this movie is accepted as loved by nearly all and a must-have for any respectable DVD collection.
I'm of course referring to "Fight Club," a film so popular with college students it's almost become cliché. And what makes "Fight Club" so enjoyable, for me anyway, is the protagonist's journey to gain the ability to let go of all the inane little details of life and free himself from the bowels of corporate hell.
Of course, by the end of the film, quite a few buildings have been demolished with homemade explosives, and that kind of behavior just isn't acceptable here in reality.
But what if I told you that the corporate-dismantling, soul-freeing attitude of "Fight Club" (minus the explosives) was available in another film?
Or that other film is in fact a documentary, and follows actual people who deceive and manipulate actual corporations who commit actual acts of destruction and manipulation.
Better yet, you can see this movie "The Yes Men" for free this Wednesday, March 10 at 7 p.m. in Morgan Hall Room 109.
Using a variety of disguises, fake Web sites and expertly placed phone calls, two men set out to expose some of the more despicable sides of major corporations and government programs that are usually ignored or purposely hidden.
The kind of brazen confidence usually only found in fictional con men that the two "yes men" Jacque Servin and Igor Vamos have is astounding.
With balls of steel, they pose as corporate CEOs, government representatives and publc relations representatives for a variety of institutions and conventions, not only fooling the companies, but the public and the media as well.
One of their most publicized (as well as influential) hoaxes was on Dec. 3, 2004. The yes men convinced BBC that they were representatives of Dow Chemical, the world's second largest chemical company.
The message of the interview was that Dow Chemical was going to be liquidating Union Carbide and giving the resulting $12 billion to the more than 120,000 people who were permanently affected by the Bhopal chemical disaster that Union Carbide was responsible for.
By the end of the day (which was the 20th anniversary of the disaster), Dow Chemical's stock had lost $2 billion, and Dow's image was irreplaceably damaged.
The showing has been organized and is being presented by the Campus Greens club, and following the film there will be a panel discussion with Heather McIlvaine-Newsad, Gordon Rands, Hal Marchand and Setene Jebrewold to discuss the film's messages and themes.
I'm of course referring to "Fight Club," a film so popular with college students it's almost become cliché. And what makes "Fight Club" so enjoyable, for me anyway, is the protagonist's journey to gain the ability to let go of all the inane little details of life and free himself from the bowels of corporate hell.
Of course, by the end of the film, quite a few buildings have been demolished with homemade explosives, and that kind of behavior just isn't acceptable here in reality.
But what if I told you that the corporate-dismantling, soul-freeing attitude of "Fight Club" (minus the explosives) was available in another film?
Or that other film is in fact a documentary, and follows actual people who deceive and manipulate actual corporations who commit actual acts of destruction and manipulation.
Better yet, you can see this movie "The Yes Men" for free this Wednesday, March 10 at 7 p.m. in Morgan Hall Room 109.
Using a variety of disguises, fake Web sites and expertly placed phone calls, two men set out to expose some of the more despicable sides of major corporations and government programs that are usually ignored or purposely hidden.
The kind of brazen confidence usually only found in fictional con men that the two "yes men" Jacque Servin and Igor Vamos have is astounding.
With balls of steel, they pose as corporate CEOs, government representatives and publc relations representatives for a variety of institutions and conventions, not only fooling the companies, but the public and the media as well.
One of their most publicized (as well as influential) hoaxes was on Dec. 3, 2004. The yes men convinced BBC that they were representatives of Dow Chemical, the world's second largest chemical company.
The message of the interview was that Dow Chemical was going to be liquidating Union Carbide and giving the resulting $12 billion to the more than 120,000 people who were permanently affected by the Bhopal chemical disaster that Union Carbide was responsible for.
By the end of the day (which was the 20th anniversary of the disaster), Dow Chemical's stock had lost $2 billion, and Dow's image was irreplaceably damaged.
The showing has been organized and is being presented by the Campus Greens club, and following the film there will be a panel discussion with Heather McIlvaine-Newsad, Gordon Rands, Hal Marchand and Setene Jebrewold to discuss the film's messages and themes.
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