The Yes Men: It Takes a Lie to Tell The Truth

Do we love the Yes Men? Oh, yes, we do!

"Ascended masters of media hoaxing, sociopolitical pranking, and Tactical Embarrassment."

Seldom has social criticism had such teeth, while having so much fun. Mike and Andy have been dropping into corporate board meetings, conservative think tank dinners and international press events for the better part of 10 years. And now they have a new film out to tell about it. "The Yes Men Fix the World." (Trailer) Especially adorable are the inflatable "Halliburton Surviva-Ball" pillbug suits. Brilliant!

You can feel the prickle of stage-fright on the back of your neck as they infiltrate these media events and commandeer the microphone for some deadpan truth-telling. The way they poke little holes into the audience's normal perceptual routine is deeply subversive. I guarantee that spending any time with these guys will make you want to invent some naughty truth-revealing schemes of your own. And I hope you will!

Here is their official website.

Wikipedia has a great synopsis of who they are and what they do, calling them "a group of culture jamming activists who practice what they call 'identity correction' by pretending to be powerful people and spokespersons for prominent organizations. From their offices in Milwaukee, they create and maintain fake websites similar to ones they want to spoof, and then they accept invitations received on their websites to appear at conferences, symposia, and TV shows. They express the idea that corporations and governmental organizations often act in dehumanizing ways toward the public. Elaborate props are sometimes part of the ruse."

Here is a link to a collection of video clips of their audacious stunts.

From the promo for their book, in which they teach you how to do what they do:

Not only do the Yes Men punk powerful corporations and make films about it, they also write books (or, a book)! This book is the companion book to The Yes Men (2004), the United Artists documentary that followed Andy and Mike as they impersonated the World Trade Organization on TV and at business conferences around the world. Delighted to speak as the organization they oppose, Andy and Mike tried out every shock tactic they could think of for their unwitting audiences. Weirdly, the experts never noticed the joke and seemed to agree with every terrible idea they came up with. The book is richly illustrated in full color throughout, featuring photographs of Mike and Andy getting deeper and deeper into their assumed identities. Also liberally dispensed are many of the hilarious e-mail exchanges between the Yes Men and various officials and individuals around the world who have asked their advice on issues of world trade.

So don't forget, kids: If life is getting you down, break out the mischief and get a few friends to help you!