NT HOW IT WORKS IDENTITY CORRECTION hen trying to understand how a machine works, it helps to expose its guts. The same can be said of powerful people or corporations who work hard to make themselves richer— regardless of consequence for everyone else. By catching powerful entities off- guard, you can momentarily expose them to public scrutiny. This way, everyone sees how they work and can figure out how to control them. We call this identity correction. In a Nutshell: Find a target (some entity running amok) and think of something sure to annoy them—something that’s also lots of fun. If you're stumped, imagine the target losing control and acting stupidly. What would it take to make them do that? Capitalize on the target's reaction. Write a press release and e-mail it to hundreds of journalists. In 1967, Yippies threw a hundred one-dollar bills from a balcony onto the New York Stock Exchange floor. The journalists they'd brought along told the world how the brokers, consumed with greed, dropped their trading and scrambled around for the money. Cost to Yippies: $100. Loss to NYSE due to shutdown: millions of dollars—not to mention their image. http://theyesmen.org/yippies A Few Highlights in Correction History: During George W. Bush's first run for President, the Yes Men put up a website at GWBush.com that looked just like Bush's campaign site, but that poked fun of Bush and criticized the corporate funding of elections. When Bush saw the fake website, he got very angry and said some really stupid things on TV. The Yes Men e-mailed press releases about Bush's behavior to thousands of journalists. The resulting press embarrassed the Bush campaign into withdrawing their legal threats as well as their complaint to the Federal Elections Commission. Cost to the Yes Men: $0. Bush was shown to be whiny and capable of stooping very low indeed. http://rtmark.com/bush To highlight the Seville city govern- ment's "planned abandonment" of a centuries-old working-class neighborhood—a plan whose aim was to lower property values and make residents leave, thus paving the way for gentrification—activists planted thousands of altered city logos in the dog droppings that were filling their neighborhood. Visitors to an important conference on "sustainable cities" could not help wondering why the city was sponsoring dog shit. Cost to dogs: minor. Shortly afterwards, sanitation services resumed in the Alameda. More importantly, the gentrification plan was made more visible to all residents, and was shown to be everyone's problem. http://www.sindominio.net/fiambrera * Actual Bush response at Austin, TX press conference, June 2000. Fishing for Cease and Desist Letters The easiest way to embarrass someone powerful is to show how petty they are. Learn to embrace legal threats and use them as evidence in the court of public opinion. Preparing the Press Release Imagine an “objective” newspaper story about the event. How would it read? Be realistic. Then write that story. (Got qualms? This is just what corporations do every day to sell products or candidates.) There ought to be limits to freedom.* TO START DOING “IDENTITY CORRECTION” AND ALSO TO MAKE SOME FUN NEW FRIENDS VISIT CHALLENGE.THEYESMEN.ORG Journalists love fun stories, just like everyone else. The more fun the story, the more likely it is to get covered. REAL CITY LOGO ALTERED LOGO “No me ha dejado.” You’ve never abandoned me. “Si me ha dejado.” You have abandoned me. THIS IS ONE IN THE YES MEN’S WORKING TACTICS SERIES OF VISUAL LEARNING AIDS

IDENTITY CORRECTION HOW IT WORKS · HOW IT WORKS IDENTITY CORRECTION hen trying to understand how a machine works, it helps to expose its guts. The same can be said of powerful people

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H O W I T W O R K SI D E N T I T Y C O R R E C T I O N

hen trying to understandhow a machine works, it

helps to expose its guts. The samecan be said of powerful peopleor corporations who work hardto make themselves richer—regardless of consequencefor everyone else.

By catching powerful entities off-guard, you can momentarilyexpose them to public scrutiny.This way, everyone sees howthey work and can figure outhow to control them. We call thisidentity correction.

In a Nutshell:

Find a target (some entityrunning amok) and thinkof something sure to annoythem—something that’salso lots of fun.

If you're stumped,imagine the targetlosing control andacting stupidly.What would ittake to make themdo that?

Capitalize on thetarget's reaction.Write a press release ande-mail it to hundreds ofjournalists.

In 1967, Yippies threw a hundred one-dollar billsfrom a balcony onto the New York Stock Exchangefloor. The journalists they'd brought along toldthe world how the brokers, consumed with greed,dropped their trading and scrambled around forthe money.

Cost to Yippies: $100. Loss to NYSE due to shutdown:millions of dollars—not to mention their image.

http://theyesmen.org/yippies

A Few Highlights inCorrection History:

During George W. Bush's first run for President,the Yes Men put up a website at GWBush.comthat looked just like Bush's campaign site, butthat poked fun of Bush and criticized the corporatefunding of elections. When Bush saw the fakewebsite, he got very angry and said some reallystupid things on TV.

The Yes Men e-mailed press releases about Bush'sbehavior to thousands of journalists. The resultingpress embarrassed the Bush campaign intowithdrawing their legal threats as well as theircomplaint to the Federal Elections Commission.

Cost to the Yes Men: $0. Bush was shown to be whinyand capable of stooping very low indeed.

http://rtmark.com/bush

To highlight the Seville city govern-ment's "planned abandonment" of acenturies-old working-classneighborhood—a plan whose aimwas to lower property values andmake residents leave, thus paving theway for gentrification—activistsplanted thousands of altered city logosin the dog droppings that were fillingtheir neighborhood. Visitors to animportant conference on "sustainablecities" could not help wondering whythe city was sponsoring dog shit.

Cost to dogs: minor. Shortly afterwards, sanitationservices resumed in the Alameda. More importantly,the gentrification plan was made more visible to allresidents, and was shown to be everyone's problem.

http://www.sindominio.net/fiambrera

* Actual Bush response at Austin, TX press conference, June 2000.

Fishing for Cease and Desist Letters

The easiest way to embarrass someone powerful is toshow how petty they are. Learn to embrace legal threatsand use them as evidence in the court of public opinion.

Preparing the Press Release

Imagine an “objective” newspaper story about the event.How would it read? Be realistic. Then write that story.(Got qualms? This is just what corporations do everyday to sell products or candidates.)

There ought to be limits to freedom.*

TO START DOING “IDENTITY CORRECTION”AND ALSO TO MAKE SOME FUN NEW FRIENDSVISIT CHALLENGE.THEYESMEN.ORG

Journalists lovefun stories, justlike everyone

else. The morefun the story,the more likely

it is to getcovered.

REAL CITY LOGO

ALTERED LOGO

“No me ha dejado.”You’ve never

abandoned me.

“Si me ha dejado.”You have

abandoned me.

THIS IS ONE IN THE YES MEN’S WORKING