Group 5 Presentation Summary: Angelo, Kimberly, Valerie

The Yes Men are a group of activists that advocate for change. By doing this, they create plans using the media that are unusual but grabs people attention forcing you to listen to what's going on in the world. How so? The Yes Men create fake websites to expose the truth and partner with organizations. For example, one of their first pranks was the satirical "website www.gwbush.com", established for the 2000 US presidential election to draw attention to alleged hypocrisies on Bush's actual website. When asked about the site in a press conference on May 21, 1999, Bush responded that the website had gone too far in criticizing him. In 2004, the Yes Men went on tour posing as the group "Yes, Bush Can!" and encouraged supporters to sign a "Patriot Pledge" agreeing to keep nuclear waste in their backyards and send their children off to war. They appeared at the 2004 Republican National Convention and drove across the country at first in an RV with a George W. Bush body wrap, and then in a painted van. When asked at a news conference in May what he thought about the site, Bush let loose, saying it was produced by a "garbage man" and suggesting that "there ought to be limits to freedom"--a line Bush's online critics have vowed to never let the world forget. By then, Bush's lawyers had warned Exley that he faced a lawsuit for his Web site's use of photos lifted from the copyrighted official Bush campaign site.



Another example of an issue that the Yes Men gave a spotlight to was in Federick, Maryland. Ft. Detrick has been producing and destroying chemical and biological weapons. This has caused an astronomically high cancer rate for the residents of Frederick (118 documented cases). In 2015, the first group of ghosts gathered on Halloween, dressed in all white. With help from the Kristen Renee Foundation (a group formed after its namesake passed from brain cancer in 2008), “the group invaded the military base, crashed a Halloween themed historical tour, and haunted downtown Frederick for an hour or two." There is an active lawsuit against Ft. Detrick. The ghost march was created as something that can be done every year; if you print out the flier on The Yes Men’s website, you can participate too! A similar artist based in New York City, a group called "Improv Everywhere." This group stages “positive pranks”, such as several no pants subway rides, random parade leading, and so on. “Improv Everywhere" aims to surprise and delight random strangers through positive pranks.



Another issue the Yes Men approached in 2015 was a drought problem in California. It was clear to them that the people of California were not willing to give up beef and save water. To support the need and want for beef the Yes Men created a fake website, www.skipshowersforbeef.com, that provided tips on how to use less water. The Yes Men partnered with the Courage Campaign, and FunnyorDie.com to create a grassroots “moo-vement”, displayed a video of vegan DJ/musician Moby promoting skipping showers for beef, and an appearance at a Governor Brown event. At the Governor Brown event, people looked confused, curious, found humor in it, or walked out. People are now aware of the droughts and how to fix the problem or continue to add towards it. Similar artist, Aida Sulova is a street artist that uses trash bins as a canvas in Bishkek, to bring attention to a garbage problem that is affecting her community. The Yes Men have numerous pranks and continue to raise awareness of political and social issues in the world.