THE YES MEN AND ACTIVISM IN THE INFORMATION ... - Index of

Vernon Ellis, the International Chairman of Andersen Consulting, and the moderator, Nigel
Roberts, though puzzled by Hulatberi’s unusual statements, were complacent about the
“WTO’s” stance on the matter of global trade. The appearance of the Yes Men on CNBC did not
make international headlines, and was only reported after the Yes Men told the press it was a
hoax. So the only people who were aware of the incident were those already on the side of the
Yes Men or WTO supporters who saw the group as a nuisance, but not a threat.
Bonanno and Bichlbaum’s next WTO appearance was at a “Textiles of the Future”
conference in Tampere, Finland, on August 16, 2001. Here, “Hank Hardy Unruh” (Bichlbaum)
introduced a revolutionary business suit design for managers and overseers, called the
“Management Leisure Suit” that included a three-foot phallus capable of administering electric
shocks to slacking employees. This, they thought, would definitely get the Yes Men – and
hopefully the WTO – into hot water. Due to labor force issues, the textile industry plays an
important part in the new global economy, Unruh explained in his lecture. Managing lazy
workers in Taiwan when you are in Tucson becomes a problem. The solution he proposed was
the Management Leisure Suit, which Bichlbaum was wearing under a breakaway business suit. At
the appropriate moment in the lecture, Unruh stepped from behind the podium, and with the
help of his assistant Bonanno, ripped away the business suit to unveil the Leisure suit. 52 The
audience gasped and clapped. When strategic strings were pulled, the phallus inflated to display a
screen upon which to watch workers implanted with “humane” chips that would allow the
52 Footage from the feature film, The Yes Men, DVD, directed by Dan Ollman, Sarah Price, and Chris Smith (Los
Angeles: MGM, 2004).
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