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

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A cohesive timeline of the history and evolution of the artwork of Vamos and Servin into those of the Yes Men does not exist; one of the aims of this thesis is to provide such documentation. There is purposeful confusion by Vamos and Servin about their identities and group involvements, as well as discrepancies found between various sources documenting the dates and circumstances behind the creation of the Yes Men. A history of the group compared to their precedents within the media is also needed to bring into perspective the dynamic of the Yes Men’s relationships with its targets and the mass media. This analysis puts forth the argument that, as Vamos and Servin evolved into the Yes Men, they have been successful in terms of publicity and self-promotion. Yet, like Coco Fusco laments about responses to her Amer- Indians, the Yes Men have been assimilated by the very corporate and societal structure they fight against, thus nullifying their intent. 6 This paper puts forth three reasons for the Yes Men’s inability to effectively communicate their message: first, there is the paradox of artists (Vamos and Servin) practicing within the corporate world. Without the buffer of enacting their schemes within the art world, like the Yes Men’s predecessor RTMark has done, the Yes Men have had trouble gaining acceptance from their target audience. Second, because of the nature of simulation, the act of copying their targets too closely, the Yes Men’s pranks have fallen on mostly deaf, or prejudiced, ears. And third, because of what Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri have dubbed the 6 Coco Fusco, English Is Broken Here: Notes on Cultural Fusion In the Americas (New York: The New Press, Ltd., 1995), 37-38. 4
“paradox of incommunicability,” a situation in which, because of the current state of globalization, communication is no longer effective because of an overload of communication. Within this system, the Yes Men are not heard, and thus, cannot convey their message. 5
Page 1 and 2: THE YES MEN AND ACTIVISM IN THE INF
Page 3 and 4: TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Page 5 and 6: INTRODUCTION “The Master’s tool
Page 7: of RTMark (pronounced “artmark”
Page 11 and 12: The BLO, SimCopter, and the Emergen
Page 13 and 14: at least embarrass, large corporati
Page 15 and 16: undermine, focusing on channeling c
Page 17 and 18: Another tactic employed by RTMark,
Page 19 and 20: freedom.” 27 This remark was wide
Page 21 and 22: on the web, and on television, in o
Page 23 and 24: attle with the WTO, this one mimick
Page 25 and 26: In 2000, the Yes Men received an em
Page 27 and 28: Vernon Ellis, the International Cha
Page 29 and 30: een including 20% ‘post-consumer
Page 31 and 32: Furthermore, Jude Finisterra (whose
Page 33 and 34: ears. No violent or strong audience
Page 35 and 36: and therefore may make their action
Page 37 and 38: The Art of Parody From Jonathan Swi
Page 39 and 40: Treating Others As We Would Like To
Page 41 and 42: the images surrounding it. In the w
Page 43 and 44: constructed nature of media represe
Page 45 and 46: habits of perception.” 80 Joseph
Page 47 and 48: public spectacles, and press covera
Page 49 and 50: of their earlier Sexism Rears Its U
Page 51 and 52: the children who see the ads every
Page 53 and 54: along with the works of Rodriguez d
Page 55 and 56: available in print form but widely
Page 57 and 58: hierarchies and the rigid structure
Page 59 and 60:
The Instant Information Age What ma
Page 61 and 62:
according to Debord, has stripped u
Page 63 and 64:
hands of the white, Anglo-Saxon est
Page 65 and 66:
appeared in public, as well as in c
Page 67 and 68:
into submission by a barrage of med
Page 69 and 70:
Their feature film, The Yes Men, is
Page 71 and 72:
BIBLIOGRAPHY Aaron, Kenneth. “The
Page 73 and 74:
Electronic Disturbance Theater. “
Page 75 and 76:
Myerson, Sylvie. “The Art of Conf
Page 77 and 78:
World Trade Organization. “WTO DG
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