Subversion By Press Release — ®™ARK Is At It Again...
	found on ®™ARK written by moodcontrol, edited by Dylan (Plastic) [ read unedited ] posted Fri 13 Dec 4:18pm
		"We understand the anger and hurt," said Dow Spokesperson Bob Questra. "But Dow does not and cannot acknowledge responsibility. If we did, not only would we be required to expend many billions of dollars on cleanup and compensation--much worse, the public could then point to Dow as a precedent in other big cases. ... We are unable to set this precedent for ourselves and the industry, much as we would like to see the issue resolved in a humane and satisfying way." "Today," writes moodcontrol, "I received what amounted to an explanation for the ludicrously stupid press release that appeared as though it had been sent by the Dow Chemical Company explaining why they have not accepted blame, nor apologized for the Bhopal/Union Carbide pesticide disaster that occurred in the early eighties in Bhopal, India. In any case, it turns out that this is a growing trend in modern protest -- that is, saying the things you disagree with the most with a straight face and seeing if people can tell the difference. This phenomenon of pretending to be your opposition's best friend, has proven itself to be as effective as similar tactics used by PR agencies where people are hired to protest in favor of policies that fundamentally no one would agree with. For example, the fellow who spoke before the WTO in Salzburg who had a litany of half-insane ideas that seemed not to raise an eyebrow until it was revealed later that he was an imposter. I can't decide whether I like the idea of mass disinformation being passed back and forth between business and public interest groups, or if this is going to make me even more disaffected than I already am."

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1.  Dear Mr. or Mrs. Moodcontrol   by newkindakick       at Fri 13 Dec 4:40pm score of 1     We at Dow understand and sympathize with your disaffection and skepticism. We cannot, however, commit ourselves to releasing more believable statements in the future, as greater forthrightness would reveal us for the cold-hearted sons of bitches we actually are - much worse, the public could then point to Dow and say "Hey, aren't there other big cases where Dow has done some really fucked up shit?" We are unable to set this precedent for ourselves and the industry. I wouldn't normally do this kinda thing   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

7.  Re: Dear Mr. or Mrs. Moodcontrol   by moodcontrol       2 hours, 27 minutes ago score of 1   in reply to comment 1     My disaffection comes, not as a result of the implied message, but rather as a result of the opposition being reduced to apeing the tactics which they so clearly despise. I understand that even in the act of behaving in this manner there is also an implicit irony being drawn out of it; but being misled (whether it's a cause you believe in or not) is still unethical, even if I agree with the fundamental politics guiding the action. Which raises the question: what's more important to me? Ethics? Or politics? MTV makes me wanna smoke crack.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

2.  Projects galore   by musiquestar       at Fri 13 Dec 5:26pm score of 1     Usually, their tactics are pretty interesting and/or hilarious, even if quite a few are wistful thinking. It makes for good reading. "Make large vinyl stickers and place them on GAP KIDs store windows. 'Made by children, for children.'" But I've noticed as of late, quite a few more have been internet-based only... "Hack any mainstream news website and paste in an article by Michael Moore about George W. Bush (www.michaelmoore.com/2002_0129.html)." Granted, it'll be seen more and it's easier, but there's more impact on the individual if you go into a shoe store and find Nike sweatshop flyers in the bottom of the boxes... it's easy to dismiss internet protest projects, unfortunately. And, like the post mentioned, it's harder to tell who's on what side Your fantasies are unlikely, but beautiful.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

3.  Wow, this was something I totally missed...   by Pravda       at Fri 13 Dec 6:07pm score of 1     ...until I read the linked websites. So basically, someone created a bunch of quotes, attributed to real people at Dow, without mentioning that it was a parody? On a website that apes Dow's to the letter, uses the Dow logo, and and even a copyright to the Dow Chemical Company? Come on, this isn't a cute parody, it's deliberately misleading people. There's a line between parody and deception, and this falls squarely on the deception side. And the worst part about it is that it isn't even clever. It's about the level of what high-school 'satirists' chuckle over before it gets rejected from their school paper. It's lose. L-O-S-E, lose. Not loose. Argh!   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

4.  aikido solutions   by gerrymander       at Fri 13 Dec 6:17pm score of 1     My only surprise here is that this tactic hasn't been followed through in the obvious manner by the corporations: an official press release claiming that rtmark's PR contract has been cancelled. The intraparty ethics of zealots are policed even more harshly than those of the opposition, and the anti-corporate types are no exception. Add the suspicion of a taint of corporate money, and all that indie cred might as well have been written in water.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

5.  Billionaires for Bush or Gore   by studboy       5 hours, 46 minutes ago score of 1     Billionaires, you know, the most important 1/100000th of the population? This is their official campaign headquarters. They loudly proclaim thanks to the suckers (I mean voters) for passing the estate tax that makes them even richer while doing nothing for the economy. They even have a convenient price/performance ratio for different bills written by megacorporations and drafted into law by a few well-paid congressmen. Each law shows how much it cost, who sponsored it, and how much "return on investment" each law got for the company! The ROIs are in the order of 10,000% or more! damn good site ">a www.billionairesforbushorgore.com link   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

6.  The Midas Touch   by Djerrid       5 hours, 16 minutes ago score of 1     The same guys who did the WTO protest/prank in Salzburg did an even better one in Finland. The Yes Men got a parody site up of the WTO and through it received an invitation to a textiles convention. So, one of the Yes Men, posed as a WTO rep, gave a hilariously hard-to-swallow Powerpoint presentation that the audience didn't doubt for a second. You've got to admire the balls of these guys - they need them to match the golden shlong.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]