The Yes Men, shown at the Spectrum 8 Theatre in Albany last Wednesday, was literally brought to life with a question and answer session by stars RPI professor Mike Bonnano and his cohort Andy Bilchbaum.
The documentary style film follows the Yes Men as they impersonate members of the World Trade Organization on the news, at various conferences around the world, and at a university. Through various acts of misrepresenting the WTO in order to discredit the organization, and finally, the outright lie that the WTO has shut itself down to reevaluate its mission, the two Yes Men succeed in convincing others that they are the real deal.
The strongly satirical methods Bonnano and Bilchbaum employ provide comic relief to otherwise dull situations. The hilarious unveiling of a rubber phallus with the ability to monitor and electrically shock workers does not even faze conference attendees in Finland, sending a poignant message about the indifference of the business world. In contrast, the team’s plan to market hamburgers recycled from human waste appalls a group of university students, causing them to throw objects and jeer at the duo.
This showing of the film drew many RPI students who can relate to the indifference of the business world and the reaction of the college students. Politics and issues surrounding political activism often appear in classes.
Bonnano said, “When I’m teaching I don’t actually teach courses about activism. Often politics are part of the work I show and I discuss it….When I hear students’ ideas it is a good way to tap into what’s happening.”
The film will appeal particularly to a liberal audience, as it bashes the WTO without creating any solutions for problems it causes. However, in the question and answer session, the two Yes Men made no claims that they had solutions, but rather wanted to spread the message of the organization’s commitment to the powerful, leaving people in the third world to suffer.
Bichlebaum said, “It’s probably effective to the audience because they suspend their disbelief. The goal should be to build a stronger movement to end this situation.”
The possibility exists for the film to mislead because it appeals to the audience’s sense of humor and offers little credible data; both are tactics intended to form a negative image of the WTO. The one-sided view creates a self-gratifying show for people who already have staunch liberal opinions. At the same time, it also accomplishes the goal of alerting people who are not aware of the WTO’s impact on poorer nations. A more balanced film would have ended in disaster, sending no message at all.
The focus on a single issue makes the intent of the Yes Men very clear and the film easy to follow.
The final prank of telling the world that the WTO has shut itself down to evaluate how it can integrate humanitarian goals in its next iteration provides a strong closure. The Yes Men successfully accomplished what they set out to do—ruffle a few feathers—and then publicized their actions through a comical documentary that hits some very strong notes.
