A Brief Review of the Yes Men’s Works

The Yes Men, mainly composed of an activist duo, have been accumulating their nationwide popularity through satirically acting to spoof inabilities of governmental and corporate institutions regarding their handlings of sensitive social or political issues. The Yes Men Are Revolting, a documentary work released in 2014, and the Yes Lab, which serves as its official agency offering platforms for activists’ varying goals, could be seen as the group’s devotion to calling for public attentions and promoting solutions and positive social actions. Undoubtedly, both projects, by taking advantage of different conveying approaches, make their contributions in displaying thoughts over political behaviors as well as the complex course of globalization.

In “Revolting”, Bichlbaum and Bonanno continue their political pranks by placing their target of ridicule at some organizations’ non-actions when confronted with climate change, accompanied by their presentation of middle age crisis around relationships and personal identities. Bichlbaum's fake announcement by representing U.S. Chamber of Commerce concerning plans against climate change, the depiction of frustrations in their participations at Climate Change Summit, are typical examples used to reveal the broad gap between the absolute urgency of corresponding solutions and political shortsightedness. Besides, through pulling off hilarious hoaxes, the film suggests that global warming holds severe challenges, and that social stagnancy makes it a necessity for maintaining long-term patience. Same level of engagement is apparently identified in the Yes Lab’s consistent conduct of pushing forward social justice and high efficiency of policies through focusing on global issues. Globalization is implied as the critical factor that has been triggering nerve-racking socio-economic and environmental puzzles at multinational levels. A thorough understanding of roles of governments and corporations is seen as crucial in the content of Yes Lab’s blogs, which showcase latest advances of its variety of projects.

Interconnection and senses of detachment or objection, which could be generalized as a disembedding system, are without any question equally significant for the existence and flourishment of the Yes Men. The film series, constructions of fake websites, simulation of conferences, and collaborations with the media, are precise movements of activists’ intention of sustaining intimate communications with the outer world. Only by this, could they accomplish their goals of exposing truths behind the scenes and raising collective awareness at social and political diseases. However, a high degree of separation from the dominant public voice is also apparent in the group’s years of efforts to ensure the authenticity and high value of their operations to convince its audience. Processes of searching for forceful arguments and supporting proofs, applications of satire methods, and distinctly unique perspectives, altogether indicate a purposeful distance maintained from the mainstream trend.

Positive receptions are received largely due to its incorporation of entertainment and hotly debated topics, ranging from corporate corruptions, poor performances of governmental departments, to universally agonizing subjects. By faking websites and mocking spokesmen from different fields, informing and educating effects are conveniently made. Ineffectiveness could be located in terms of their lack of professionality, overestimation of powers from the public, as well as occasional excessive emphasis on creating dramas and amusements.