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The Progressive

NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release

ADM Tries to Take Down Funny Video; Big Business Has No Solutions; Now What?

NATIONWIDE

A legal complaint from agribusiness giant ADM has resulted in the removal from Youtube of a fake video of ADM's CEO making over-honest pronouncements. (The video is still available here, here, and, for download and reposting, here.)

Last week, the filmmaking team behind The End of Poverty? partnered with the Yes Men to create a parallel, imaginary World Economic Forum in which world leaders came up with real solutions to poverty. The leaders seemed, in a series of videos, to be supporting a set of initiatives based on 10 Solutions to End Poverty, a petition for which the filmmakers are trying to get ten million signatures by the end of 2010.

Each of those initiatives pages has links to organizations that are fighting hard for change on these issues.

In contrast, the actual World Economic Forum ended Sunday with a profound lack of results, some seemingly satirical but all-too-real headlines (like Goldman Sachs's Lloyd Blankfein's rumoured $100 million bonus), and one fruitless complaint to Youtube.

"If we can bail out bankers to the tune of trillions of dollars,
surely we can solve poverty, which will just take a few structural
changes, plus a whole lot less money," said Beth Portello, the producer of The End of Poverty?

"All the crises we're facing are rooted in massive inequality
and poverty," says Philippe Diaz, the film's director. "If these
leaders really wanted to make a difference, they would work towards
ending poverty, however uncomfortable that might be for business."

"It's easier to remove funny videos from Youtube," added Portello.

  • ADM video still available here, here, and (for download and reposting) here; page here
  • Fake initiatives pages, with links to organizations seeking change on these issues
  • More information about last week's website and videos
  • Ever since 1996, the Yes Men have used humor and trickery to highlight the corporate takeover of society, the neoliberal delusion that allows it, the corporate Democrats' responsibility for our current situation, and so on. And while we're all about "building awareness," we do realize that's not all there is, and that it's only ongoing campaigns that really make change.