2 Comments Written by Robert Hecimovic on November 13, 2008 – 2:32 pm

Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom were brought to an unceremonious close today.

Ha! Just joking, did we get you? We might not have but the Yes Men certainly did.

The image and caption above are the result of a 6 month elaborate prank executed yesterday by the culture jamming group known as the Yes Men. Thousands of free copies of a spoof edition of the New York Times with the headline ‘Iraq War Ends’ were handed out on busy New York subways. The fake newspaper deceived many of its recipients, despite the obvious liberal message contained within. The paper had many links to progressive culture jamming organisations as well as other fake stories such as ‘USA Patriot Act Repealed’, ‘National Health Insurance Act Passes’ and ‘Court Indicts Bush on High Treason Charge’, an obvious comment on the state of American politics.

I have to say that I’m impressed with the breadth of the operation. This is the first time that I’ve heard of the Yes Men and I definitely like the work they do. I say bravo for pulling off one of the best pranks I’ve seen in a while.

The following is an excerpt from the Yes Men’s wikipedia entry:
‘The Yes Men are a group of culture jamming activists who practice what they call “identity correction” by pretending to be powerful people and spokespersons for prominent organizations. They create and maintain fake websites similar to ones they want to spoof, and then they accept invitations received on their websites to appear at conferences, symposia, and TV shows. Their newfound, self-proclaimed authority to express the idea that corporations and governmental organizations often act in dehumanizing ways toward the public has met both positively and negatively with political overtones.’