-Caveat Lector-
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Ads they don't want seen; news they don't want known
Date: Thu, 23 Nov 2000 22:52:40 -0600 (CST)
From: MichaelP <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Organization: ?
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
GUARDIAN (London)Friday November 24, 2000
Duncan Campbell in Los Angeles
Internet spreads word as networks shun adverts for Buy Nothing Day
Today is America's Buy Nothing Day. An event that was started to poke
pointed fun at consumerism is now being celebrated in more than 40
countries, embarrassing television networks and demonstrating the power of
the internet as a political organising tool.
The campaign was the brainchild of Kalle Lasn, the founder of a
Vancouver-based magazine, Adbusters, "the journal of the mental
environment", and author of Culture Jam, an exploration of consumerism,
globalisation and advertising.
The day, which encourages people not to bother shopping for what they do
not really need, began in the Pacific north-west in 1993 and was taken up
on the internet in 1995. Now it has expanded, from events in 30 countries
last year to 45 this year.
In America, it takes place on the day after Thanksgiving Day,
traditionally the biggest shopping day in the calendar, while in Europe it
is held on the last Saturday in November, which this year falls tomorrow.
"Every year it gets bigger," said Lasn yesterday. "A lot of it is word of
mouth." He said that many events were now being organised by groups with
no connection to Adbusters.
In the best traditions of consumerism, the organisers had hoped to
advertise the day on television. When they made their first attempt, last
year, every major network found reasons why it could not run a commercial
telling people not to buy anything.
A CBS spokesman told Adbusters: "This commercial is in opposition to the
current economic policy of the United States."
Only CNN agreed to run the commercial after being told that a refusal
would lead to an embarrassing story in the Wall Street Journal. This year
the network agreed to run the ad, said Lasn, only to have an apparent
change of heart.
"It was a very strange experience," he said. "When we first approached
them they said 'no worries, no problems, there's plenty of time.' Then
they told us all the spots were sold out."
Finally a compromise has been reached and the 30-second ad was due to be
screened once only last night.
The commercial's voice-over explains why the networks might not have been
keen to run it alongside other advertisements: "The average North American
consumes five times more than a Mexican, 10 times more than a Chinese
person, and 30 times more than a person from India.
"We are the most voracious consumers in the world ... A world ... could
die because of the way we North Americans live. Give it a rest. November
24 is Buy Nothing Day."
But Lasn, an Estonian-born former documentary film-maker, said not
everyone was impressed by the idea. "On radio talk-shows there are chamber
of commerce types who can't believe what we're doing and they can be quite
rambunctious. And people phone up and say 'if you don't like it in this
country, then get out'."
But he said that the majority of reactions had been positive, with many ad
hoc groups being set up around the world, covering everything from small
towns in Hungary to shopping centres in Japan.
Last year in New York, thousands of activists took over Times Square for a
dance party, while other protesters targeted what is said to be the
world's longest shopping avenue in Panama City.
This year, Adbusters' campaigns manager, Tom Liacas, said yesterday,
everything from "reclaim the streets" demonstrations to the exchange of
free gifts is planned.
He attributes the increase in interest to both the power of the internet
and the effect of anti-globalisation protests in Seattle last year.
"Since Seattle, there's a much larger audience for this sort of thing," he
said. "People have been adapting the day to their own cultures so we won't
really know the scope of what has been done until afterwards."
======================
*** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material
is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest
in receiving the included information for research and educational
purposes. Feel free to distribute widely but PLEASE acknowledge the
source. ***
<A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A>
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic
screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are
sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis-
directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with
major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought.
That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and
always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no
credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html
<A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of
[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A>
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
<A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A>
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
