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Bhopal Disaster - BBC - The Yes Men

Bhopal Disaster - BBC - The Yes Men on HackerTube: recommended by 1 Hacker News commenter across 1 month, 2010–2022.

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A clip of the Yes Men posing as a Dow Chemical spokesman on the BBC and announcing compensation for victims of the Bhopal disaster, a hoax on live television.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN cites it as a favorite example of a famous prank or trolling stunt that fooled a major broadcaster.

people recommended it
1
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discussed on HN
2010–2022
“Perhaps my favourite”
— e12e, Jun 2016, in “Lenin was a mushroom”

What HN commenters said

5 Hacker News comments link this video. Each one links back to its thread.

e12eJun 2016Recommends

Haha. For something equally funny, but more serious (in a way, although making fun of Lenin at the time is nothing to sneeze at), have a look at the work of "the Yes Men": [link] Perhaps my favourite: ▶ this video "Bhopal Disaster - BBC - The Yes Men" - where they tricked media, including the BBC, into believing they were Dow Chemical spokespersons, and that Dow would take responsibility for the Bhopal chemical disaster, after Dow bought Union Carbide. [ed: some context: [link] ]

in “Lenin was a mushroom” · View on HN

jancsikaJun 2022Cites it

> An exception to normally bad behavior, and the first instance of a genuine change in approach, look identical. No, they probably don't. Take for example this example prank by the Yes Men : > ▶ this video The beauty of the prank was that the company then had to send a real spokesperson out to explicitly state that "Steve, yes," was the wrong answer to the question, "Do you now accept responsibility for what happened?" In fact I'll boldly claim you have never seen a genuine change in approach from a company of this size that wasn't forced by a settlement with the government or criminal prosecution(s). Edit: I'll go ahead and admit I'd love to read about the exceptions to my last paragraph, but only in terms of companies the size of Google.

in “Google contacted me directly to help restore FairEmail on the Play Store” · View on HN

reitzensteinmOct 2019Cites it

Tangentially related, the Yes Men went on the BBC pretending to be representatives of Dow, taking full responsibility for the disaster, and temporarily wiping $2bn off the market cap. The man in the video, Jacques Servin, was fired from Maxis after adding an easter egg to SimCopter where groups of shirtless men appeared kissing each other on certain dates. ▶ this video [link]

in “Bhopal disaster” · View on HN

feedjoelpieMay 2016Cites it

Would you consider, as I would, the Yes Men's activities as both trolling and more or less good? ▶ this video

in “Aristotle, “On Trolling”” · View on HN

sp332Oct 2010Cites it

Spoofing emails? How about pranking a BBC interviewer? ▶ this video or impersonating the U.S. Chamber of Commerce? [link]

in “Elaborate fake Chevron PR campaign created by subversive ad group” · View on HN

Topics & tags

Media, journalism & propagandaSatire & parodyyes menbhopal disasterdow chemicalbbc prankactivism