Stop Bitching, Start a Revolution!

January 28, 2005 8:11 AM

"Stop Bitching, Start a Revolution!" • In the same comic deadpan spirit as his other video, Evan Maloney from Brain-Terminal.com consoles protesters on Inauguration Day with softball questions and Hero Builders toys.
posted by jenleigh (12 comments total)

Interesting. I don't know where the film maker's own political sympathies lie, but his nonconfrontational interview style (a la Studs Terkel) is a good way of getting people to speak honsetly. Some of what the protestors said (including the Jesus guy and the gentleman who said that the electorate had been "conned," into voting for Bush) rang true with me. Some of it, like the "Revolution" talk about socialism just seemed silly and naive. The fact that most of the protestors didn't want the Osama & Saddam dolls puts a nice myth about dissenters to bed as well.

I'd be interested in seeing the guy interview some "red" americans as well in the same style just to get the same idea on peoples motivations, to help speak to those motivations in better ways. That is if he's sincere. If he's just some right-wing shill, we'll that's too bad, but the nice thing about documentaries is that people don't always get the results they want.

But interesting, none the less.
posted by jonmc at 8:26 AM on January 28, 2005

some of it did actually ring true, and i wish more of the informed-sounding clips had been given a bit more air time. of course, an informed, rational person is rarely as funny as a nutty neo-hippy.

someone get that woman a garofalo doll!
posted by blendor at 9:04 AM on January 28, 2005

I dunno. Seemed a bit easy to me, just going out there and talking to whoever is holding the silliest sign. I don't know his politics, but if I wanted to make Republicans look silly, I would put a microphone in front of the most frothing, racist, idiotic conservative I could find, and act as nice unbiased and detached as I possibly could, then let the viewers "decide for themselves".
posted by Hildago at 9:32 AM on January 28, 2005

Nazis and Fascists and Despots, oh my!
posted by The White Hat at 9:38 AM on January 28, 2005

I don't know his politics, but if I wanted to make Republicans look silly, I would put a microphone in front of the most frothing, racist, idiotic conservative I could find, and act as nice unbiased and detached as I possibly could, then let the viewers "decide for themselves".

The fact that not all of the protestors come out looking silly or frothing is a good thing, no matter what this guy's intentions were. But there's enough nutsiness to make someone feel ambivalent about the whole affair. Actually, I think ambivalence, rather than apathy might be one of the main things that's hampering politics right now.
posted by jonmc at 9:39 AM on January 28, 2005

Does this video really have nothing to do with the fine Zendik people?
posted by nave at 10:11 AM on January 28, 2005

This guy is my hero. He's a member of Protest Warrior, for those of you wondering about the background of his videos.

I think the "ambivalence" of his interviews are what make them so good. He gets people to say what they really think, even though it's not a logical arguement.
posted by BradNelson at 11:20 AM on January 28, 2005

BradNelson: I appreciate that, but I was speaking more of the ambivalence of us, the electorate, rather than the interviewer, politico, or activist, most of whom aren't ambivalent.
posted by jonmc at 11:25 AM on January 28, 2005

Can simple kindness stave off the revolution that some disgrunted Democrats predict?

I'm pretty sure it doesn't need staving off. He makes a subtle point that leftists are wussies.

Are you taking over or are you taking orders?

We're taking orders. And we're going backwards. And all we can do is be brats about it.

And I include myself in that asessment. I'm doing just what I'm told to. Nobody wants to go to jail.
posted by Mayor Curley at 11:30 AM on January 28, 2005

If he's just some right-wing shill

Well, he did produce a video called Brainwashing 101 devoted to bringing "more attention to campus repression." He's stalked Michael Moore and been called "the conservative answer to Michael Moore." But a shill? Heavens, no. He's just sexually obssessed.

Anyway, all those righties who shrink from Moore like a Morlock from fire, now have their own hug-a-bug. Lick it up, babes.
posted by octobersurprise at 11:43 AM on January 28, 2005

BradNelson, your hero seems a little confused. From the link above:

"I decided to act in the interest of national unity and extend an olive branch across the great Red/Blue divide."

Admirable, possibly even heroic. However, considering the way ProtestWarrior describes the people he's extending an 'olive branch' to, it seems possible that maybe he had some preconcieved ideas:

"The Fifth Column is planning to infiltrate the inauguration and send a message 'against genocide'. That it's their principles that have been responsible for all of the genocide of the past century doesn't seem to have fazed them. Your mission, should you decide to accept, is to protect the President from these character assassins."

The guy sounds a little nutty to me but I'm glad he's getting the attention he so desperately craves.
posted by cedar at 12:49 PM on January 28, 2005

I love the idea of national socialism, especially for the U.S. But alas stupid Adolph effed it up forever.
posted by snsranch at 2:38 PM on January 28, 2005