CSR and Satire - Yes Men

Corporation Obligation: CSR is ripe for satire - can it change behavior?

A few years ago, the Yes Men made a film that shook the halls of power...or at least the reputations of various media outlets and corporate reputations.

The Yes Men are set on "impersonating big-time criminals in order to publicly humiliate them." Some recent "hijinks" include a mock WTO Proposal for slavery in Africa and a Keynote address at a major Canadian oil company conference:

"We need something like whales, but infinitely more abundant," said "NPC rep" "Shepard Wolff" (actually Andy Bichlbaum of the Yes Men), before describing the technology used to render human flesh into a new Exxon oil product called Vivoleum. 3-D animations of the process brought it to life.

The Onion is also a rich source of CSR satire:

New Eco-Friendly Packaging Triggers Boom In Guilt-Free Littering

July 21, 2007 | Issue 43•29

ROCKFORD, IL—Nick Sundin used to be neurotic about littering. The 37-year-old pediatrician admits he kept trash bags in his car, and would even pick up and throw away garbage he found on the street. Since boyhood, Sundin said, he was keenly attuned to the environmental degradation littering caused, an attitude triggered by the famous Keep America Beautiful "Crying Indian" public service announcement he saw on television as a young man.

Not anymore.

"These 'eco' products are amazing—they've totally changed my life," Sundin said. "Now, I just toss my used Seventh Generation–brand paper plates out the car window, knowing they'll soon be absorbed into the earth."

The Question is whether satire leads to change or more cynicism about CSR? Perhaps, the result will be a move towards stronger corpobligation...stranger things have happened...

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