Walk For Capitalism in Seattle Infiltrated
Agent Walker | 05.12.2001 12:47
Protesters' spoof? What a capital idea!
By Caitlin Cleary
Seattle Times staff reporter
(pic - bona fide capitalist grls)
By Caitlin Cleary
Seattle Times staff reporter
(pic - bona fide capitalist grls)
Walk For Capitalism in Seattle Infiltrated
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/134373930_capitalism03m.html Max Fassnacht yells at the anti-capitalism protesters yesterday, calling them “hippies” and other names. It turned out he was a plant and was just trying to fire up the protesters.
In yesterday's WalkForCapitalism, it was left to the true believers and pro-capitalist watchdogs to weed out the real capitalists from the fake, dressed as they were to the nearest thrift-store approximation of capitalist chic: suit jackets, ties, argyle sweater vests, their hair evenly parted and smoothed, holding signs that read "Capitalism is Better than Democracy."
It was Capitalism Day, or D2 — the first Sunday of December, set aside by a global pro-capitalist campaign to celebrate and promote capitalism, globalism, technology, free trade, individual rights and private property — and lo and behold, the anti-capitalist, anti-globalization, anti-WTO protesters were crashing their party.
Seattle was one of 100 cities around the world that hosted WalkForCapitalism. Its participants spoke admiringly of capitalists such as Bill Gates and Thomas Edison, and held signs that read, "Make Money Not Class War."
Tom Szalay of Everett, a retired firefighter, said the protesters might want to think about getting jobs and joining capitalism.
The crowd of about 100 people seemed evenly split between the earnest capitalists and the World Trade Organization protesters in capitalist drag.
"We knew they had something in the works," said Tym Parsons, the Seattle coordinator of WalkForCapitalism. "Their aim was to infiltrate our organization and discredit it by way of parody."
The downtown event was like performance art: Faux capitalists, dressed in suits, carried signs that read, "Child Labor Is Best For America: Smaller Hands Mean Tighter Stitches" and distributed fake business cards from "Globex Industries" with the company motto, "We Own You." They remained poker-faced as they spoke about their support of child labor and love of capitalism.
Relentlessly serious throughout the march, they never got out of character.
If the anti-capitalist interlopers did not completely overshadow the original intent of WalkForCapitalism, their parody did make the event more of a spectacle.
Anti-capitalist protester Scott Thompson was explaining the goings-on to passer-by Kerry Pflugh of Washington, N.J., in town for a conference.
"I find it all very amusing," said Pflugh. "I don't think I've ever seen a protest for capitalism before. Don't these people already have what they're fighting for?"
Because the WalkForCapitalism organizers did not get a parade permit, police escorted both groups together from Benaroya Hall to Westlake Park, while Parsons shouted at the WTO protesters to leave. Parsons' group had obtained a permit for the rally at the park, and once everyone had arrived there, police began to remove the anti-capitalist protesters.
"But I'm for capitalism," said a protester who called himself D.S. Rosenthorpe. "How much does it cost to get in?" he asked, offering up one dollar.
He did receive a park-exclusion notice barring him from all downtown parks for seven days. There were no arrests.
"We have the authority to enforce park rules," said Seattle police Lt. Daniel Whelan. "Our mission here is for life, safety and the protection of property."
A few of the fake capitalists were convincing enough to be left alone in the rally crowd. When asked if they were capitalists, they responded with a firm nod and a barely perceptible wink. Sometimes they smiled and yelled "Hippies!" back at the group of protesters from whence they came.
The obviously fake capitalists were sent across Fourth Avenue, where they lined the sidewalk in front of Borders bookstore and sang and shouted, "Shop! Shop! Shop!"
And shop the people did. Even before the rally ended, the streets were crowded with shoppers, burdened with bags from Old Navy and Nordstrom.
Agent Walker
Comments
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another walk for capitalism pic
05.12.2001 15:58
another walk for capitalism pic
yay!
Gothenburg to Delhi, Seattle to London....
05.12.2001 16:37
Gothenburg to Delhi, Seattle to London....
reports from participants at:
more info www.walkforcapitalism.org
[From: Jonathan Dickinson, London, UK]
We walked in London, all fifteen of us, including Neil who had just arrived from Bath having Walked FOR Capialism there earlier in the day. In fact later on during the walk we stopped for a group photograph outside a Waterstones Bookshop for no other reason than the fact that they had done the same in Bath. We set off from Speakers' corner after some debate and discussions, handing out a few
Declarations and Money Speeches to generally positive response. It was a joy to see the variety of looks on peoples' faces as tey read our Walk FOR Capitalism sign. One walker with us, being from Cuba suggested we stop for a Toast to Capitalism at the Bar Cuba which was
on our route, not far ahead, and to our left, of course. We took more photographs outside the bar then entered and there we toasted Capitalism and nominated Margaret Thatcher for our Capitalism Award, not for her conservative politics, but for the enormous contribution she made to freeing up the markets in the UK and the extent to which
she sewed some seeds of Capitalist principles and practices, the benefits of which we reap to this day. At the same time we exchanged contact details and discussed a bigger, more organised event for next year. The idea of staging other events, in spring or autumn events to
publicise WFC Day was very popular, and we now have a place to meet in future and I am sure we will have a bigger team working from now on.
Thank you, all who came and walked and showed such enthusiasm, and special thanks to Richard who turned up with a huge bunch of balloons printed with' I love money', but with, you know, the heart symbol instead of love ( can' do it with my e-mail functions!) It was great to meet real people and put faces to some of those e-mails. Great
day - Great Idea, Prodos, Thanks a lot. Jonathan Dickson, London.
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INDIA
BOTTOMLINE: A low-key but festive celebration of the first-ever World Capitalism Day
Capital takes little notice of a capital cause
Parul Malhotra
Twenty, thirty and forty somethings — most of ’em in jeans and T-shirts — making a public point about capitalism the day an economic summit gets underway in the city: another Seattle, Davos or Genoa, huh? Quite the opposite actually. We’re talking about a rally in the heart of the capital in support of the much-maligned capitalism, globalisation and economic liberalisation!
The Walk for Capitalism was the brainchild of Prodos, Melbourne’s Internet radio presenter, who used the Net rather effectively to discuss the idea with an international network of pro-globalisers. It materialised — on Sunday, the first-ever World Capitalism Day — as a global walk held simultaneously across 35 countries in 117 cities, including Dhaka, San Jose, Lagos and Moscow (surprise, surprise). In New Delhi, it was held under the aegis of a city-based non-governmental organisation, the Liberty Institute.
“We keep being told that capitalism’s emerged victorious, it rules the world, so we decided to celebrate that victory,” co-ordinator Barun Mitra says while explaining the rationale behind the rally. Others had their own reasons, all of which generally gelled well with the bumper-sticker ideology ‘Capitalism is good, socialism is bad’. Mohit Satyananad, an entrepreneur, was there to celebrate the economic freedom ‘to do or not to do’ and to insist that “capitalism had been misrepresented by socialism as something which encourages exploitation”.
Bibek Debroy, eminent free-trader economist, was there to applaud capitalism for its employment generation and wealth-building roles. Still others were quite basic and made a rather uncomplicated point: that public rallies and marches didn’t always have to be about violent protests; they could be constructive and peaceful too. And listening to them, one could almost envisage the 500 delegates at the 17th India Economic Summit nodding in agreement.
Anti-globalisation/capitalism feelings and protectionist tendencies may well strengthen as the global economy passes through a recessionary phase. In this context, people coming out on the streets in support of capitalism could be a welcome counter to the counter-capitalism current sweeping the world. Er, not really true for New Delhi this year. The shopping district, which was deserted on account of a weekly-off, saw only 50-odd people — entrepreneurs, professionals (management consultants, journalists, economists and such like), career social activists, and students — turn up.
But those who did, enjoyed the mild winter sun, the Bob Marley and Billy Joel songs being played, and talked excitedly about how it was a pretty decent turn-out for a first-ever! And in a timely illustration of the licence-permit-raj system, which not surprisingly all the assembled folk had a problem with, the music got off to a late start because the tempo which was to bring the genset wasn’t allowed into Inner Circle until a particular time!
When it was time, though, capitalism was celebrated by waving placards (Free Trade is Fair Trade; Bourgeoisie of the World Unite; The Best Way to Fight Poverty is to Work); by honouring the surprised and perplexed neighbourhood paanwallah and ice cream vendor, the guard at ICICI Bank and the manager at Mc Donald’s with ‘thank you’ citations and blue ribbons for fearlessly and tirelessly defying numerous hurdles while providing their services; and, by awarding the founder of HCL, Shiv Nadar — the gent who ushered in the information age in India at a time when most considered computers a threat to employment — with the first-ever Annual International Capitalism Award from the Delhi chapter.
Oddly enough, this celebration of capitalism was devoid of any visible signs of corporate sponsorships. Mitra admits to having spent close to Rs 40,000 on the event, rustled up largely through in-house resources. And ‘capitalism rules’ wasn’t quite the case as well — some of the potential awardees of the International Capitalism Award were not so eager to be associated with it; even some of the pro-capitalist NGOs, policymakers and businessmen had specifically asked why the walk was “for capitalism” and not “globalisation,” according to an exasperated Mitra. So much for coming out and admitting to be proud of being a capitalist! And a pity that more practitioners of capitalism in the capital couldn’t find the time to give a boost to their cause.
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Giving globalisation a boost
HTC
(New Delhi)
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Confused gazes peered out from the windows of the Connaught Place branch of MacDonalds. As its employees attempted to figure out, the man in the blue cap stuck a ribbon to the restaurant's door, and the crowd cheered. The marchers of Delhi's 'Walk had acclaimed another business venture for Capitalism'.
A worldwide event was coordinated on the Internet by the Australian Prodos organisation. This was the Capitalist's answer to the anti-globalisation demonstrations.
In over 115 locations around the globe groups of pro-active consumers pledged support for economic liberalism and free trade, and Delhi was no different.
At 2 p m on Sunday, approximately 50 marchers, largely journalists, businessmen and economists, donned their 'Walk for Capitalism 2001' caps and began their jaunt around Connaught Place. They halted outside establishments and cheered by crowd.
$$$£$$$
Placards not seen.
21.09.2003 09:25
Hooray for the dot com boom!
You work weekends so we don't have to.
Our stock is more important than your family.
Work harder - trust fund babies need new SUVs.
Boeing proves Capitalism works!
HMOs prove Capitalism works!
Enron proves Capitalism works!
Excite@Home proves Capitalism works!
Your CEO makes 500 times what you do.
Sharing is for commies.
Child labor = huge profits
The more efficiently you work the more of you we can lay off.
First we pollute your water then we charge you to drink it.
First we give you cancer then we charge you for the cure.
Capitalism - because you love telemarketing.
Capitalism - because you love commercials.
Capitalism - because you love spam email.
Legalize crack so we can profit off it.
You = fired. Us = rich.
When we find a way we'll charge you for air.
Poor consumers don't count.
DJEB