weston on Sun, 18 Oct 1998 13:55:36 +0200 (MET DST)


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<nettime> wearing a paper bag


> The following is from
> "An Open Letter from the President of the Friends United in
> Creative Knowledge of the Faceless Attitudes of Corporate
> Entities."
> 
> 
> *********************************************
> 
> "As we all know, in February of this year, a man walked into a Barnes
> and Noble Superstore in Austin, Texas, wearing a paper bag with holes cut
> for his eyes.  He approached the front counter and politely asked the
> clerk for assistance in finding a particular book.  The clerk immediately
> called for a manager to the front.  An assistant manager appeared and asked
> the man why he was wearing a paper bag on his head.  In the now infamous
> reply, the man said: 'I am tired of the corporate attitude which a
> views me merely as a faceless consumer.  And I am wearing this paper bag as
> symbol of my protest against this sort of mind-set.' The assistant
> manager then told him to either remove the bag or leave the store. Not
> willing to give in any further to the disease, the man elected to leave the
> store.
> 
> This event was subsequently reported over the FringeWare News Network
> and Midnight SPecial Bookstore's Disgusted with Superstores Opinion List.
>  And here in Dunwitch, a group of us decided that we had also had enough of
> similar corporate attitudes.  It was high time to take action.
> Following the non-violent example of the man in Austin, we began to wear
> paper bags into various Superstores around the area.  We met with 
> remarkably consistent results: all of us were asked to either remove 
> our bags or leave the store. This was to be expected.  But it only further
> stimulated our outrage.
> 
> Thus we have decided to hold a nationwide mass protest action at 12:00
> noon on the 23d of November of this year.  What we have planned is for
> thousands of paper bag wearing individuals to peacefully enter into
> either Barnes and Noble or Borders Bookstores and browse for approximately
> 15 minutes. Already, the response to this has been overwhelming.
> Groups of individuals are being organized all over the world to join us in
> the November 23d protest.
> 
> If you are likewise fed up with being treated as a faceless consumer
> by various corporations, please join us with your paper bag on the 23rd
> of November. ... ANd if you are interested in further action, contact us
> at:
> Friends United in Creative Knowledge of the Faceless Attitudes of
> Corporate Entities
> c/o Fringe Ware Bookstore
> 2716 Guadalupe
> Austin, TX 78705

........................................................................
                                            n e t S I G N communications
    weston triemstra                              110 west hastings
    weston@netsign.com                            vancouver, bc v6b 1g8
                         "the future was now"     canada
........................................................................

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