Lessons

Fiction can sometimes lead to reality

Sometimes utopian fictions come true — like when neighbors of an Amsterdam squat, briefly misled that the squat was officially recognized, then helped to save it.

But even when they don't have immediate results, utopian fictions can highlight our self-imposed limits and help to get rid of them. Beautiful Trouble calls them "prefigurative interventions."

Instances in which we learned this lesson

How our Starbucks campaign succeeded
Several elements went into the success of this project. Although we didn't do a formal SWOT analysis beforehand, in retrospect it's clear what the…
The story of the (fake) end of the Iraq War
Here's a sketchy timeline of the Yes Men's most mammoth project, a collaboration with the Anti-Advertising Agency and many other groups and…
How rodeo clowns brought down capitalism
Where you got here from
This one's pretty self-explanatory. Watch the video and you'll get it... or read the press release for more details. What might not be quite as…
How an action helped squatters help neighbors save a squat
An Amsterdam neighborhood thrills that the City is making their local squat official—and then helps to save it from eviction, for real. Sometimes…
How we helped the US Chamber become its own worst enemy
Shortly after launching a battalion of Survivaballs to draw attention to the climate crisis in advance of the COP15 (that we had some fun at as well…
How cops ended up protesting for OWS
Together with our brand-new police escort, we all headed towards the Wall Street Bull a few minutes south. When we got there, the protest changed…
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