Video
As an entry point, the cast and crew used a "culture-jamming" stunt in a real Fourth of July parade to satirize U.S. imperialism. On July 4, 2003, a group of 50 activists, primarily from Santa Cruz, California, officially took part in the largest parade in Northern California. Our ad hoc organization, "Up With America," was accepted into the parade with the stated objective of "celebrating American contributions to world culture." We used a float, dramatic props, costumes, music, and street theater to "celebrate" American domination of the globe, currently and historically. By joining the patriotic fervor and exaggerating absurdly, we drew attention to the issue of U.S. imperialism. Five camera crews were on hand to record the spectacle with audience reactions and interview both participants and bystanders.
Our cowboy theme began with two patriotic cowgirls carrying our banner: "America Around the World." Christopher Columbus, as the original American imperialist, led the group. On the float, a large rotating globe topped with an American flag illustrated American presence in the world -- McDonalds hamburgers, oil rigs, sweat shops and military bases. George Bush as a cowboy king was in charge of spinning a large roulette wheel with the names of potential countries to invade next. American icons Mickey Mouse, Elvis Presley, Rambo, Uncle Sam and Marilyn Monroe were on the float waving "U.S. Number 1" fingers, flags, and guns, along with missiles, a giant hamburger, a Coca Cola parasol, a TV, and a giant "Big Oil" barrel. The characters sang songs like "This land was your land, this land's now our land" and "Money makes the world go around." Alongside the float, our superheroes Greed GirlProfit Man and Greed Girl leapt about vowing to make the world safe for profit and teasing the crowd with oversize fake money. Military characters danced with corporate suits. Behind the float, people representing dominated countries of the world followed and held up signs about the casualties from U.S. interventions in those countries.
This is a work in progress. The filming of the parade has been completed, along with footage of preparation, interviews, and discussion afterward. Key characters such as Rambo, Marilyn Monroe, and Christopher Columbus help to explain the glories of imperialism. Juxtaposed with the happy parade scene at the beginning of the video, we have added text about American imperialism and conditions around the world. (For example: "In the last century, the U.S. has been involved in 112 armed conflicts." and "800 million people do not have enough food to eat.") This has an effective jarring effect, which will hopefully stimulate the questioning of blind patriotism.
The video also includes footage from Thailand and Cambodia, showing living conditions there and interviews with sweatshop workers. We see images of American corporate presence with scenes of Shell Oil stations, McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Starbucks, and the ubiquitous Coca Cola. We also hear comments from people from all over the world about what they think of the United States right now. These people are surprisingly articulate, with both highly educated and simple people expressing grave concerns about U.S. foreign policy. "Experts" are also interviewed to provide information about the political and economic issues, explaining things like "globalization" and "race to the bottom." They also talk about alternative models and work that many people are doing to create change.