Adbusters

What is the Carnivalesque Rebellion?

A sudden unexpected moment of truth, a mass reversal of perspective, a global mindshift ...

The Carnivalesque Rebellion is about to begin. From November 22nd to the 28th, culture jammers of all kinds – from artists to churchgoers, anarchists to carpenters – will disregard the illegitimate laws of consumer society. For seven nights, they will honor instead the dictates of their hearts and the demands of their conscience. Overwhelmed by a myriad of insurrections and unexpected acts of resistance, consumer capitalism will grind to a halt.

With little time remaining before these events, what is needed now is not a treatise on the injustice of consumerism. It is true that 36 million humans starve to death each year, that there is an island of plastic the size of Texas floating in the ocean, and that one in four Americans have a mental illness. But these facts roll across our consciousness; they do not impel us to remake society. Whether we have become desensitized to the severity of our plight or our minds simply cannot fathom the direness of our situation, the fact remains that today what we need is the opposite of information.

The success of our insurrection will not depend on quantity of the crowd nor extent of the media coverage. In some cities the rebellion may be invisible and in others its impact downplayed. None of that matters. The Carnivalesque Rebellion will be victorious when we stop waiting for the majority, the mainstream, or the consumer class to give us permission to rebel. The revolution against consumerism will come when we trust our intuition and find within ourselves the permission to act.

The Carnivalesque Rebellion is, above all else, a chance to rise above cynicism, skepticism, and ironic detachment. It is an invitation to don the prankster's mask, to regain the sense of magical possibility, and to finally start living.

Meet up with fellow activists and download posters and campaign materials at www.adbusters.org/bnd.

80 comments on the article “What is the Carnivalesque Rebellion?”

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Leo Rubinkowski

"Overwhelmed by a myriad of insurrections and unexpected acts of resistance, consumer capitalism will grind to a halt."

"The success of our insurrection will not depend on quantity of the crowd nor extent of the media coverage. In some cities the rebellion may be invisible and in others its impact downplayed."

At least there's a paragraph in between to soften the "WTF?!"...

Leo Rubinkowski

"Overwhelmed by a myriad of insurrections and unexpected acts of resistance, consumer capitalism will grind to a halt."

"The success of our insurrection will not depend on quantity of the crowd nor extent of the media coverage. In some cities the rebellion may be invisible and in others its impact downplayed."

At least there's a paragraph in between to soften the "WTF?!"...

Leo Rubinkowski

I'm just frustrated by the vague, even inconsistent, rhetoric. It happens now and again with these blog entries.

"Overwhelmed by a myriad of insurrections and unexpected acts of resistance, consumer capitalism will grind to a halt.
"The success of our insurrection will not depend on quantity of the crowd nor extent of the media coverage. In some cities the rebellion may be invisible and in others its impact downplayed."

Consumer capitalism isn't grinding to a halt anytime soon, especially not if the crowd's not huge, organized, and intent on making sure that it gets noticed.

It's possible that consumer capitalism will be overthrown in the hearts and minds of the people participating, but a personal shift in perspective is not a social shift in perspective. On top of that, the whole event would be preaching to the choir.

The WTF was an inarticulate way of asking, "Am I supposed to take this seriously?"

Leo Rubinkowski

I'm just frustrated by the vague, even inconsistent, rhetoric. It happens now and again with these blog entries.

"Overwhelmed by a myriad of insurrections and unexpected acts of resistance, consumer capitalism will grind to a halt.
"The success of our insurrection will not depend on quantity of the crowd nor extent of the media coverage. In some cities the rebellion may be invisible and in others its impact downplayed."

Consumer capitalism isn't grinding to a halt anytime soon, especially not if the crowd's not huge, organized, and intent on making sure that it gets noticed.

It's possible that consumer capitalism will be overthrown in the hearts and minds of the people participating, but a personal shift in perspective is not a social shift in perspective. On top of that, the whole event would be preaching to the choir.

The WTF was an inarticulate way of asking, "Am I supposed to take this seriously?"

meme warrior

Yes, you are supposed to take this seriously. A revolution is brewing. It doesn't matter if it doesn't fit into your model of activism. (You must be the last person on earth to notice that "huge organized crowds" don't accomplish anything anymore.)

But, hey, a diversity of tactics is fine. So instead of trying to throw a wet blanket on the rebellion week, then why not organize a huge crowd and do things the way you think they should be done.

meme warrior

Yes, you are supposed to take this seriously. A revolution is brewing. It doesn't matter if it doesn't fit into your model of activism. (You must be the last person on earth to notice that "huge organized crowds" don't accomplish anything anymore.)

But, hey, a diversity of tactics is fine. So instead of trying to throw a wet blanket on the rebellion week, then why not organize a huge crowd and do things the way you think they should be done.

Anonymous

So a huge crowd can't accomplish anything, but a small unnoticed crowd will make a difference in society? I think he's right, it will be fun and preach to the choir, but nothing will really change (except for the individual taking part in the 'rebellion').

Anonymous

So a huge crowd can't accomplish anything, but a small unnoticed crowd will make a difference in society? I think he's right, it will be fun and preach to the choir, but nothing will really change (except for the individual taking part in the 'rebellion').

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