Tom Friedman Gets Pied at Brown
New York Times columnist Tom Friedman—globalization's well-versed Joan of Arc—was pied in the face yesterday evening at Brown University, the Brown Daily Herald reports. Just as the writer was about to begin his lecture, a female audience member in the front row "leapt" out of her seat and threw a bright-green pie in his face. Immediately after, a male accomplice jumped onstage and distributed fliers explaining the stunt. The "Greenwash Guerillas," as they called themselves, then ran out of the auditorium. The woman has been apprehended by campus police.
The pamphlets thrown to audience members identified the pair as activists who were acting "on behalf of the earth" and "all true environmentalists" and contained five bullet points explaining why "Thomas Friedman deserves a pie in the face." These include "his sickeningly cheery applaud for free market capitalism's conquest of the planet" and "for helping turn environmentalism into a fake plastic consumer product for the privileged."
The pamphlets said Friedman's idea of "green" was "as fake and toxic to human and planetary health" as the artificial cream on his face.
By the way, did I mention there was a lecture, too? Though the Herald doesn't have any comment from him specifically on the incident, Friedman—after cleaning the emerald goo from his face and body—continued with his talk, titled "Hot, Flat, and Crowded" and focusing on globalization's role in environmentalism.
Tags: Brown University | Tom Friedman
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UPDATE!
April 28th, 2008 For Immediate Release: Contact: Colonel Custard (aka the corporate criminal creamer) Greenwash Guerillas: contact@GreenwashGuerrillas.org Footage available: www.GreenwashGuerrillas.org
Greenwash Guerrillas Pie Thomas Friedman at Brown University YouTube Censors Video; Pie Thrower Faces University Disciplinary Procedures
Providence, RI - New York Times columnist and author Thomas Friedman was pied by the Greenwash Guerillas while giving an Earth Day Lecture at Brown University. The Greenwash Guerillas targeted Thomas Friedman because of his support for U.S. military intervention in the Middle East, neo-liberal economic policies that harm the world’s poor, and especially for promoting bogus solutions to the global climate crisis.
"We sought to expose the hypocrisy of allowing Friedman, who is known for his influential support of U.S. wars for oil in the Middle East, to call himself an environmentalist,” explained Greenwash Guerrilla Margaree Little. "He has blood on his hands that no amount of 'green' can wash away."
Little, a Brown University student identified as one of the pie throwers, faces University disciplinary hearings, potentially including expulsion. Colonel Custard, the second pie thrower, remains at large.
Little and Custard jumped on stage as Friedman began his talk, entitled “Green is the new Red, White & Blue.” The talk focused on how green technology and corporate environmentalism can restore the United States to its "natural place in the global order."
They tossed two green-colored cream pies at Friedman and dashed off as leaflets denouncing Friedman were thrown to the crowd. According to the pamphlets, “On behalf of the earth and all true environmentalists – we, the Greenwash Guerillas, declare Thomas Friedman’s ‘Green’ as fake . . . as the cool-whip covering his face.”
The Greenwash Guerillas object to Friedman’s support for nuclear power, coal power, industrial biofuels, and carbon trading markets. "These false solutions are smokescreens, intended to generate massive corporate profits while creating global humanitarian and environmental disasters,” said Colonel Custard.
Video of the pie throwing incident was posted on YouTube, and received close to 70,000 views in 36 hours, making it one of the most popular videos on the site. Without notice, YouTube abruptly censored the video, removing it from the website. Hundreds of news outlets, blogs, and websites had linked to the video. The Greenwash Guerillas have reposted the clip at: www.GreenwashGuerrillas.org
"Given the many other pieings on YouTube(1), the removal of the video can only be understood as an act of political censorship," said Little. "It's a sad commentary on how free we are to speak when confronting power."
“The Greenwash Guerillas chose the harmless and humorous tactic of pie-throwing because our goal was to take this perpetual charlatan off his new green pedestal,” said Colonel Custard. “Friedman’s support for coal and nuclear power is as misguided as his counsel on Iraq.”
This is the second time Friedman has been hit by a pie. In October 2002, he received a banana pie to his face while promoting his writings on free-market globalization in Boston.
Footnote:
(1) e.g., http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/webscout/2008/04/thomas-friedman.html
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Boo hoo to the guerilla terrorists at Brown
The two 'teroristas' wanted attention for themselves. These kids (grow up!) are egotistical and pathetic. Do they actually believe that they are doing something good for humanity if they insult someone publicly? I don't believe they have scrubbed their own toilets. Be really smart and debate the speaker- loosers. Someday, when it's your turn to get pied, then you will know how humiliating that could be. cry,baby, cry ....
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