It was just one of many street exhibitions brought to you by the people of Complacent.org, a non-profit organization based in New York determined to disturb the peace and reappropriate ideologies with counter attacks, stressing full realization of our capitalistic consumerist society.
Meet William, founder of Complacent.org and social activist for the working people of the world.
EM: Who are you and how did Complacent come about?
William: Me? I'm William, I am not the "leader" of complacent, because there aren't any. This thing is my baby but once it is born and grown myself and the crew working with me are going to have as much control as anyone else. The idea is to have absolutely no hierarchy, no leadership and no control outside that defined by the complacent community as a whole. It will take a while to get there, but that's the goal. Complacent itself is born out of the recent culture jam movements of Reclaim the Streets, PosterNation and others. Reclaim the Streets is all about throwing un-permitted street parties to reclaim public space and to raise awareness on specific issues. After being involved with RTS NYC for a few years I wanted to bring the idea of inspiring autonomous uprising to another level, thus complacent was born.
EM: Aside from causing traffic obstructions during your demonstrations, what is the ultimate goal for such exhibitions?
William: Street actions are just one element of what we do. Really, anybody who wants to do anything that they consider culture jam can come to the website and post an article about it to start a discussion and get others involved. That's where the community comes in. But all actions, public-art, guerrilla media and performances should be aimed at inspiring questions. Building new perspectives. Creating little pockets of mayhem or autonomy or whatever that bring people out of what they are used to and open them to alternative approaches to culture and living. We commit insane acts that drop jawbones and make people say "Holy shit, I never thought of things that way." We create wild media that aims to inspire questions like "I have a Starbucks latte in one hand and a McDonalds Big Mac in the other, but am I satisfied?"
EM: Do you feel that the people need to awake to the crimes against humanity that kapitalism has brought?
William: I think people need to wake up and see that our blind consumer culture is not only fucking over others, we are fucking ourselves. The questions we repeatedly ask is "Are you satisfied?" I personally hope to wake people to the fact that we as a society will never be content as long as we elicit suffering elsewhere.
EM: How do people generally react when they see such broad artsy statements being staged in public arenas?
William: People usually either say "Woohoo, I love what you are doing."
Or they give a simple "My god, what you are doing is bullshit." Really it is either or. We intend to be provocative and that creates either a "love it" or "hate it" response. Surprisingly the response is usually overwhelmingly positive. Even when we do something as insane as throwing thousands of dollars down to a crowded street on the biggest shopping day of the year. So far that act has garnered the most attention and not all of it was praise. But most of it was positive, even the police who arrested me saw the point. I had many interesting jail conversations about the act.
EM: What do you feel about Marx and Engels?
William: They are good folks, but my personal philosophies are irrelevant. One key aspect to complacent is that we do not force answers. As mentioned before we are all about inspiring questions. We don't intend to alienate people by (directly) pushing our personal philosophies; we want to open them up to new possibilities that they can discover.
EM: What's behind the
phrase, "Are You Satisfied"?
William: We live busy lives. Thousands of messages from various
sources enter our consciousness an hour. We try to fulfill our physical,
spiritual, mental needs with familiar brands. Our identities are sold to
us. Perhaps people prefer things this way. Perhaps they haven't been
inspired to step back and question this culture. That is why we ask -
through any means possible - "Are You Satisfied?"
EM: Do you consider Complacent as the Enemy of the State?
William: We are a part of a movement that will improve the world.
(Whether the state realizes it or not.)
EM: How many people make up Complacent?
William: There is a small core working to build the site, which is
in the process of launching (it is being phased up.) Once it launches
anybody and everybody can join and be involved at whatever capacity they
choose. We have no formal meetings or membership. This is a culture jam
community based online. So far more than 500 people from around the world
have written in with interest.
EM: Your thoughts on propaganda and how it interplays with pop
culture
William: It's an interesting question. Is there a line anymore
between counter culture and pop culture? I don't have an answer for you.
EM: Your
political allegiance?
William: I like beans and cornbread.
EM: Is there a conspiracy conjoined between big transnational
conglomerates and the Western government, and if so what is it?
William: Of course. It is formalized in organizations such as the
Global 7 (G7), World Trade Organization (WTO), and the World
Bank/International Monetary Fund. They don't hide this fact. But it isn't
just "Western Government." It is the government of
industrialized nations.
EM: Concept behind logo of unsmiley face?
William: It isn't happy or sad, active or inactive. It just is.
Satisfied?
EM: Favorite book?
William: The Ugly Duckling
EM: McDonalds or Burger King?
William: Burger King. It turns your stool red.
EM: Future outlook for Complacent?
William: Things are going to be interesting. Keep your eyes to the
net, your sidewalks, street signs, television sets, radio waves, street
corners, subway cars, billboards, and anywhere else you can think of to
jam some culture.
To learn more of Complacent.org click here.
