Good list. Especially number 6, explaining the issues to those who don't know them or aren't convinced is crucial. Just remember a sense of humour is essential. Nothing puts people off more than a fanatic or someone who's miserable because they're righteous.

A quick example. The anti-vivisectionists. They've got a good cause, but how many people do they alienate by coming across as fanatics? Persuasion, not coercion.

Also on this point. Education. Read up, not just about the evils of, say, globalisation, but also how corporations achieved their ends. I can wholeheartedly reccomend "Taking The Risk Out Of Democracy" by Alex Carey. Very in depth (the guy was a sociologist) but not boring.

The more you know about it the stronger your case will be. And once you know how big business achieved it's goal, you'll understand better how to subvert it. Hope this doesn't sound too pretentious, I'm just trying to offer advice that may be useful.

Also, never underestimate the power of disinformation. If you're stuck in a room with corporate friendly types who laugh at your ideals, then try a different tack. Rather than a straightforward attempt to convince them of the error of their ways, do the opposite. Pretend you agree and make comments like "I personally have no problem with millions of Africans dieing of AIDS because drug companies won't release their patents, even though they make billions in profits a year. That's the free market, sink or swim"

Anyone who isn't totally insane or evil will start to at least question out and out capitalism at that point.

WHY LET THEM SUBTRACT FROM YOUR LIFE,
WHEN THEY CAN ADD TO THE DECOR!
Conceal the Idle in Style with a PeopleCozy®

London, England (SatireWire.com) — Whether they're unmotivated, uninterested, or simply in middle management, there is always someone in your life who hasn't done a thing in years, and doesn't show any signs of doing so now. Once, your only option was to ignore them, but now a British firm believes it has a more attractive alternative: the PeopleCozy® — a handsome, sturdy cloth covering that stylishly hides the permanently passive, and keeps the chronically inert dust-free and ready to use.


Made by East London-based KoverKraft, PeopleCozies are a cross between proper British tea cozies and the quaint appliance covers so popular in 1960s kitchens — only much, much larger. The product was the brainchild of KoverKraft CEO Kevin Bicknell, 26, who said he was inspired by personal experience.

Bicknell dropped out of university after his first year and moved back home, where he proceeded to achieve next-to-nothing while pursuing a very I-could-move-but-why-don't-you-just sweep-around-me? lifestyle.


"My parents were always in my face to do something, and one day, to make her point, Mum knitted this giant quilted cover and threw it over me," Bicknell recalled. "I remember her saying, 'There now. That looks much better.'"

Five very dark years later, Bicknell emerged and suddenly understood what it was his parents had really done. "They had left two years earlier without saying a bloody word, that's what they'd done," he said bitterly. "But that cover kept me clean and mold-free, and it gave me a great idea."

Assuming there were millions in the same situation, Bicknell launched KoverKraft in March, and the response from those irritated by the inert has been overwhelming. So far, the company has sewn PeopleCozies to cover college students, U.S. ambassadors, Jiffy Lube managers, cable television installers, and the entire Home Shopping Channel audience, as well as the House of Lords, Al Gore, and Van Halen. "But that last was wishful thinking," Bicknell explained. "It turns out Van Halen were active, but people were just hoping they'd stop."


Buoyed by the success of PeopleCozies, KoverKraft ambitiously intends to launch at least four new cover lines by 2003:


HomelyCozies, which conceal the unattractive;
ElderCozies, to conceal the elderly;
SonyCozies, which hide video game addicts and come with specially cut eye and finger holes, and an attached urinal.
Bad Ass Mother Covers.

Bicknell warned, however, that the new products may be delayed due to design problems. "In our focus groups, it turned out ElderCozy users were pretty upset about being covered, so we're looking at some kind of straight-jacket feature," he said. Interestingly, most of those covered in a PeopleCozy never seem to mind. "They tend to say, 'Oh, it's dark. I'll just stay put until the lights come back on, shall I?'" Bicknell explained. "We did have one man who got very angry about it. His coworkers ordered a PeopleCozy for him after they noticed he'd been doing nothing but sit and stare at his computer for three days. But it turns out the guy was just waiting for Windows 98 to load."

Selling for 200 euros ($176), machine washable PeopleCozies feature two layers of luxurious poly/cotton, and come in a variety of designs, from waffled pastels with steel-reinforced boxed welting, to an elegant gray with lace applique trim and mirrored interior to fool the claustrophobic.

Some decent ideas here but really not enough to really change the world beyond the limits of reform. I've written a similar piece called 'How To Change The World', except it's better and has 100 points (no kidding). It should be out in the new issue of SWAT magazine any day now - I'll post it here when it gets published.