Bureaucrash
Encyclopedia
Bureaucrash is an international network of libertarian
activists whose stated goals are "decreasing the scope of government" and "increasing individual freedom" which engages in culture jamming
.
in an attempt to use the Internet to spread what the group calls "pro-freedom" ideals. The following year, the Henry Hazlitt Foundation went out of business and was absorbed into the International Society for Individual Liberty
. Bureaucrash survived its parent organization, and in March 2006, an interview with then "Crasher-in-Chief" Jason Talley, on the Competitive Enterprise Institute's website, stated that "In March, Bureaucrash and CEI formed a new strategic partnership to combine the strengths of each organization to help spread the ideas of liberty."
Initially, Bureaucrash pitched itself as "a network of guerrilla activists who oppose the growing disease of the bureaucratic state" and emphasized that "we come from all backgrounds and ideologies, but share in common a conviction that the bloated administrative government is the greatest threat to our freedom, creativity and sense of choice." The following year the group's website was more explicit about its political slant stating that it "develops full scale campaigns and web resources for libertarian guerilla activism."
Following Jason Talley's departure from the position of "Crasher-in-Chief," friend and fellow activist Pete Eyre became the new head of the organization until his departure in early 2009 to take part in a new project, the Motorhome Diaries: Searching for freedom in America. Not coincidentally, Talley lated worked with Eyre on the Motorhome Diaries. Eyre had previously worked at the Institute for Humane Studies
as the director of the Campus Network program, as a Koch Fellow at the Drug Policy Alliance
and as an intern at the Cato Institute
in Foreign Policy and Defense.
events and filming themselves either with provocative placards or interacting with the attendees. At a March 2001 rally against a speech by David Horowitz
at the University of California, Berkley, 'crashers staged a counterprotest on free speech grounds. Actions have included demonstrating against the 2003 invasion of Iraq, picketing the World Health Organization
conference with the message that capitalism saves lives, throwing powdered chalk on The Yes Men
after The Yes Men failed in an attempt to infiltrate the Cato Institute
, and demonstrating at the movie Sicko
to protest against socialized healthcare. Bureaucrash took part in Tea Party protests on July 4 and the July 17th protest against health care reform. Bureaucrash is listed as a co-sponsor for the 9/12 dc protest .
described Bureaucrash in Radicals for Capitalism
as "a gang of libertarian college kids who prank leftists at major international events by taking the implications of their policies to absurd extremes, which the lefties tend not to even notice. Bureaucrash created a fake group it called 'Progressives Against Progress' whose symbol was a caveman with a club."
Bureaucrash was called a group "where punk rock meets the gold standard" in The Wall Street Journal
.
The network's work has been favorably showcased by prominent British libertarian blog Samizdata
.
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
activists whose stated goals are "decreasing the scope of government" and "increasing individual freedom" which engages in culture jamming
Culture jamming
Culture jamming, coined in 1984, denotes a tactic used by many anti-consumerist social movements to disrupt or subvert mainstream cultural institutions, including corporate advertising. Guerrilla semiotics and night discourse are sometimes used synonymously with the term culture jamming.Culture...
.
History
Bureaucrash was founded in 2001 by businessman Al Rosenberg and the Henry Hazlitt FoundationHenry Hazlitt Foundation
The Henry Hazlitt Foundation was a public interest or advocacy organization founded in 1997 by Chris Whitten, who had been publishing Free-Market.com since 1995. The Foundation was named after free-market economist and writer Henry Hazlitt...
in an attempt to use the Internet to spread what the group calls "pro-freedom" ideals. The following year, the Henry Hazlitt Foundation went out of business and was absorbed into the International Society for Individual Liberty
International Society for Individual Liberty
The International Society for Individual Liberty or ISIL is a non-profit, non-partisan libertarian educational group encouraging activism in libertarian and individual rights areas by the 'freely chosen strategies' of its members. Its history dates back to 1969 as the Society for Individual...
. Bureaucrash survived its parent organization, and in March 2006, an interview with then "Crasher-in-Chief" Jason Talley, on the Competitive Enterprise Institute's website, stated that "In March, Bureaucrash and CEI formed a new strategic partnership to combine the strengths of each organization to help spread the ideas of liberty."
Initially, Bureaucrash pitched itself as "a network of guerrilla activists who oppose the growing disease of the bureaucratic state" and emphasized that "we come from all backgrounds and ideologies, but share in common a conviction that the bloated administrative government is the greatest threat to our freedom, creativity and sense of choice." The following year the group's website was more explicit about its political slant stating that it "develops full scale campaigns and web resources for libertarian guerilla activism."
Following Jason Talley's departure from the position of "Crasher-in-Chief," friend and fellow activist Pete Eyre became the new head of the organization until his departure in early 2009 to take part in a new project, the Motorhome Diaries: Searching for freedom in America. Not coincidentally, Talley lated worked with Eyre on the Motorhome Diaries. Eyre had previously worked at the Institute for Humane Studies
Institute for Humane Studies
The Institute for Humane Studies is a classical liberal non-profit organization whose stated mission is “to support the achievement of a freer society by discovering and facilitating the development of talented students, scholars, and other intellectuals who share an interest in liberty and in...
as the director of the Campus Network program, as a Koch Fellow at the Drug Policy Alliance
Drug Policy Alliance
The Drug Policy Alliance is a New York City-based non-profit organization, led by executive director Ethan Nadelmann, with the principal goal of ending the American "War on Drugs"...
and as an intern at the Cato Institute
Cato Institute
The Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Edward H. Crane, who remains president and CEO, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the conglomerate Koch Industries, Inc., the largest privately held...
in Foreign Policy and Defense.
Activism
Past actions by "'crashers" have taken the form of holding counter-demonstrations at key progressiveProgressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
events and filming themselves either with provocative placards or interacting with the attendees. At a March 2001 rally against a speech by David Horowitz
David Horowitz
David Joel Horowitz is an American conservative writer and policy advocate. Horowitz was raised by parents who were both members of the American Communist Party. Between 1956 and 1975, Horowitz was an outspoken adherent of the New Left before rejecting Marxism completely...
at the University of California, Berkley, 'crashers staged a counterprotest on free speech grounds. Actions have included demonstrating against the 2003 invasion of Iraq, picketing the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
conference with the message that capitalism saves lives, throwing powdered chalk on The Yes Men
The Yes Men
The Yes Men are a culture jamming activist duo and network of supporters created by Jacques Servin and Igor Vamos. Through actions of tactical media, The Yes Men primarily aim to raise awareness about what they consider problematic social issues. To date, the duo has produced two films: The Yes Men...
after The Yes Men failed in an attempt to infiltrate the Cato Institute
Cato Institute
The Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Edward H. Crane, who remains president and CEO, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the conglomerate Koch Industries, Inc., the largest privately held...
, and demonstrating at the movie Sicko
Sicko
Sicko is a 2007 documentary film by American filmmaker Michael Moore. The film investigates health care in the United States, focusing on its health insurance and the pharmaceutical industry. The movie compares the for-profit, non-universal U.S...
to protest against socialized healthcare. Bureaucrash took part in Tea Party protests on July 4 and the July 17th protest against health care reform. Bureaucrash is listed as a co-sponsor for the 9/12 dc protest .
Perception
Libertarian historian Brian DohertyBrian Doherty (journalist)
Brian Doherty is an American journalist. He is a Senior Editor at Reason magazine. He is the author of This Is Burning Man: The Rise of a New American Underground , Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement and Gun Control on Trial: Inside the...
described Bureaucrash in Radicals for Capitalism
Radicals for Capitalism
Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement is a book by American journalist and Reason senior editor Brian Doherty. It is about the history of libertarianism in the 20th century. It traces the evolution of the movement, as well as the life stories...
as "a gang of libertarian college kids who prank leftists at major international events by taking the implications of their policies to absurd extremes, which the lefties tend not to even notice. Bureaucrash created a fake group it called 'Progressives Against Progress' whose symbol was a caveman with a club."
Bureaucrash was called a group "where punk rock meets the gold standard" in The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
.
The network's work has been favorably showcased by prominent British libertarian blog Samizdata
Samizdata
Samizdata is a British group weblog. Founded on 2 November 2001 by Perry de Havilland and originally named ‘Libertarian Samizdata’, it dropped the label due to the unhappiness of editors to subscribe to a particular label....
.