Also known as Commerce Jammers, Consumer Mutineers are those who play with or otherwise alter commercial space.Sometimes this means subverting advertising, like the graffiti artist KAWS adding his own ghostly characters to bus shelter posters, or Ji Lee’s Bubble Project, wherein blank speech bubbles are added to public advertising in hopes that passersby will fill them in. Other Mutineers operate directly on the retail environment, like Whirl Mart, which create flash-mobbish in-store traffic jams by slowly pushing empty shopping cartsthrough the aisles of Wal-Mart and Toys “R” Us. Shopdropping – a form of Consumer Mutiny that grapples with the product itself-entails buying or stealing something, altering the packaging or the contents, and then replacing it on the store shelf. There it sits, until an unsuspecting fellow consumer happens upon it and has his or her mind totally blown. The Barbie Liberation Organization is among the most gifted of the shopdroppers, switching the electronic guts of gendered action figures so that Barbie growls about Cobra and G.I. Joe swoons in falsetto over Ken. As much as these mutinies succeed in scraping away a bit of retail’s dissent-proof veneer, they can be bewildering to your average shopper, who sees only a defective product rather than a cultural critique.For example: J.S.G. BOGGSFor twenty years, the artist James Stephen George Boggs has been practicing a very arty, risky, and politically volatile form of Consumer Mutiny. Boggs makes his own currency, drawing whimsical banknotes and attempting to exchange them for goods and services as if they were real money. In revealing that cash is nothing more than a pretty piece of paper made by someone we trust, Boggs has shaken the everyday acts of buying and selling to their very foundations. No surprise, then, that the Secret Service has contended that Boggs Notes are illegal, even though they look nothing like the real thing. Here’s a Tip: Bring a LookoutConstantly looking over your shoulder makes you seem shady. Bring along a friend whose sole job is to observe the scene and give you a pre-arranged signal if the heat decides to show up. Risk: 2Cost:P.R.: 5Cred: 3COOLNESS FACTOR: 4.25

  • Man’s dog suddenly becomes protective of his wife, Internet clocks the reason right away
    Dogs have impressive observational powers.Photo credit: Canva

    Reddit user Girlfriendhatesmefor’s three-year-old pitbull, Otis, had recently become overprotective of his wife. So he asked the online community if they knew what might be wrong with the dog.

    “A week or two ago, my wife got some sort of stomach bug,” the Reddit user wrote under the subreddit /r/dogs. “She was really nauseous and ill for about a week. Otis is very in tune with her emotions (we once got in a fight and she was upset, I swear he was staring daggers at me lol) and during this time didn’t even want to leave her to go on walks. We thought it was adorable!”

    His wife soon felt better, butthe dog’s behavior didn’t change.

    pregnancy signs, dogs and pregnancy, pitbull behavior, pet intuition, dog overprotection, Reddit stories, viral Reddit, dog instincts, canine emotions, dog owner tips
    Otis knew before they did. Canva

    Girlfriendhatesmefor began to fear that Otis’ behavior may be an early sign of an aggression issue or an indication that the dog was hurt or sick.

    So he threw a question out to fellow Reddit users: “Has anyone else’s dog suddenly developed attachment/aggression issues? Any and all advice appreciated, even if it’s that we’re being paranoid!”

    The most popular response to his thread was by ZZBC.

    Any chance your wife is pregnant?

    ZZBC | Reddit

    The potential news hit Girlfriendhatesmefor like a ton of bricks. A few days later, Girlfriendhatesmefor posted an update and ZZBC was right!

    “The wifey is pregnant!” the father-to-be wrote. “Otis is still being overprotective but it all makes sense now! Thanks for all the advice and kind words! Sorry for the delayed reply, I didn’t check back until just now!”

    Redditors responded with similar experiences.

    Anecdotal I know but I swear my dog knew I was pregnant before I was. He was super clingy (more than normal) and was always resting his head on my belly.

    realityisworse | Reddit

    So why do dogs get overprotective when someone is pregnant?

    Jeff Werber, PhD, president and chief veterinarian of the Century Veterinary Group in Los Angeles, told Health.com that “dogs can also smell the hormonal changes going on in a woman’s body at that time.” He added the dog may “not understand that this new scent of your skin and breath is caused by a developing baby, but they will know that something is different with you—which might cause them to be more curious or attentive.”

    The big lesson here is to listen to your pets and to ask questions when their behavior abruptly changes. They may be trying to tell you something, and the news may be life-changing.

    This article originally appeared last year.

  • Throughout history, women have stood up and fought to break down barriers imposed on them from stereotypes and societal expectations. The trailblazers in these photos made history and redefined what a woman could be. In doing so, they paved the way for future generations to stand up and continue to fight for equality.

  • ,

    Why mass shootings spawn conspiracy theories

    Mass shootings and conspiracy theories have a long history.

    While conspiracy theories are not limited to any topic, there is one type of event that seems particularly likely to spark them: mass shootings, typically defined as attacks in which a shooter kills at least four other people.

    When one person kills many others in a single incident, particularly when it seems random, people naturally seek out answers for why the tragedy happened. After all, if a mass shooting is random, anyone can be a target.

    Pointing to some nefarious plan by a powerful group – such as the government – can be more comforting than the idea that the attack was the result of a disturbed or mentally ill individual who obtained a firearm legally.


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