Anti-globalization folk hero and sheep farmer Jose Bove has inspired a T-shirt that’s all the rage in Europe. It shows the globe open in the form of a huge jaw; from it emerges the handcuffed wrists of Bove, keeping the teeth from snapping shut. The slogan reads: "The world is not merchandise, and neither am I."
Bove is one of the "Millau Ten," members of the Peasant Confederation recently charged with "a festive dismantling with collateral damage" of an unfinished McDonald’s outlet in the small French town of Auch. They singled out the Golden Arches to protest the U.S. government’s recent tariffs on French specialty products, such as mustard and Roquefort cheese. The tariffs were in retaliation for Europe banning hormone-treated U.S. beef. Bove’s sheep milk is used to make Roquefort. His demonstration was nonviolent, local, personal, and specific.
How can you keep the maw of McWorld from snapping shut on you? We came up with a few ideas. Tell us yours by dropping us an e-mail at sojourners@sojo.net. (Come back to this page to see what other readers suggest.)
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