The power blower

The power blower is inspired by the historic Jericho trumpets. With it, you can warn about injustice, breathe life into the counter-power, beep out the sound of power or simply do as the trumpet-playing priests: blow the power to an end. It is confusingly similar to an ordinary party blower, but feel free to be fooled if you enjoy surprises.

Introduction

According to the Bible, Joshua and his entourage miraculously managed to make the fabled walls around Jericho collapse with the sound of trumpets. It is said that the inhabitants of Jericho laughed and mocked Joshua for his use of unconventional methods which, besides a good deal of patience, involved intense prayer and seven trumpet-playing priests who circled the mighty city walls for days.

Inspired by this historical event and the English term «whistleblowing», we have developed The power blower. It can be used to report illegal, unethical or objectionable conditions in a workplace or in an organisation. If you have spoken up, but have not been heard through the usual channels, blowing the whistle may be the next step.

Blowing the whistle can be considered an important democratic principle and contribute to accountability in private and public business. At best, it can lead to the reprehensible conditions being rectified or changed, but often the whistleblower is met with a passive and evasive management that does not act until the matter reaches the media.

Instructions

The power blower can be used against powerful and authoritarian individuals of various kinds to draw attention to injustice and to counteract disempowerment. Create a joint action for a cause you are passionate about and blow away the power, though not the community. The power bladder can also be used as a cheerful act of diversion when you encounter a zealous tram controller or a condescending case manager at the tax office or NAV: lift up the blower and blow away.

No matter how tempting it may be, don’t let the end of the blower come into contact with any person of authority, as you could risk being prosecuted for bodily harm. Therefore familiarize yourself with the range of the blower in a safe environment before taking it out with you.

The power blower can also be used as a foghorn for safe navigation in the sea of fog that the neoliberal think tanks surround themselves with. Read more about this under Sand in the machinery.

Warning

Please note that whistleblowing is not risk-free and may have unforeseen consequences. As a whistleblower, you can be met with both encouragement and thanks, but you also risk to become subject to harsh criticism. It is not uncommon that formal or informal sanctions are directed against the whistleblowers instead of the conditions being reported on. Edward Snowden and Julian Assange are some of the most famous examples of whistleblowers being persecuted and punished.

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