The Oatly Dairy Deprogramming Zone
Did you know that every summer the dairy lobby throws an ice cream party for congressional staffers on Capitol Hill? And did you know they’ve done this for the last 40 summers? It’s a little like lobbying and a lot like brainwashing. Kinda cult-y. They ply lawmakers with a little ice cream, lawmakers are a little more receptive to the dairy industry’s anti-climate agenda. In 2024 Oatly decided to crash their party with a counter-party across the street, featuring plenty of dairy-free soft serve and plenty of dairy deprogramming. We also had a sign spinner and a crossing guard.
Seems innocent enough, but isn’t part of being brainwashed not realizing you’ve been brainwashed?
We parked the DDZ directly across the street from the Capitol Hill ice cream party for maximum, um, visibility.
The truck’s speakers played classic ice cream truck music—mixed with a voiceover I wrote explaining various facts about oatmilk’s climate impact and water usage vs. dairy milk (see 1st Tiktok below). Delicious!
Roughly a billion people showed up for dairy-free soft serve with a side of dairy deprogramming.
While people waited for their dairy-free ice cream they enjoyed some basic facts of dairy deprogramming, if they hadn’t already heard it blaring from the truck’s speakers.
Custom cups and OATMILK LOBBYIST t-shirts for Oatly’s dairy deprogramming ambassadors.
The sign spinner directed congressional ice cream party captives across the street to dairy-free safety.
Our crossing guard ushering escapees to the DDZ safe space.
And of course the cops came and tried to shut the DDZ down, at the request of the dairy lobby. Permits to the rescue though, hurray!
