The Art of Protest
Pussy Riot may be the most controversial musical group in the world--at least in their Russian homeland.
The feminist, pro-LBGT, and anti-authoritarian group is known for its surprise public performances of punk-inspired protest songs. The most successful of these performances are edited into music videos. Many are disrupted by Russian authorities. Two Pussy Riot members recently served a 21-month jail sentence for "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred." It is fair to say that Pussy Riot has a better reputation in the U.S. and Western Europe than it does in Russia.
The Winter Olympics in Sochi gave Pussy Riot a unique opportunity to spread its anti-authoritarian message worldwide. National Public Radio has posted Pussy Riot's Sochi video, including members of the group being whipped by Cossacks.
•Is the video effective at presenting its anti-authoritarian viewpoint?
•Why was it so hard for Russian authorities to control the pictures coming out of Sochi?
•What level of protest should have been allowed during the Olympics, and what would have been too much?
•Does the Internet help us understand one another, or does it make us angrier at each other?
•What are some other examples of artists, actors and musicians becoming instruments of protest?
Labels: disintermediation, international, internet, mediaeffects, smartphones, socialnetworking, viralmarketing, wirelessmedia
posted by Mike Eberts (AKA Your Humble Blogger) @ 6:00 AM
1 Comments:
The most effective part was the Cossack attack added to their video. It looks like a live report of what's really happening out there. In my opinion, it is impossible to control information travel. In 2009, massive protests took place in Iran after people found out about the presidential election fraud. They uploaded photos and videos of their protests on Facebook and tweeter. Later authorities tried to disable the Internet. In few hours Facebook, Tweeter, YouTube, and even Gmail were blocked, but not the Yahoo messenger! Cellphones were useless, because texting was completely off. Protestors had used mass texting option to inform others about their location and activities. Later the International call was disabled, so protestors couldn’t inform news channels about what really was happening there. But how long would that continue? The information was already out there. It is impossible to isolate a nation from the outside world. Communication will take place.
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