If you follow the
international headlines...
...surely by now, you’ve heard of Pussy Riot.
“Riot”
is described by Wikipedia as “a Russian feminist punk rock protest group based in Moscow.” It goes on to
say “they stage unauthorized provocative guerrilla performances in
unusual public locations, which are edited into music videos and posted on the
Internet. Their lyrical themes include
feminism, LGBT rights,
opposition to the policies of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom
they regard as a dictator, and links
between Putin and the leadership of the Russian Orthodox
Church.”
From Wikipedia:
On February
21, 2012, five members of the group staged a performance in Moscow's Cathedral of
Christ the Savior. Their actions were stopped by church security
officials. By that evening, they had
turned the performance into a music video entitled "Punk Prayer - Mother of God,
Chase Putin Away!" The women said their protest was directed at
the Orthodox Church leader's support for Putin during his election campaign. On March 3, 2012, two of the group members, Nadezhda
Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, were
arrested and charged with hooliganism…Denied
bail, they were held in custody until their trial began in late July. On August
17, 2012, the members were convicted of "hooliganism motivated by
religious hatred", and each was sentenced to two years imprisonment.
The trial
and sentence attracted considerable criticism, particularly in the West. The
case was adopted by human rights groups including Amnesty International,
which designated the women prisoners of
conscience, and by a number of prominent entertainers. Public
opinion in Russia was generally less sympathetic towards the women. Putin
stated that the band had "undermined the moral foundations" of the
nation and "got what they asked for". Having served 21 months,
Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina were released on December 23, 2013 after the State Duma approved an
amnesty… both were among the group that performed as Pussy Riot during the
Winter Olympics in Sochi, where they were attacked with whips and pepper spray
by Cossacks who were employed as security. On 6 March 2014, Nadezhda
Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina were
seriously assaulted and injured at a fast food outlet by local youths in Nizhny Novgorod.
In an
interview, Tolokonnikova stated:
Pussy Riot's performances can either be called dissident
art or political action that engages art forms. Either way, our performances
are a kind of civic activity amidst the repressions of a corporate political
system that directs its power against basic human rights and civil and
political liberties.
 |
| Pussy Riot by Igor Mukhin (Wikipedia) |
It’s
one thing for young artists to try and get attention, trying to make a name for
themselves. It’s quite another thing to
shake your fist in the face of your government, let alone that of Vladimir
Putin. These young ladies have risked
arrest many times, they spent two years in prison, only to be let out as Putin
made nice in the run-up to the Sochi Olympics.
Even so, they were back on the streets again, during the Olympics, in
Sochi, where they were roughed-up by security forces. Then a few weeks later, they were seriously assaulted
by local hooligans.
To
accomplish change, someone has to stand up and demand it. But think of our own hesitance to speak up
here, in the USA, where we would face none of the challenges P-Riot
faces in Russia. You might call P-Riot’s
action foolishness, you might call it publicity-seeking, but I think I have
another description that belongs in there:
Bravery.
But
the think I find most entertaining about “Riot” is the way staid, professional
news anchors are forced to say the name of the band, sometimes many times, in a
news cast. There they are solid,
professional broadcasters who would never in their lives have considered saying
the “P-word” on the air, and now that find themselves doing it over and
over. I find that totally
hilarious. What’s in a name ? ...sometimes,
everything. Where would P-Riot be now if
their name was “The North Moscow Singers” ?
Nowhere, I guarantee it !
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina
 |
| A screen capture from a Youtube video posted by Russian punk band Pussy Riot shows members' faces smeared in paint after an attack in a McDonald's. (from CNN.com) |
If a man
isn’t secure enough in his own
masculinity
to name women among his heroes…
…then he’s just a big p*ssy !
- Mark
W. Laughlin
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