Punk music isn’t dead. It’s
just imprisoned in Russia. The punk music genre is pretty much dead here in the
USA. The messages got lost in the
lifestyle and it merged and morphed into other music genres. But in other parts
of the world it’s alive and needed. Enter Pussy Riot, a Russian punk
band founded in 2011, known for staging impromptu public performances based on
Russian political life.
This past February, the female group
did one of their ‘performances’ in a Moscow cathedral in order to protest the
close relationship of the Orthodox Church and the current government. The low
budget guerilla performance did come with the price tag of 2 years in prison
when they were convicted of Hooliganism motivated by religious hatred. It’s our
version of really disturbing the
peace and a hate crime.
After their conviction this
week, the world and its celebrities, are clamoring for their release. FREE
PUSSY RIOT! Both fun and shocking to say. Freedom of speech is a right held
dear to westerners (unless that speech is not agreed with; which is why dissenters
at U.S. political rallies are rounded up and forcibly removed). But why are we
surprised the Russian government acted like they did in response to this band’s
publicity stunt? Like smokers who are surprised they got lung cancer because
cigarettes are bad, this band should have known the potential cost of their
actions and be willing to pay the price so that others do not have to. Hundreds
of 80’s movies taught us Russia was the bad guy. They hate our freedom. They
hate Rocky and Rambo. Their invasion of Afghanistan caused us to protest their
hosting the Olympics and our athletes didn’t compete and millions of
endorsement dollars were lost. (Now that we own Afghanistan, that won’t be a problem
for the next winter Olympics.)
Better said, if a shark bites a
surfer, we don’t blame the shark.
The public outcry has almost
been Kony level. And like Kony2012, many who are posting on social networking
and blogs have not bothered to get any information on the incident other than it’s
a harsh punishment for something that would not have been as big a deal in
other places. While their performance might not rise to the level of religious
hatred, they certainly didn’t show the church any respect. Watch the video
HERE. Now imagine if the Occupy movement
did this in a Baptist church. Are we
still chanting for their freedom?
Pussy Riot aren’t heroes. Their
performance was not the best way to create the needed change in their country. True,
they did spark a global conversation on free speech and political activism but now
it will be much harder for other activists to protest. And if their actions do
change things, and Russia follows the U.S. and only regulates the time, place,
and manner, of speech – it’s unlikely a punk band would apply for a permit. And
a church performance would be off limits. It’s not a stretch to say they would
have done it anyways. And instead of being political activists would have been
seen as disrespectful lawbreakers looking to promote their band.
When we visit another’s home,
we take care to be respectful of the home owner’s rules. We might be asked to
remove our shoes or avoid sitting in the host’s favorite lazy boy chair.
Traveling and touring in another country is no different. There are rules. It’s their home. And we have to respect that.
In a trip to China in 1998, I
struck up a conversation with a Chinese teacher. For almost an hour we talked
about a number of things from education to food and then I asked him about the
1989 Tiananmen Square incident. The conversation went silent. “I want to be
here tomorrow to teach my students. I should not talk.” It sickens me that a
government could control how, when, and the subject matter of its citizens’
conversations. But I knew the dangers of certain conversations in China, just
as I knew not to litter in Singapore. I was there to learn and share ideas
within the boundaries of each host country and its people.
We do not carry our rights with
us where ever we go. Laws vary state to state and country to country. We may
want to buy beer on Sunday morning but if we’re in Mississippi that’s not gonna
happen. Our rights are not as inalienable as we’d like to believe. Even in the
U.S., land of freedom, we try change our Constitutions every election to
reflect the current political climate.
When a band tours, it is
important to know the laws of the host city. From speed limits and parking ordinances,
to drug laws, and what songs can be performed. If the singer is caught with an
eighth of weed will he just get a ticket or will he be taken to jail and the
tour canceled?
Free speech isn’t free. There
is a cost to affect change. Many have been fined, beaten, hosed, and imprisoned
for the right to speak their mind. Protesting has always had an element of danger
to it. Protesters must weigh the consequences of their actions
with the possible gain for themselves and others. Some students in my middle
school were suspended for participating in a walk-out. They wanted longer lunch
periods. They also thought they should not be punished because theirs was a
just cause. No country on earth has a law that gives its citizens the freedom to simply do what they want, when they want. That's anarchy. And almost every nation has opposed that movement. Even this one: WATCH.
Pussy Riot knew what the
consequences would be for their actions. To think we can break rules, avoid negative
consequences, and become famous is the epitome of the current air of arrogance
and entitlement. Like the middle school protest, the band’s stunt was not the
best way to get the change they say they want. It might have been the loudest,
but to save face, Russia can’t give in and free them.
If they were really trying to
change their country, they might have picked another way. But if they were trying
to get more attention for a video in an antiquated music genre – then they
succeeded. And won’t they happy with all the ‘LIKES’ they get, which they will
see when they’re released in 2014. Who knows, maybe punk will be in fashion
then.
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