10.10.2012 08:19 AM

Pussy Riot: one free, two to go

There was no “crime,” complete or not.

Free Pussy Riot now!

8 Comments

  1. Clive says:

    I’m torn on this one. In spirit I agree with you – and that makes me crazy – but at the same time, there was an element of vandalism here, and I don’t think it’s true to say there wasn’t religious hatred involved too. I think that some minor sentence, such as a fine or a few hours community service would be merited.

    I do wonder how you, and many others, would react if this had been an act carried out against a mosque rather than a church. Would the reaction have been so one-sided? I’d hope so, and yet somehow I doubt it.

    There’s no doubt Putin is everything that this case reflects on him. They shouldn’t be in jail and that they are is indicative of the human rights situation in Russia. Nonetheless, they are not blameless victims and they did commit a criminal act of vandalism and trespass and we should not lose sight of that just because we agree with their political end.

    • Warren says:

      They shouldn’t have gone inside the church. I’ve said that. But, equally, the sentence they received was far, far out of proportion to the crime.

    • Patrick says:

      I don’t think the Pussy Riot did any damage in the church. They just got up in front did their thing and were taken out of the church painlessly by the police. Heck, without the police, you might have though it an exorcism. That’s the funniest thing about the protest, other than location it was very polite, not an overturned pew, spat on goblet or upside down cross in sight. But of course, it was punk music.
      Music, really any art, that isn’t in the approved parameters freaks the right wing because they are so lacking in imagination. Anything not approved and they over react because they can’t handle the unknown. Officer Bubbles over reacted to bubbles because he had no imagination to deal with it otherwise.
      Harper sings Beatle tunes because it’s okay now, but if it had been 1964 you know he would have been singing Pat Boone and smashing Beatle records or silently agreeing.
      If we hearing him humming SFH, well something has frozen over.

      • Warren says:

        Good Lord, what a brilliant comment. Pat Boone. Love it.

      • Clive says:

        Perhaps I’ve been misinformed but one account I read said they stood on the altar for the performance. That crosses a line for me as a Catholic, however, legally speaking, it’s still really a matter of trespass and nothing more. You can’t and shouldn’t legislate respect for the religious views of others, be they Orthodox or Muslim.

  2. Kelly says:

    Interesting reaction to the entire Pussy Riot story in light of your book and Lakoff’s research, Warren. Judging by the commentary on many Canadian media sites the issue is giving conservatives fits. They hate Putin but many hate female Punkers who diss the cozy connection between church and state even more. I would love watching it if the stakes weren’t so high for the poor women at the center of things. But it does show you the power of Punk, wedge issues and the inability of centralized power to cope with a diffuse opposition a la Pussy Riot and the Occupiers.

    I was up to speed on Lakoffs ideas but you are helping to make sense of them for the “casual progressive operative”. I bought the book at 9 pm last night and read it straight through until 3 am. Then I slept in and was late for work. Damn you, Warren.

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