Girls gone wild
I had not really paid any attention to this particular brouhaha in Russia until the words “Pussy Riot” tumbled from the pursed lips of Judy Woodruff, doyenne of the Newshour. On the TV screen were three attractive young women, members of a punk rock group, smiling and rolling their eyes in a Moscow courtroom. They had just been sentenced to two years in a penal colony for “hooliganism.” Their offense: dancing and singing in front of the iconostasis of the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Christ the Savior protesting the return of Vladimir Putin and his endorsement by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
To the rest of the world the real offense is the suppression of free speech by the Russian government. Okay, they’re baddies, let’s agree on that. But wait! If we switched continents, and the three sweet things had danced and sung on the altar of St. Patrick’s Cathedral or Westminster Abbey or the bimah of Temple Emanuel, they would have been arrested for trespassing, sentenced to a week in jail, but hardly lauded by the likes of the Newshour. And wouldn’t the commentary have been more skeptical that this was an effective way to rally the mass of Russians against their authoritarian government?
Exactly, Margaret! Just bad girls. No “free expression” heroines.
Not understanding Russian, I have no idea what lyrics these “bad girls” were singing.
That said, I once attended a new cleric’s “first Mass” outside St. Louis, and it was — without doubt — the single wildest service I’ve ever attended: a number of women dancers not only dancing up and down the aisle before/after but also flying around/over the altar during. Singing, sermon, etc.: a festive occasion if ever! Leaving after Mass, a group of older clerics were guffing and gaffawing about how folks would probably never witness a Catholic service like the one just attended! A rollicking good time for everybody present — except that my Protestant great-aunt (a friend of the cleric’s family) asked me afterwards in a bewildered voice, “Joe, are all Catholic services like this???” To which I replied in a trailing voice, “Nooooooo………..”
Was God upset with the girls for their cathedral performance/protest?
I don’t know.
Well, there’s a difference between a week in jail (wouldn’t that be more likely a fine?) and two years in a penal colony. And can you really arrest someone for “trespassing” simply for being inside St. Pat’s, Westminster Abbey, etc. etc., places that are theoretically open to all?
It’s difficult (though not impossible) to legislate good taste.
I think the reason they made the protest in the church is because of the connection between the ROC and the government. Here’s a bit from a 2007 story in TIME about Christ the Savior church …
“[...] the Russian Orthodox Church is increasingly a symbol and projection of Russian nationalism.
Indeed, rather than first give thanks to God in his speech, the head of the ROC, Patriarch Alexy, paid homage to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Patriarch emphasized that the reunification could happen only because the ROCOR saw in Putin “a genuine Russian Orthodox human being.” Putin responded in his speech that the reunification was a major event for the entire nation.
Nationalism, based on the Orthodox faith, has been emerging as the Putin regime’s major ideological resource. Thursday’s rite sealed the four-year long effort by Putin, beginning in September 2003, to have the Moscow Patriarchate take over its rival American-based cousin and launch a new globalized Church as his state’s main ideological arm and a vital foreign policy instrument. In February press conference, Putin equated Russia’s “traditional confessions” to its nuclear shield, both, he said, being “components that strengthen Russian statehood and create necessary preconditions for internal and external security of the country.” Professor Sergei Filatov, a top authority on Russian religious affairs notes that “traditional confessions” is the state’s shorthand for the Russian Orthodox Church …”
= Putin’s Reunited Russian Church
Nicholas: There’s this from December 1989: “While some 4,500 people demonstrated outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral yesterday, several dozen disrupted the Mass at 10:15 A.M. to protest John Cardinal O’Connor’s recent statements on abortion, homosexuality and AIDS.
“Some of the protesters chained themselves to pews inside the cathedral, while others shouted or lay in aisles. ”We will not be silent,” a protester, Michael Petrelis, 30 years old, screamed before the police arrested him. ”We will fight O’Connor’s bigotry,”
“The police said 111 people were arrested, including 43 inside the church. Many of the protesters were carried out on stretchers after refusing to stand up.”
So last century!
Those were my thoughts exactly, Margaret! Thank you for expressing them.
The story about the flying dancers at the first Mass reminded me of the funeral of a beloved local politician. We had the bishop, three priests, two deacons, two choirs and a bagpiper. “Oh, yeah, a normal Sunday morning Mass,” I told my Lutheran boss, who attended with me. He told the bishop. The bishop didn’t deny it.
Agreed Margaret. From what I understand, the girls have acknowledged that what they did was improper (not the protest but the venue). Additionally, I don’t think the majority of the Russian people were in support. The punishment might be excessive but, still, the point is that they undermined their support by the public by disrespecting a sacred site.
Just like, I don’t think people supported the gay activists in New York when they disrupted mass.
No actual harm or damage was done. The purpose was political. I’d say it was a perfect case of civil disobedience in the best sense of that phrase. Sentence should have been probation plus community service. (They had already served some six months awaiting trial).
But keep in mind that this is Russia we are talking about — now highly repressive, with a corrupt national government and where newspapers and radio stations are closed down for expressing opposition. As is the case often, the (Russian) Catholic Church remains mum.
Perfect case of civil disobedience?
I don’t agree. Here is the video of the protest in the cathedral.
I don’t think this is appropriate and I am offended by this kind of display in front of sacred icons.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCasuaAczKY&feature=related
Prancing Nihilniks get two years in Siberia? They didn’t even throw a bomb at the Tsar!
“…first as tragedy, second as farce.”
@George: civil disobedience is often offensive, particularly to the comfortable.
The perspective of an Orthodox believer: http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/slag-solzhenitsyns/
Heavens, extremely bad manners are de rigeur in America. The Pussy People would be feted here – hardly jailed. Unhappily for them, Russia hasn’t yet reached the cultural heights at which we live. Soon enough – don’t rush it.
Two years for assaulting people with a form of “art” that they do not wish to view? Sounds about right to me.
As a young Catholic woman, I’m shocked and saddened by this post. How on earth is the protesters being “three attractive young women” and “three sweet things” relevant to anything? Vladimir Putin and the Orthodox leaders who support him are “baddies”? How dismissive and sexist can you get? Did you guys even read about this incident and its background before brushing it off as akin to “Girls Gone Wild”? I expect more from Commonweal and its authors, who are the public face of liberal Catholicism for so many, than trading on dangerous stereotypes of vocal women as crazy, silly sluts.
I would commend to everyone here this recent post (disclosure: by my fellow blogger) at WomenInTheology: http://womenintheology.org/2012/08/18/virgin-mary-mother-of-god-become-a-feminist/
Pussy Riot do a good analysis http://chtodelat.wordpress.com/2012/08/08/yekaterina-samutsevich-closing-statement/
The Russian people mostly have access only to the Russian state media’s vilification of them.
Their punk is alien to Russia and rude indeed (they would certainly be punished in the US too).
Nonetheless, one must be in awe of their courage.
Yey, Sonja, Commonweal sports its “centrist” credentials once again.
Feminists are always right; especially Catholic ones because they are infallible.
It would be interesting to hear an actual response from Margaret Steinfels instead of more condescension.
The problem is that symbolism had the opposite effect. And, to be fair, they did acknowledge that early on in a written apology, one of them saying that it was an ethical mistake.
Culturally, in Russia protest has been conducted far more subtly. In Anna Karenina, Tolstoy, did not full out oppose divorce laws as they stood in Russia at the time. You could be left with that impression after reading the novel but it was not foregrounded.
Also, Dostoevsky was extremely distrustful of the West and symbolically expressed it through the very prophetic, Grand Inquisitor. Dostoevsky, though, was deeply religious.
The point is that they are at odds with Russian sensibilities, history and culture and they way in which art has been mobilized politically. This is why they do not have support in Russia.
That said, I think the punishment is excessive but then again I think the sentences being given out for drug offenses in Canada and the USA is way too excessive as well.
Cultures do have a right to protect important cultural and religious symbols through the law and this must be guaranteed.
I thought the Taliban should have faced sanctions when they exploded the Buddhist statues in Afghanistan.
Dissent should absolutely be encouraged and dissent should never be equated with disloyalty. However, there are boundaries and limits and our laws should acknowledge that and we then should operate within the parameters of the law.
I see no injustice here (aside from possibly the proportion of sentence to crime). But, I do not live there so……
Public protests by definition occur in public places. Their purpose is to inspire/rouse one’s fellow citizens to a recognition of grave wrongs and/or illegal actions usually by the government but sometimes by corporations or other forms of association.
The Cathedral of Christ the Savior is a sacred space. It is also a public place in the sense that the public can enter for purposes of prayer, meditation, liturgical rites, candle lighting, etc. Churches, synagogues, temples, etc., have a great range of activities within them, but they are primarily sacred spaces. In some, we can certainly hear words of protest raised within their particular religious context for purposes of inspiring believers.
That was not Pussy Riot’s purpose; they meant to shock the Russian public by desecrating a sacred space.
The behavior of the three convicted women in the courtroom (as shown on TV) suggests a light-hearted attitude toward their action and their sentencing.
Two observations then: they scandalized many of the people (ordinary Russians) they wanted to influence; and they failed to mount an effective protest against the government.
That Madonna and Lady Gaga and the media should see the trial and the sentences as a suppression of artistic freedom and free speech rather than a desecration underlines how little is regarded as truly sacred in our culture, and how little art is required for accusations that it has been suppressed.
At the same time, the mercy called for by the Patriarch regarding the two-year sentence is entirely appropriate, but may well be seen as condescending.
I would encourage folks here to read the many statements of the band and of its individual members before assuming that the band’s intention was merely to “shock” or to “desecrate.” The religious expression of some of the band members might surprise some of this blog’s readers. “Sacred” and “public,” of course, are categories that are not obvious or uncontestable. Designating where protest can legitimately take place seems to me a way to preserve certain realities from critique. They are “off limits” from public protest while at the same time functioning publicly as appendages of the state by those authorized to use “sacred” spaces in “public.” Often these “sacred” public spaces are the places that need to be disrupted the most. Maybe that’s why Jesus “did his thing” in the temple.
The statements I referred to above can be found at http://freepussyriot.org/documents.
Sorry, that link says it’s not available.
MI@11:49: “Sacred” and “public,” of course, are categories that are not obvious or uncontestable. Designating where protest can legitimately take place seems to me a way to preserve certain realities from critique. They are “off limits” from public protest while at the same time functioning publicly as appendages of the state by those authorized to use “sacred” spaces in “public.” Often these “sacred” public spaces are the places that need to be disrupted the most. Maybe that’s why Jesus “did his thing” in the temple.”
Did Jesus desecrate the temple by pushing over the table of the money changers? Scripture scholars, what say you?
The Sacred and the Public are usually pretty obvious; uncontestable to those who care not to make the distinction. Why not a protest in front of the Patriarch’s house/dacha/palace? Isn’t that the reality they were critiquing–the Patriarch’s endorsement of Putin?
http://freepussyriot.org/documents
The link above was including the period.
I’m not a scripture scholar, but I would point out that the question of whether Jesus “desecrated” the temple is somewhat anachronistic. Which points to the problematic “distinction” between sacred and public that I’m questioning. The temple was at once sacred and public. “Distinguishing” between sacred and public is generally not problematic. Radically separating one from the other such that one becomes untouchable is the problem. “Sacred” and “public” are “pretty obvious” to those who benefit from policing these realities in particular ways for particular ends. It seems to me that Pussy Riot DOES “care about” the distinction but transgressed boundaries, as did Jesus, to draw attention to something. Perhaps they considered the “official” sacred itself to be a desecration, and through their actions pointed to something more Sacred.
Just delete the period on the end of the link, and you’ll find all the documents. They’re worth the read.
http://freepussyriot.org/documents
As for Jesus’ action in the temple, desecration’s in the eye of the beholder, which is why many Christian translations have unfortunately titled those verses the “cleansing” of the temple.
I also don’t see why “inspiring believers” and “shock[ing] the Russian public” are mutually exclusive.
And further, how does “the behavior of the three convicted women in the courtroom (as shown on TV) [suggest] a light-hearted attitude toward their action and their sentencing.” To continue the gospel analogies, would this mean that Jesus displayed a “light-hearted attitude” towards his action and sentencing when he refused to answer Pilate?
The Russian Orthodox Church has for a long time been an instrument of the Russian State. Whatever claim to sacred ground they might have once had was lost during the Communist period, and has not been regained since.
Nadia Tolokonnikova’s closing statement is especially powerful. How anyone can read this and conclude that these women had a “light-hearted” attitude and intended to “desecrate” anything amazes me. One would be hard pressed to find in our popular Catholic periodicals theological reflection as eloquent as hers! Take a look. I am pretty sure their actual statements reflect their intentions far more accurately than a cursory look at them on TV footage.
http://freepussyriot.org/content/nadia-tolokonnikovas-closing-statement
And why did they protest in the cathedral rather than in front of the patriarch’s residence? Katja Sautsevich herself explains why:
“The fact that Christ the Savior Cathedral had become a significant symbol in the political strategy of our powers that be was already clear to many thinking people when Vladimir Putin’s former [KGB] colleague Kirill Gundyaev took over as head of the Russian Orthodox Church. After this happened, Christ the Savior Cathedral began to be used openly as a flashy setting for the politics of the security services, which are the main source of power [in Russia].”
This response to the Patriarch’s speech is a good expression of where they are coming from.
http://freepussyriot.org/content/pussy-riot-statement-response-patriarchs-speech-24032012
From a pragmatic point of view: This is how protest movements wither and die: they alienate the very people they are trying to convince and their activists end up in jail–or worse, alienated from the society they are trying to reform.
“From a pragmatic point of view: This is how protest movements wither and die: they alienate the very people they are trying to convince and their activists end up in jail–or worse, alienated from the society they are trying to reform.”
Well, it’s been two days since the sentencing. I wonder if your words above could have been spoken about Jesus two days after his death. We all know what happened on day three.
The people who have been “alienated” by Pussy Riot’s actions seem to be a much smaller group than those who have been energized by them, or even than those who simply think the punishment is unjust. We have no idea, two days later, where any of this will lead or the effects it might have.
Margaret, how can you say that? Political struggles in South Africa, the American south, even to some extent India all alienated the complacent along with the ruling elite. The Russian revolution itself was not a popular uprising. Upsetting some people and landing in jail is certainly not in itself a precursor to a movement’s failure.
Again, the statements of the protesters themselves suggest that they are *not* being “alienated from the society they are trying to reform.” From Nadia Tolokonnikova’s closing statement:
<>
It seems like most of the alienation here is coming from folks who haven’t bothered to read about the case because they were outraged by “the words ‘Pussy Riot’ tumbl[ing]” from the mouths of news reporters.
Whoops, for some reason the excerpt didn’t post. Regarding the purported alienation resulting from their protest, Tolokonnikova says:
And every day there are more and more people who support us, who hope for our success and especially for our release, who say our political act was justified. People tell us, “To start with, we weren’t sure you could have done this,” but every day there are more and more people who say, “Time is proving to us that your political gesture was correct. You have exposed the cancer in this political system and dealt a blow to a nest of vipers, which then turned on you.” These people are trying to make life easier for us in whatever way they can and we are very grateful to them for that…
We are grateful to all those who, free themselves, speak out in our support. There are a vast number, I know. I know that a huge number of Orthodox people are standing up for us. They are praying for us outside the courtroom, for the members of Pussy Riot who are incarcerated. We’ve seen the little booklets Orthodox people are handing out with prayers for those in prison. This shows that there isn’t a unified social group of Orthodox believers as the prosecution is endeavouring to say. No such thing exists. More and more believers are starting to defend Pussy Riot. They don’t think what we did deserves even five months in detention, much less the three years in prison the prosecutor would like
JBruns @ 3pm. “How can you say that? Political struggles in South Africa, the American south, even to some extent India all alienated the complacent along with the ruling elite. The Russian revolution itself was not a popular uprising. Upsetting some people and landing in jail is certainly not in itself a precursor to a movement’s failure.”
It depends on what role protests make in changing society; the kind of protests; the goal of the protests; and the acts of protestors. The South African protests certainly played a role in calling attention to the apartheid state.So did novels by Alan Paton and Nadine Gordimer. What ended it? I think sanctions had a big role. So did boycotts of SA religious bodies, athletic teams, etc.
We could look at the recent protests in Egypt, largely successful in ending Mubarak’s rule, but not in bringing on the liberal and secular society the protestors want. The U.S. Civil Rights Movement woke a nation to the brutalities of segregation, but LBJ got the civil rights act passed. I protested the Vietnam War but I have never believed that those protests ended the war. The death of soldiers, atrocities, good journalism, and even novels played their part. I am not against protests; I am prepared to protest the coming war with Iran, but there are certain actions I hope such a protest movement will avoid.
My point: protests can play a role in bringing about social and political change (not always to the good), but I doubt that dancing and singing in front of iconostasis or acts that shock people’s deepest beliefs or sensibilities help the cause; in fact, I think they undermine it. That’s why I said what I said. Back to you!
Christ the Savior church is not just a sacred place of prayer, it’s one of the biggest tourist attractions in Moscow, and it’s also one of the biggest signs of Puton’s relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church, as that article in TIME I linked to in my earlier comment states … there are probably few netter places to protest against Putin and the ever more restrictive ROC (and with Kirill and his KGB links) than there. As for Jesus, the temple cleansing episode seems pretty much like civil-disobedience.
Oops – I meant to write few “better” places ;)
@Margaret: I usually find myself in agreement with you. In this case, perhaps it is a nuanced difference. I agree that protests seldom bring about change by themselves. Their purpose is more often to catalyze, to raise awareness, to disturb the status quo. By their nature they need to draw attention to themselves. They are often provocative, and intentionally so. In this particular case, we are talking about a very peaceful protest, without even any property damage. Only people’s sensibilities were injured. And why the particular venue? Well, for one reason, Putin’s crony is the head of the ROC.
Will your prediction prove correct? Perhaps. But I think if the protest does die out without contribution to change in the Russia political and civil rights scene, it may be because the protest itself was so small rather than because it alienated rank and file (and complacent) Russians.
Anyway, that’s my opinion, even as I continue to ALWAYS enjoy your writing.
CW: Well!! being a tourist attractions makes all the difference. I can see that.
JB: It’s only my opinion too. Nuanced differences are the best.
And you don’t always have to agree with me. Believe me, I’m used to being disagreed with.
Being a tourist attraction = a possibly wider audience for the protest.
@Margaret: Oh, don’t get me wrong. I ALWAYS enjoy your writing, not your opinions! :)
“The U.S. Civil Rights Movement woke a nation to the brutalities of segregation, but LBJ got the civil rights act passed.”
Whew, thank God there was a level-headed white man there to get the job done. Too bad these Pussy Riot girls have no idea how to calm down and advance their own cause.
In all seriousness, though, what protest movement has *not* included “acts that shock people’s deepest beliefs or sensibilities”? People’s deepest beliefs and sensibilities can include some pretty heinous things, and we are especially talented at using “religion” and “the sacred” to insulate those beliefs from criticism. The oppressed have no obligation to honor the sensibilities of their oppressors when it’s those very sensibilities that are driving the oppression. Unless we’ve spent two years in a Russian prison (and if any of us here has, please correct me), perhaps we aren’t in a position to dismiss these women’s form of protest. At the very least, as Catholics who consider sexism an evil, we are never in a position to perpetuate it by dismissing politically active women as “girls gone wild.”
I can’t help but think, as Bridget mentioned, of the editorial that led to the Letter from Birmingham Jail:
“We recognize the natural impatience of people who feel that their hopes are slow in being realized. But we are convinced that these demonstrations are unwise and untimely. … Just as we formerly pointed out that “hatred and violence have no sanction in our religious and political traditions”, we also point out that such actions as incite to hatred and violence, however technically peaceful those actions may be, have not contributed to the resolution of our local problems. We do not believe that these days of new hope are days when extreme measures are justified in Birmingham. … When rights are consistently denied, a cause should be pressed in the courts and in negotiations among local leaders, and not in the streets. We appeal to both our white and Negro citizenry to observe the principles of law and order and common sense.”
To which he replied: “You deplore the demonstrations taking place in Birmingham. But your statement, I am sorry to say, fails to express a similar concern for the conditions that brought about the demonstrations.”
Juan Cole–someone whose work and insight, if I’m not mistaken, Peggy Steinfels much admires–weighs in on the matter here. Well worth reading.
Putin, Pussy Riot, Hooliganism and the Syrian Bloodbath
http://www.juancole.com/2012/08/putin-pussy-riot-hooliganism-and-the-syrian-bloodbath.html
I don’t know whether the dissenters were wise or unwise. What I find interesting is that a very young dissenter obviously has read a lot of heavy writers and is appealing to a number of dead white dissenters to justify her cause. This seems to be very Russian of her, or should I say European. You don’t find American or British dissenters appealing to history and the wisdom of the past to the extent she does for justification.
Is the difference the extreme individualism here? Yes, Ryan touted Rand, but he’s distancing himself from her. Obama wouldnt’ dare quote Alinsky. Anyway, I can’t imagine any of the Occupiers making such a speech from jail.
Ann:
I found that interesting too. Their responses are so typically “Russian”. One of the things I admire about Russian culture is that most Russians know their literature. It is the main way that thought and culture is/was transmitted. The great novelists are their storytellers. Even the nick names or characteristics they might give to each other come from the novels.
One of them even quotes Pushkin. “It is impossible to pray for King Herod; the Mother of God forbids it.”
But I did have a very good friend back in the 80′s when the Soviets were still in power. She was from Russia and was in the same Slavic an Russian studies program I was in. In her view, even at that time, Russia was not conducive to democracy. She said they tend to like a stable power presence whoever it is. This was before the Soviet empire collapsed and Putin ascended. But she did note, that Russians do pride themselves on knowing their poets and writers and you certainly see that in the response.
a) Orthodox leaders said they thought the punishment was too harsh. God has already punished these girls by taking away their common sense, said one of the ROC priests.
b) Putin is putting dissenters like Pussy Riot, under cover of offending religion, on notice that the government is watching. http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Russian-Orthodox-church-forgives-Pussy-Riot-3797872.php
“The conviction comes in the wake of several recently passed laws cracking down on opposition, including one that raised the fine for taking part in an unauthorized demonstrations by 150 times to 300,000 rubles (about $9,000). Another measure requires non-government organizations that both engage in vaguely defined political activity and receive funding from abroad to register as ‘foreign agents.’”
c) I think, as Crystal has pointed out, that there IS a difference between a protest at a church which is both a historical and a religious site. Anyone who has visited a famous cathedral will notice any number of inappropriate antics that border or even cross the line into “hooliganism.” (I recall some teenage French school girls at Ely Cathedral who were screeching and hopscotching on grave markers in the floor and who should have been slapped by their minders; I might have felt slightly better had they actually had some protest message they were trying to push).
d) I agree with Crystal that there is also a difference between protesting at such a site during services and during times when no service is going on and the public is admitted for private reflection, prayer, or rubbernecking.
e) FWIW, has anyone noticed that “hooligans” protesting at rallies for presidential candidates in both parties are summarily hustled out by security forces? And no candidates are offering to give these folks a hearing despite the fact that at least two of them will be taking an oath to uphold the constitution, which, last time I looked, included the First Amendment?
Yes, Michael Perry, I am an admirer and daily reader of Juan Cole. His comments this morning connecting this Russian scandale to to the Syria-Lybia events seemed far-fetched. And usually when speaking of religious matters, muslim or hindu, to his readers he usually shows more nuance than he has here. Are the Russian Orthodox like the Russians to be interpreted more harshly?
Andre Glucksmann, in Le Monde, also links Putin and Assad as dictators, pointing out that Putin killed far more people in Chechenya than Assad in Syria.
I see that people are reacting to Pussy Riot exactly as they did to Rushdie, cosying up to the ever so religious Iranian regime of the time.
“Too bad these Pussy Riot girls have no idea how to calm down and advance their own cause.” But they have had stupendous success so far.
“The behavior of the three convicted women in the courtroom (as shown on TV) suggests a light-hearted attitude toward their action and their sentencing.”
Their speeches from the dock were extraordinary in their depth. They should be overjoyed at their extraordinary success.
@Joseph, I was being sarcastic when I said that Pussy Riot should “calm down,” just as I was being sarcastic with the previous sentence when I said that it was good there was a “level-headed white man to get the job done” during the Civil Rights era. Good Lord, of course I don’t believe those things. My point was that it’s incredibly offensive and patronizing for privileged white Americans to sit in judgment of the oppressed for using tactics that they deem too extreme, too disorganized, etc. The tone deafness with respect to gender and race shown in the original post and in people’s responses are mind boggling to me.
And yes, I agree that their speeches were extraordinary in their depth. I’d like to see any of us, after half a year in prison, compose something with such theological sophistication.
“The tone deafness with respect to gender and race shown in the original post and in people’s responses are mind boggling to me.”
Yes mind boggling! Even more so when the triumvirate of daring girls have evoked comparisons to Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King, Jr. (okay, he did write from prison), Martin Luther himself (didn’t I see that name above?). Where’s Joan of Arc, Mother Theresa, Lady Godiva?
There judgment might have been bad as to where and when to stage their protest, but I think their courage is undeniable. How many other Russians, young or old, male or female, have spoken out against Putin?
Ann Olivier as always judicious, and much appreciated.
There have been several large public protests of a more conventional sort covered by the Western media in Moscow. Perhaps there have been many others elsehwere, but no Western media and/or twitter bugs covered them, at least in the media and the sites I read.
Just for general information: Gary Kasporov, the Russian chess great, has a short piece Monday, August 20, in the WSJ. He reports on his presence at the demonstrations on the sentencing. And he reports that he was hauled off and beaten by the police. He attributes this to Putin’s return to the presidency. He asks for Western governments and corporations (who reap benefits of the Russian economy) to protest loud and long though he allows that Putin doesn’t give a fig for Western opinion.
I think our heroines showed bad judgment as to where to stage their protest and unless their sentences are curtailed their children are the ones likely to suffer most. Probably the woman realize that more acutely than anyone else. I hope their sentence is reduced to time served and they are able to return home.
Many issues are embedded here, their actions and the response in the West. This post took a decided turn for the acrimonious, to which I certainly contributed. Considering the matter: feminist hubris seems to me at times unbounded, lacking political acumen and any sense of irony. Some defenders of Pussy Riot in extolling the undoubted courage as well as foolishness of the young woman seem to have lost perspective on the matters the post and subsequent comments raised, including the venue of their protest and the western media focus on artistic freedom and free speech to the exclusion of other issues, namely desecration of a sacred space and political ineffectiveness.
Russia remains an autocratic society with an autocratic leader. Protest is in order. Yet, Putin is popular and whatever we think of the Russian electoral system, he is the “elected” leader. Russians may well be fed up with disorder and corruption, their own and the governments. The disorder includes demonstrations and it includes Pussy Riot. According to a poll reporting on the issue only 5 percent of Russians think the group should have no punishment at all; 9 percent are not sure. The rest think punishment is in order to varying degrees. Here is the story as reported in Forbes:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/markadomanis/2012/07/31/what-do-russians-think-about-pussy-riot-the-answer-might-surprise-you/
Taking my cue from a Marlo Thomas song my children once played endlessly, I conclude: “Boys can cry too” and Girls can do dumb things too.
Here is a link to the poll mentioned above.
http://www.levada.ru/31-07-2012/rossiyane-o-dele-pussy-riot
Russian readers report back!
Margaret, could you say more about what you mean by “feminist hubris seems to me at times unbounded, lacking political acumen and any sense of irony”?
I completely agree with you that “girls can do dumb things too.” I defended Pussy Riot’s actions and criticized your post and the responses to it not because I think that women (feminist or not) can do no wrong, let alone that they are “infallible,” as you put it, but because (1) nobody had seemed to have read much about the background to the protest before dismissing it, relying instead on initial impressions caught on tape; and (2) because the critique was gendered in a way that I found problematic. There is a huge difference between saying, “What a stupid stunt” and “What silly little girls.” The latter trades on a long history of misogyny and marginalization of women on the grounds that they are wild, unruly, drama queens, impulsive, and ruled by emotions. That, not some imagined infallibility of women, was what I was calling out.
“Well-behaved women seldom make history.” —Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Margaret, are you missing the point that the demonstration was intended to garner international attention? It worked. How do you argue with success?
That Gary Kasparov was actually beaten is ominous. He is well known and admired in the West. Putin seems to be getting even more tyrannical.
There is plenty of evidence that something is rotten in the state of Russia. The antigay laws in Petersburg have already garnered 75 arrests — and this again, like the girls’ sentencing and the beating of Kasparov is only a tiny tip of the iceberg.
“the triumvirate of daring girls have evoked comparisons to Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King, Jr. (okay, he did write from prison), Martin Luther himself (didn’t I see that name above?). Where’s Joan of Arc, Mother Theresa, Lady Godiva?”
Joan of Arc was the first person I thought of. Remember how the bishops handled her? — at least the Russian clerics can stage patriarchal forgiveness.
Jesus did behave blasphemously in the holiest spot in the universe, or at least only the very discerning could see how his behavior was not blasphemous.
http://eng-pussy-riot.livejournal.com/4602.html
Since the turn of the millennium many people, relentlessly and methodically flayed alive by the systematic destruction of liberties, have rebelled.
We were looking for authentic genuineness and simplicity and we found them in the holy foolishness of our punk performances. Passion, openness and naivety are superior to hypocrisy, cunning and a contrived decency that conceals crimes. The state’s leaders stand with saintly expressions in church but, in their deceit, their sins are far greater than ours. We’ve put on our political punk concerts because the Russian state system is dominated by rigidity, closedness and caste and the policies pursued serve only narrow corporate interests to the extent that even the air of Russia makes us ill.
We are absolutely not happy with—and have been forced into acting and living politically by—the use of coercive, strong-arm measures to handle social processes, a situation in which the most important political institutions are the disciplinary structures of the state – the security agencies, the army, the police, the special forces and the accompanying means of ensuring political stability: prisons, preventive detention and mechanisms to closely control public behaviour. Nor are we happy with the enforced civic passivity of the bulk of the population or the complete domination of executive structures over the legislature and judiciary. Moreover, we are genuinely angered by the fear-based and scandalously low standard of political culture, which is constantly and knowingly maintained by the state system and its accomplices. Look at what Patriarch Kirill has to say: “The Orthodox don’t go to rallies.” We are angered by the appalling weakness of horizontal relationships within society. We don’t like the way in which the state system easily manipulates public opinion through its tight control of the overwhelming majority of media outlets.
JL: You might indicate this is a quote from Nadezhda Tolokonink by inserting quotation marks and giving proper attribution.
JB: Depends on how you define success.
SA: Having id’ed yourself as a Catholic feminist, your intense earnestness seemed akin to infallibility; I was not referring to the three but to you.
SA: “There is a huge difference between saying, “What a stupid stunt” and “What silly little girls.” The latter trades on a long history of misogyny and marginalization of women on the grounds that they are wild, unruly, drama queens, impulsive, and ruled by emotions.”
Okay, it was a stupid stunt. I would never have described them as “wild, unruly, drama queens, impulsive and ruled by emotion” but now that you bring it up….
My post was essentially directed at the coverage in the Western media and the framing of the event as artistic expression and free speech. I saw it differently: Ineffective protest and the use of a space likely to offend believers and apparently a large majority of Russians.
As for your jibe at Commonweal above: I am not a member of the staff; the editors do not vet my comments (maybe they would like to!). And as far as I know Commonweal has never supported the desecration of sacred spaces.
I heard the music clip; that alone should justify some jail time – sounded like someone operating on a cat without anesthesia!
That said – the Russians have laws and their own court system. I am sure things will work out – Russian style – to the satisfaction of those involved.
Per Joseph: “There is plenty of evidence that something is rotten in the state of Russia. The antigay laws in Petersburg have already garnered 75 arrests — and this again, like the girls’ sentencing and the beating of Kasparov is only a tiny tip of the iceberg. ….”
Ken – So what Joseph? The Russians – like any other nation/people on earth – have the right to organize their society as they see fit. For many years of course, Russians thought Soviet Communism was best for their society. Now they have changed their minds are working though the status quo. In any case; Russia is their land, their culture, their society, and I do not think it helps for Americans to stand around sneering from the sidelines over something we probably do not fully understand.
“Having id’ed yourself as a Catholic feminist, your intense earnestness seemed akin to infallibility; I was not referring to the three but to you.”
@Margaret, I know you were referring to me, not to the protestors. And actually, I didn’t identify myself as a “Catholic feminist” anywhere in my comments on this post. I simply said, “As a young Catholic woman…”.
The dismissal of my, or any woman’s, “intense earnestness” as “feminist hubris” and delusions of “infallibility” is, well, pretty depressing, especially coming from someone who really blazed the way for Catholic women in journalism.
@Ken: “If you want peace, pray for justice.” I’d go further. If you want peace, WORK for justice. Political borders do not erase human rights. Whether it is the former USSR, Saudi Arabia, China or right here in the good old US of A, we should not be silent.
Jbruns – What you say is all fine and well, but barring some atrocity happening, we also should not meddle or be interlopers romping in and trying to tell everyone to do things our way. Other countries have and are entitled to, their own culture and ways of doing things. Meddling and thinking other should blindly adopt our ways is part of the reason we are still wandering around Afghanistan.
This business of Pussy Riot and horrid noisy music is Putin’s problem, not ours.
I think it’s possible to see something sinister in the way governmental authorities handled the incident whatever you think of Pussy Riot’s tactics.
“Meddling and thinking other should blindly adopt our ways is part of the reason we are still wandering around Afghanistan.”
Ken –
You realize, of course, that this is sheer relativism?
” The Russians – like any other nation/people on earth – have the right to organize their society as they see fit.”
So you approve of the gulags?
What I love about Pussy Riot’s song is the alternation of the prayer in Orthodox harmonies (“Mary free Russia from Putin”) and the funky energetic punk parts.
” The Russians – like any other nation/people on earth – have the right to organize their society as they see fit.”
Obviously entering WWII in Europe against what Germany was doing was a major error on the part of the US.
Oh please Joseph and Jim – The Pussy Riot kerfuffle is not remotely comparable to either the gulags or Nazi Germany.
In any case, Jim, we entered WW2 because Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Since Japan was allied with Germany, after we declared war on Japan, Germany declared war on us. We reciprocated accordingly and finally, declared war on Germany.