Pussy Riot

    This week we watched a documentary on the group "Pussy Riot". I was shocked to see how seriously the Russian court took this case. There seemed to be an assumption by the three members arrested, Nadya, Yekaterina, and Masha, that prison time would come upon them. There was a powerful respect from myself, to the members for the courage and determination it took to stand up and not be sorry. For being in their 20's, they didn't seem scared throughout the documentary, and were seen smiling in court and not showing remorse for their actions. 
    Outside the court people were shown protesting or supporting Pussy Riot. At one point, a man gets physical with another for different beliefs and the man is seen as "possessed" this stood out to me because fighting over opinions is pretty common around us, but there it was seen as something must be wrong with you if you are acting that way. I also felt the court and people tried to demonize Pussy Riot more than they should've been. They wore neon masks and those colors were described as "acidic colors". How could something like that be used against them so harshly? 
    Overall the documentary was very eye opening to see different perspectives. Rebellions like this happen around us everyday, but the people don't nearly face as harsh punishments as the members of Pussy Riot. I do feel the group is dedicated to what they believe, and I respect that strongly after watching this documentary. 

     

Pussy Riot

This week, learning about the pussy Riot was a very interesting experience. Seeing that this was something that happened recently, it was very interesting to learn that Russia still constricted their peoples freedom of speech that much.

What I enjoyed most about this group is that the truly spoke what was in their heart. They even spoke out against Putin, which was a very VERY bold thing. Even when they faced trial for their actions, they had no remorse. They knew what they had in store for them and they did not care. What they cared about was spreading their message and telling the world THEIR truth. Even after jail time they still continue with their message. These women emulate feminism in it's finest.

Fighting injustice With Pussy Riot

This week we watched a documentary about the Russian girl group, Pussy Riot. Many emotions went through my mind while watching because it blew my mind in so many ways. Here was a group of girls who formed a group in almost 6 months and had followers in the short amount of time. They were very smart in how they did things and it shows how even in a country that proclaims freedom like ours, how similar we see injustices with countries like Russia who are stricter. 

When the documentary first showed the video of what happened, I was personally confused as to why they couldn’t pick a better place to perform the song. Going into a sacred place and singing the song that they sung, did go a little to far. They could have done this outside of the church instead. However, the 3 bandmembers should have not gotten punished the way they did.

Even though I saw what they did offensive, the way witnesses or other Orthodox followers blew what had happened way out of proportion. They were saying that they ruined the building and acted as if they burned the cathedral down. Having a whole day of prayer against the Pussy Riot girls also made me think. 

While watching the documentary my mind went to trials like Emmett Till and more currently the me-too movement. The documentary made me think about how even in America something like this could happen and it does. People every day get sent to jail for crimes they either did not commit or commit misdemeanors and get sentenced like a felony. They have bias witnesses who aren’t fully telling the truth, and everything is feeling based instead of facts. This is what happened for the Pussy Riot trial. 

The members of Pussy Riot did not deserve to get 2 years more in jail. There was no clear evidence on what they were convicted of. There was just witnesses who were offended and things they brought up from the past to make them look worse. The judicial system does the same thing in America. If a minority is at trial, prosecutors will find every little bad thing that person has done in the past to make them look bad. 

Overall, the documentary really opened my eyes on what is going on in the world outside of our country, however it showed how our judicial branch needs work. The more documentaries that are made the more we can see the inside of these problems. 

Pussy Riot

Prior to this weeks class, I had no idea of who the group Pussy Riot was.  As a fan of American Hip-hop and R&B, this is not a group that I would commonly know.  If I was to hear the name, I would've probably just thought it was an explicit pop groups new song, or something of that nature.  However, as I discovered who they were through the documentary, I gained much respect for their craft.  Although I really dislike the sound of the music that they performed, I really respect them as artists.  They really used their voices to speak out on things going on in Russia that they were not in support of, and they went about it very smart and strategically.  I praise them on their idea of popping up in random places, wearing unorthodox costumes to draw attention, and performing their revolt type music.  That idea is genius!  Convince people little by little, and encourage them to also speak out.  I really praise them on this idea, and also on how they took their jail time like champions.  While watching the videos of them about to be sentenced and seeing how calm they were was crazy for me. If I was in a situation in which I was about to get locked up, I could not be that calm.  From what I know, they were really calm also in receiving their sentences.  That's incredible, because for me, even if the judge gives me something minimal as a month to serve, I am hitting the floor!  Although I don't really like the musical aspect, it does kinda remind me of rap music in its sense that it is commonly used as a tool to voice political views.  While I will never listen to their music, I have the upmost respect for Pussy Riot, and their dedication to speaking their minds!

Pussy Riot

Pussy Riot Documentary 

By: Simone Araujo 

In class this week we watched the documentary about Pussy Riot. Pussy Riot is a Russian feminist band founded on August 2011. This documentary is about how Pussy Riot performed at different locations and spread the message for activism. Three Russian women Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina, and Yekaterina Samutsevich were sent to jail for two years because of their performance in a Moscow Cathedral. This documentary was cool to watch because you see three woman who go against all rules to spread a message through music. What's really crazy is how different other countries are from us we have the power to speak freely while some countries like Russia don't. 

I do believe that eventually this can happen to America, one day I think that our rights will get provoked from us and that we will slowly turn into a mini Russia. I've seen it in the school system when students starting kneeling during the anthem, or refused to stand their was disciplinary actions involved. I think that with Pussy Riot around even if it's a Russian band that some sort of awareness can be spread and allow us to openly speak our thoughts. 

Pussy Riot

This week we watched a really informative documentary on a situation involving the Pussy Riot band that will go down in history. Pussy Riot is known for their political messages sent through their song lyrics and performances which pretty much put them in jail. After performing in a Christ Church they were arrested for there risqué outfits and disruptive singing in an inappropriate place.  This girl group is unapologetic for their actions because they feel strongly about their opinions and feel like they should be spread to share awareness amongst their people. They are from Moscow, Russia where they are not a fan of their president Putni. The day he was elected into office was the day Pussy Riot formed.

Throughout their court hearings you could see it in their eyes that they were not regretful of their decisions. They walked into court smiling and waving to people and cameras. Two of the three have spouses and kids so you would think they would be upset that they are taken away from their families. You can tell they feel strongly about this because normally you would say to set a good example for your kids but their lessons to their kids is to stand up for what you believe in and don't let anyone tell you it's wrong.

There were people on the streets who were fighting for their freedom and didn't think they deserved to be put in jail, but there were others who were fighting for them to be put away for years. There are two sides to this situation and it's hard to pick a side. It was disrespectful for them to go into a church were people pray and that is a very special place to some innocent people who didn't ask for this but on the flip side, they are allowed to express themselves however they want and they are standing up for what they believe in. If this happened at a regular concert or performance, things would have been different but it's really just about where they chose to do this.

Overall, the group did something they're allowed to do but they should have done it somewhere else and not disrespected the people of the church who didn't ask for this. They are unapologetic for their actions and due to what they did, they did two years in jail. They are still around today and doing what they do best without a regret!

The Power of Protest

       After watching the documentary on the Russian band Pussy Riot, I took a liking to the band, their message, and how they portrayed their message. For the band members themselves, you must appreciate their confidence and ability to go against such a strong and strict government in Russia, a country known for their harsh ruling and questionably corrupt police force. To stand against such a powerful figure and to hold you ground requires incredible mental strength and willpower. The mental strength of these band members if the first reason in why I quickly took a liking to them.
       The next reason I took a liking to the band was their message. Their message aimed to give women more chances inside a country that for much of history has always favored male power and male rulers. They also conveyed a message that separated the church from the state. Although these views are not unanimous across every person, I found both these messages to be very important, especially for where they were in a country that had always leaned the other way. That being said, I think this message could still be very effective in many other places internationally other than Russia.
       The third and final reason I took a liking to Pussy Riot was the way that they portrayed their message. For most of their performances, the songs were run legally without issue. For me, it was important to peacefully and legally protest certain things because it leads to the inability for any figures of authority to hold anything against you. On the other hand, their final and most performance was performed in an illegal setting, inside a very popular church. However, I believe this was also a very important way of spreading their message. This act spread past the national level and reached places all around the globe. It globalized the message they were trying to spread and put their name in news headlines for months and even years to come. While a peaceful protest is always an efficient way to start, I believe that their final performance was necessary to spreading their message to a wider and more broad audience.