Pussy Riot

A Russian all-female punk rock group by the name of Pussy Riot recently made headlines around the world when they were arrested and subsequently sentenced to two years in jail for participating in a protest against Russian president Vladimir Putin armed with guitars and drums. The trio, dawning different colored balaclavas on each of their heads, performed a rendition of what they later referred to as “Punk Prayer” in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. “Virgin Mary, Mother of God, banish Putin, banish Putin/Virgin Mary, Mother of God, banish him, we pray thee!” While the performance met vehement opposition from Russian government the global response was somewhat different. The Pussy Riot tale made headlines daily in the United States and Britain gaining support for the group from such iconic figures as Paul McCartney, Sting, Yoko Ono, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. An HBO produced documentary on the subject is even in the works and received a prestigious Sundance release. So, with the worldwide interest being so strong you'd imagine the charges against Pussy Riot would have been dropped somewhere along the line. But no, only one of the three Pussy Riot players was allowed to walk free, simply because she had been unable to remove her instrument during the proceedings. These facts are proof that while the media can harbor a powerful movement, often the significance of a headline is only so much in comparison to governmental institution. As much as we may like to believe that reading about Pussy Riot every day as we browse the web everyday will ultimately lead to their liberation, we must realize that the power to change the world is not solely in the word count.

This is not to say that the constant media coverage of the case didn't have certain beneficial results. If anything the stories were effective in highlighting the truly unjust rulings of tyrant, Vladimir Putin. While educating ourselves on the Pussy Riot trials did not lead to dismissal of the case, their actions had the intended results. They raised awareness of a pressing human rights and foreign affairs issue. Coverage of such a story on entertainment sites and political sites creates a junction between multiple powerful agents. The unorthodox manner by which the trio chose to riot sparked the media frenzy and their role as women in the music industry, women in Russia, and women in arms were enough strike everyone's attention and hold it for months to come. Two of the members of Pussy Riot sit in prison today, but their story is still ever present in working minds around the world, as a globalized world rallies around such issues and keeps them prevalent.