The Smiley Smile Message Board

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19297373

Maybe not really thread-worthy, but this is really depressing me for some reason. How f***ing dare they. That's how dictatorships conduct themselves, f*** you Putin.

Let's not talk about Russia like they're the only country that does this sh*t. It's going to happen in the United States and United Kingdom sooner than later.

Disclaimer: I have no sympathies toward Putin, the Russian system of government, communism, etc. None whatsoever. But I'd like to play devil's advocate for a minute and flip this discussion over, for the sake of debate and discussion.

Consider this hypothetical: What would happen if a similar American activist punk band (on any end of the political spectrum) were to have done the exact same thing as "p*ssy Riot", and staged a profanity-laced, flash-mob style demonstration near the altar of (pick one...) the National Cathedral in DC, a prominent Catholic, Episcopal, or Baptist church anywhere in the US, a Buddhist temple, or a Mosque. And what if the object of their profanities was Pres. Barack Obama rather than Putin.

If they were removed and arrested, and depending on what exactly they did or said near the altar(s) of those religious buildings, then charged with anything ranging from a simple misdemeanor or disrupting the peace to vandalism to even a more serious felony charge depending on what they said or what was perceived to have been said against Obama, would they be viewed the same way as this Russian band, which has become something of a worldwide cause-celebre?

If the same thing happened but the target of the protest was Obama, liberals would be up in arms. They'd want blood. See, liberals love freedom of speech as long as they agree with it. Same for conservatives and their puppet-in-chief of choice.

I think another key element to consider is that they did this either at or near the altar of a prominent Russian church, and depending on which church or temple or house of worship it might be in the US, if anyone did a similar thing it might even be considered a "hate crime" and prosecuted on a federal level. Again it would depend on the location, the religion, and the outlook of those prosecuting such a case.

Just consider the difference between a group like this in America protesting a political figure in power in a public square, exactly as p*ssy Riot had done and which happens in major US cities on a regular basis, versus the reaction if they had actually entered a Church, Temple, Mosque, etc. and done the same thing. There is a line to cross or not cross which is very touchy when religion is factored into a case like this.

I don't think any charges would have been brought if the band had done this in a public place and not a place of worship.

Naw. Liberals would be too paralyzed "seeing both sides" to have anything like a coherent opinion on it. You'd get the fanatical Obama supporters upset, the ACLU sticklers for freedom "even for Nazis" upset at them being upset, the center-rightish Harold Ford types equivocating and agreeing with right-wing pundits, and we'd all devour each other in a big circular argument. Insert footnote here to any given Democratic Underground thread.

I don't think, in your hypothetical American scenario, that they would be sentenced for two years in prison (And America doesn't have an equivalent for a Siberian prison camp... unless you put them in Guantanamo Bay) for 50 seconds worth of scrappy punk music. It's a disproportionate response and it fucks me off. I can't believe how cynical some of you are.

I was wondering if anyone here has actually listened to this band's music and what they think of it. For all the publicity I don't think any news report or coverage of this situation has ever played a sample of what this band sounds like, at least from what I've heard and I have been following it.

I mean, politics, celebrity support, and activism aside, a band is ultimately about the music they make, isn't it?  :)

(Well, there was 2LiveCrew, but we all know how that turned out...)

They're no Bikini Kill, but they rock pretty good. Charging guitars, no bass, shouted unison vocals, pretty standard riot grrrl stuff. Dated, as far as the US scene goes. But at least they got there eventually.