Art, media, and entertainment have forever played an intrinsic role in the socio-political battlegrounds of society. From ancient Greek plays written to put down noble families, to Shakespearean dramas carefully constructed to support or reject England’s monarchs, to the music of today, entertainment and media have power in the political sphere. One such example of the influence of media over socio-political happenings is Russian punk rock protest band, Pussy Riot. Pussy Riot have caused several stirs in a number of different countries, producing a product that simultaneously rallies those with whom their ideologies align and resisting the institutions with which they directly act against. This essay will contextualise the band and their origins and immediate impact in Russia, and then identity the ways in which the music and guerrilla tactics of Pussy Riot have fostered discussion and action on both sides of …show more content…
Additionally, it will extend upon not only their affect on discussion but their impact in not only Russia but also the United States.
Pussy riot was founded in August 2011. The group has consisted of a varying number of anonymous women over its existence, who became rapidly notorious for their unfiltered and unauthorised guerrilla performances directly opposing Russian President Vladimir Putin (Langston, 2012). Rourke and Wiget (2014) detail an event during February of 2012, when five of the group’s varying members appeared in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow and performed a curse-filled production asking the Virgin Mary to protect Russia from the re-election of Vladimir Putin. Interestingly, the response to this performance speaks to the concern their actions raised. The performance lasted but 20 seconds before security was called, and the subsequent handling of the band members led to the