Do Western Societies Liberal Ideals Misinterpret the Idea of Righteous Civil Disobedience - Dissertation Example

Western societies tend to criticize foreign methods of executing punishment for participants in acts of civil disobedience. Such is the case with Western reactions to the rulings and events surrounding recent riots in London and in Russia. Many times judgments of events of this magnitude are made lacking a clear, complete understanding of other cultures. Yet, these same critics rationalize extreme acts of retribution within their own societies. This paper will examine these misconceptions based upon the rulings on the cases of the London Riots and the Pussy Riots in Russia. The objective is to underline how acts of ‘Righteous’ Civil Obedience are misinterpreted by Liberalists who do not appear to possess a full understanding of foreign cultures in this respect. On the Eastern side of the world, the word for the day has been ‘riot’. In north London, a 29-year-old man was killed by a policeman during Operation Trident, an investigation of illegal weapon activity in London’s black community (Stringer, Satter, Culp, Selva, & Wilson, 2011). The man was said to have gang affiliations and was involved in gun activities.

The incident sparked explosions of rioting and violence, as Londoners destroyed property across the city in outrage, causing massive damage and fatalities amongst the public and the London police force. Press releases that dispelled the defense that the deceased, Mark Duggan, was armed and had fired a weapon at the London policeman fuelled a fire that desecrated the city. As buildings burned and potential targets ran for cover, the heart of London was being irretrievably broken. Approximately 1500 miles away in Moscow, a group of Russian Lady Gagas was charged with an act of desecration, by choosing Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour as a stage for punk rock, anti-Putin performance. Punk rock group members of the Pussy Riots female band produced a profane, ‘punk prayer’ on the platform of the city’s synagogue. The arrests instantly created an onslaught of human rights protests around the world, including New York City where six were arrested in front of the Russian Consulate for expressing their offense at the indictments in Moscow (Huffington, 2012). Western criticism of the judicial proceedings against the Pussy Rioters stemmed apparently from the view that the women should not have been arrested and sentenced for disrespect to a Church. However, for many easterners, including Moscow’s society, somehow the word Pussy and the word Church just do not belong together.
The sentencing of 3 of the band members was justified in the eyes of many Russians. Some even suggested execution for the offense. The majority of the band members’ support through protests came from the Western hemisphere.
For as long as we have had war, protest has been a tactic to bring about change in atmospheres of political, social and economic discontent and also to maintain control. From the Irish War to Osama Bin Laden, the world has experienced political activism to the extent of vandal, murder and suicide.