Did you see 60 Minutes on Sunday? A good refesher on Russian dissent.
From 60 Minutes Overtime:
For Lesley Stahl, reporting on the Russian punk band "Pussy Riot," meant meeting the band on their turf and speaking their language -- and we don't mean Russian. Here's one question Lesley asked the drummer during their 60 Minutes interview. "I'm going to take a quote from your song because it sounds pretty outrageous. '(*#!&!), (*#!&!), the (*#!&!), is (*#!&!).'"
To hear why Stahl and two 60 Minutes producers went all the way to Moscow to interview an amateurish girl band with a dirty name, watch the below linked Overtime video. (Note to viewers: The voice of the band's drummer has been altered by the broadcast for her safety.)
60 Minutes overtime: Why the P* Riot story is so important
COMMENT:
What do you think of Pussy Riot?
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By the Way, also this past weekend in news relating to Putin's Russia:
Listen to NPR's story here
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For Class on Monday: Make sure you have reviewed, Intro to Mexico power point (on Google Docs page), and read first section of Hauss and "Mexico Makes It" article and write position paper on the prompt, "Is Mexico a Failed State?"
For Tuesday: Extra Credit Book Chats will be led with our readers of "Putin's Russia" and "Red China Blues." Below are disucssion questions:
Discussion questions for Putin's Russia
1) Big terrorist attacks have in the past been used by the Kremlin to justify tightening its grip on power and curbing the opposition. The second war in Chechnya, in 2000, which helped to propel Mr Putin into his presidency, was accompanied by a move to bring Russian television under Kremlin control. In 2004, after the school siege in Beslan, in North Ossetia, Mr Putin scrapped regional elections. Using examples from the reading, what would the author predict for Russia's new north Caucasus policy? Why would this be a mistake according to the author? Do you agree?
2) Putin's more autocratic state is supposed to be a more effective state. The author emphatically answers that fear is the only public good that Putin's Kremlin provided effectively. Explain.
3) The author devotes considerable space showing how Putin's government did little to provide most basic state services. She argues hotly that the Russian Armed Services, rather than protecting civilians from terrorism or violent crime, have themselves become perpetrators of state terrorism. How?
4) Effective States have independent courts capable of enforcing the Rule of Law. Institutionally, does Politkovskaya see Rule of Law in Putin's Russia?
5) According the the author, Russian Courts served the interests of criminals and oligarchs. From our unit of study, did that seem to be reformed in Putin's Modern Russia?
6) By the author's account, Putin does not care about the people. She criticizes the political and economic system he has consolidated with true stories and reporting that probably cost her her life. But every day an Army private is hazed to death, a middle class family in Moscow drives to Ikea to purchase furniture for their newly renovated Dacha. Russian GDP grew steadily for 6 years under Putin, and the number of people below the poverty line dropped significantly. In your opinion, do the ends justify the means in Putin's Russia?
7) JusticeforNorthCaucasus.com wrote in 2001, "That Politkovskaya herself has withstood poisoning and harassment to tell the truth about Putin's Russia should give even the most pessimistic observer of Russian affairs hope." But in 2006, the author was murdered and the president called her, "a person of no significance." What does this say about the hope for modern Russia becoming a liberal democracy?
8) Some have claimed Politkovskaya's critique of Putin's Russia is over the top. One on-line reviewer called her, "Russia's Michael Moore." Do you find this analysis objective and legitimate, or illegitimate opposition propaganda?
http://www.slate.com/id/2151209/
1. Jan Wong tells us that all existing dictionaries and language textbooks were destroyed at the time of the Cultural Revolution. Why was this necessary? How effectively could a political system be shaped or controlled by such a measure?
3. If the author had grown up in China, do you think her doubts and questions would not have arisen in her student years? Or do you think her classmates went through similar “awakenings”?
4. In theory at least, the workers had better living conditions than intellectuals in China in the early 1970s. Does this strike you as any more unfair than the opposite situation?
5. Having completed the book, what are your feelings about Jan Wong’s informing on Yin (the girl who wanted help getting to the West) while she was still an unquestioning Maoist?
6. Could you characterize the four sections of the book? Do they differ in tone as well as content?
7. Broadly speaking, the first half of the book avoids overviews or hindsight, but in the second half the author adopts a more knowing perspective. What effect does this have for the reader?
8. What fresh insights have you obtained from Jan Wong’s analysis of the Tiananmen Square demonstration and the detailed description of the subsequent massacre?
9. The author says that the Tiananmen massacre could have been avoided: “An experienced mediator could have solved things so easily.” How different do you think life in China might have been after the demonstration if there had been no violence?
10. At the beginning of the book the author is writing largely about herself and her reactions to the political system. The last part of the book is more concerned with the stories of individuals living in post-Tiananmen Square China. What can you deduce from this? How much do you think she has changed, and how much has China changed?
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For your 10 points of EC, make sure you complete the discussion questions and then lead small group discussion break-outs as you "drop knowledge,'' on your fellow students.
5 comments:
Thought you may appreciate this. In response to the death of the oligarch in Russia. My family and I were sitting around on vacation when my dad reads from his phone "police investigate mysterious death of put-in (that's how he pronounced it, think putting in golf) foe." he then proceeds to say "who is put-in foe?"
I was very disappointed in my father. And in tears from laughing so hard.
Between the two books, I believe Red China Blues was the most interesting to read. Putin's Russia was a synopsis of everything wrong with the country, in the eyes of the author.
When we saw the video of Jan Wong, I thought it was pretty entertaining to how oblivious she was in regards to goings-on in China. She truly wanted to believe in Mao's idealism, so much that she cast aside everything that actually happened in the state, and placed her own beliefs in place of that. Like the video we watched, with the rower, she was really shocked that the tour guide scolded the man when he was seen talking to Jan.
Also, when she first arrived in China and saw the individual soldier, she didn't really expect to see the other soldiers throughout the country. It seems that she tried too hard to believe China was this Utopian society, and I sort of feel bad for her because it wasn't what she expected.
As far as Putin's Russia, I'm not surprised that the author simply "died" pretty shortly after the book was written. She mentioned the majority of things wrong with Russia, and the government didn't really appreciate that too much, so they decided that her "falling down a flight of stairs" was sufficient in covering up the fact that they most likely killed her. It's not surprising that such an outspoken "enemy" of Russia faced such consequences, because the corruption of the state is just too massive for anyone to get away with talking any sort of smack about it.
Whoops, forgot to put my name.
^^^^
Aleks Z
I agree with Alex on that out of the two books Red China Blues is a better read. Over break I did read about half to 60 percent of the book and I have to say its better in the sense it reads like a story.
Although perhaps the most interesting fact was how the author of Red China Blues, Jan Wong had never really expected the reality of communism and how bad it was. In communism she honestly thought that people were happy to be equals, but then realizes that there are "unwritten classes".
From Dale's discussion of Putin's Russia I thought it was interesting how negatively Russia was spoken in the book. Perhaps it just shows that in a political system there will always be corruption but also alot of descent from the people.
In regards to Pussy Riot, I just think that the Band is incredibly brave to talk about its rather controversial song, especially after being jailed for controversial lyrics some time back. The very fact that the drummer's voice had to be altered, however, shows how much people fear retribution (most likely by Putin), which isn't the mark of a healthy government. Putin's had far too much control over Russia, and it needs to end.
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