Russian Woman Sent To Jail For Latest Monument Twerking Stunt (Video)

[Larry1]

A Russian court has sentenced a young woman to 10 days in prison for twerking near a World War II memorial, and fined the parents of three minors who also took part in the performance.

Twerking near World War II monuments and memorials has become a controversial trend in Russia over the last year, and several young women and minors have been sentenced to jail time or fined for such performances over the past year.

A court in the town of Pochep, in the Bryansk region of western Russia, found the 21-year-old woman guilty of "petty hooliganism," the regional prosecutor's office said in a statement Thursday. The court also ordered the parents of younger participants — two teens aged 15, and a 12-year-old girl – to pay fines for "failing to perform the parental duty for the upkeep and upbringing of minors," the statement said.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russian-woman-sent-to-jail-for-latest-monument-twerking-stunt-video/531635.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?t=39&v=HikwybJUJ6E

I hadn't heard that this was a trend in Russia. It's another vulgar export from the US.

[ML]

I thought it started in Singapore.

[Larry1]

I did a quick internet search and the first three or four entries said that twerking originated in New Orleans, in the Bounce music scene (whatever that is).

[calmissile]

Is it called the same thing in the horizontal position?     

[tfcrew]

         

           Bounce music

                 gangsta'

[Brasscasing]

I hadn't heard that this was a trend in Russia. It's another vulgar export from the US.

I don't consider it a very attractive form of dancing either.

Having to key word the vid (Larry's link didn't work for me) I observed on the search return it seems to be more a Russian high school aged teenager phenomenon though. It'll probably pass.

As for the women/girls dancing at the memorial. What's the problem here? I doubt even the soldiers/people whom the monument is honoring would have considered dancing as defilement, imo.

Brass

[Larry1]

I don't consider it a very attractive form of dancing either.

Having to key word the vid (Larry's link didn't work for me) I observed on the search return it seems to be more a Russian high school aged teenager phenomenon though. It'll probably pass.

As for the women/girls dancing at the memorial. What's the problem here? I doubt even the soldiers/people whom the monument is honoring would have considered dancing as defilement, imo.

Brass

The article linked to in the original post said the prosecutor charged the girls with the offense of "petty hooliganism". Hooliganism seemed to be a multi-purpose charge in Soviet days. Maybe it still is. Perhaps Mendy or someone who knows more about the judicial process in Russia could comment on this.

[Boethius]

Hooliganism had a strict definition, with three substrata, hooliganism, petty hooliganism, and recidivist hooliganism.  It usually charged for disorder/disrespect to a person or society, hate crimes, etc., i.e. no economic motivation.


The Russian penal code adopted the Soviet article on hooliganism, and it exists in Ukraine as well.

[mendeleyev]

Brass, we rarely disagree, but I was offended and thought the dancing was lewd and inappropriate.

It was educational in a sense in that I wasn't sure what "twerking" was beforehand. I see now that it has no relation to "tweeting." 

I have on occasion been embarrassed when Western tourists act inappropriately at war monuments, etc. That this was a Russian family, and the manner of behaviour, makes it even more despicable in my own personal estimation.

Based on conviction rates, this woman has less than a 10 percent chance of acquittal should this go to trial.

[Brasscasing]

Brass, we rarely disagree, but I was offended and thought the dancing was lewd and inappropriate.

It was educational in a sense in that I wasn't sure what "twerking" was beforehand. I see now that it has no relation to "tweeting." 

I have on occasion been embarrassed when Western tourists act inappropriately at war monuments, etc. That this was a Russian family, and the manner of behaviour, makes it even more despicable in my own personal estimation.

Based on conviction rates, this woman has less than a 10 percent chance of acquittal should this go to trial.

I tend to think of war memorials as kind of a community focal point. I think they should be seen and utilized by it's people.

On the other hand I get your point. I may have initially had a different reaction if they'd been climbing all over the thing but the video I viewed showed the memorial as a backdrop only. So maybe I'm missing something.

Brass

[Faux Pas]

I took a job in a predominantly black town that I moved to over 20 years ago. A result of living there and the business I am in, I made many friends of black business owners and a number of them were club and lounge owners.

The first time I had ever seen twerking (as it's called now) was 20 years ago in one of those clubs. Then it's intent was to sexually charged a part of the dance. I watched it numerous times and didn't give it much thought. I just chalked it up to some of the local black culture. I can vouch it certainly adds another level of excitement using it the way it was used then I found out shortly there after that the intent was to let the man know the woman is open for possibilities. What it has progressed into since then, I have no idea.