Trash Can Challenge

October 12, 2014 7:52 AM

Ukrainian activists and radicals have devised a challenge of their own, throwing politicians in dumpsters to protest Ukraine’s rampant corruption.
posted by josher71 (20 comments total)

Corruption is bad. Horrible.

But you know what is worse? Mob justice.

I guess they didn't have any tar and feathers on hand?
posted by dis_integration at 8:31 AM on October 12, 2014 [3 favorites]

Without trying to analyze the politics of the situation, I will say, this seems like a modern-day form of tarring and feathering.
posted by hippybear at 8:31 AM on October 12, 2014 [2 favorites]

IANAL, but that would be considered assault in the good ol' US of A, no?
posted by harrietthespy at 8:31 AM on October 12, 2014

jinx, dis_integration.
posted by hippybear at 8:32 AM on October 12, 2014

Battery, actually. I am mildly surprised that nobody has gotten killed yet.
posted by localroger at 8:33 AM on October 12, 2014

Assault charges really only work in a society where there is rule of law, and nothing I've read about the current situation in Ukraine leads me to believe that exists there right now.
posted by hippybear at 8:33 AM on October 12, 2014 [7 favorites]

I lack the background to say whether these are deserving targets. And I, too, am wary of mob justice.

But I do know this: when civil, sanctioned, non-violent channels for getting legitimate grievances addressed break down, some form of violence is one of the few recourses available to the aggrieved. One person's mob of thugs is another person's revolutionary vanguard. Every revolutionary movement in history began as a lawbreaking rabble, until they consolidated enough power to command outside recognition.

Not saying that I support (or don't support) these actions in Ukraine. But sometimes the people in power need to be thrown in dumpsters.
posted by escape from the potato planet at 8:52 AM on October 12, 2014 [13 favorites]

Tarring/feathering and lynching have been practised in the good ol' US of A during periods when the rule of law has generally been assumed to be in effect.

If anyone tried this in today's good ol' US of A the result would probably be a firefight with dozens of people killed. Because, you know, everyone who has a gun thinks they're the good guy with the gun.
posted by localroger at 8:55 AM on October 12, 2014 [2 favorites]

Yeah, yeah, mob justice bad and all that, but frankly politicians should always live in fear of being tarred and feathered and act accordingly.
posted by Behemoth at 9:05 AM on October 12, 2014 [5 favorites]

Yup, if the politicians, businessmen, etc. create such an environment of corruption that nobody respects the law, then lawlessness naturally occurs, fair enough.
posted by jeffburdges at 9:06 AM on October 12, 2014 [1 favorite]

In 1984iverse, y'all would be a bunch of good law-abiding party members.
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:43 AM on October 12, 2014 [1 favorite]

I challenge you to take the ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE, I shout as I pour ice water on your head
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 9:49 AM on October 12, 2014 [4 favorites]

Insistence upon nonviolent resistance for occupied people in a war zone strikes me as extraordinarily tone deaf.
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:49 AM on October 12, 2014 [5 favorites]

We're almost certainly talking about the Right Sector here - look at those flags in the picture in Kirit Radia's tweet - so I'm not about to endorse this as unequivocally good resistance to corrupt governance.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 9:57 AM on October 12, 2014

Insistence upon nonviolent resistance for occupied people in a war zone strikes me as extraordinarily tone deaf.

These mob attacks are happening in the unoccupied west more so than the occupied Donbass and east.

Unless you think that the real occupiers are those in power in Kiev, in which case, I don't know where to begin.

Also, somehow speaking out against conformist violence lands makes one into a likely zealous fan of the two minutes hate? How does that work?
posted by dis_integration at 10:08 AM on October 12, 2014 [1 favorite]

Interestingly tarring and feathering in the early days of the American Revolution was done to tax officials in defense of smugglers. So in a sense there were no good guys on either side involved. It was happening in that grey area where right and wrong becomes unclear.
posted by srboisvert at 10:11 AM on October 12, 2014 [1 favorite]

I really hope I never end up tied to a pole in the middle of the street in broad daylight at the mercy of angry strangers. Scary place.
posted by oceanjesse at 10:43 AM on October 12, 2014

If none of the Ukranian dumpster dumpers have targeted Vlad Putin personally, I cannot support this action. (and y'now with all the no-shirt pics of Vlad we've seen, I can just imagine how good a layer of tar and pillow-stuffings would look on him)
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:33 PM on October 12, 2014

I really hope I never end up tied to a pole in the middle of the street in broad daylight at the mercy of angry strangers.

I know people who pay good money to act out this fantasy.
posted by localroger at 1:56 PM on October 12, 2014

I really hope I never end up tied to a pole in the middle of the street in broad daylight at the mercy of angry strangers. Scary place.

I've seen this type of punishment reported more often in the occupied East (Donbas) than in Western Ukraine. Repugnant in all cases, and unfortunately what makes the "dumpster challenge" look benign by comparison.
posted by Kabanos at 7:53 AM on October 14, 2014