Protest and the Press Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Protest and the Press - Essay ExamplePortrayals of the news with sociological, political, some clips economic and even humorous twists are included. Simultaneously, the protesting community may come up with more shocking and unconventional forms of protesting all the time. Consequently, the question of representation is crucial. The representative of the Bed-in concept developed and applied in real life as a functional publicity by John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono in 1969 constitutes the very essence of such ambivalence.In general, the decade of the sixties is especially known for being turbulent times which led to self-reflections and reinterpretations in a variety of spheres. Media and crushed leather were becoming more and more engaged in processing information and opinions across society answering to the cultural interests of, quite frequently, competing social groups and minorities. At the alike time, the media coverage formulated opinions and outlooks on especially vexing a nd controversial issues from which the readers could draw and sometimes even unconsciously adopt such views as their own. Among many social-political problems of the sixties in the US was the war in Vietnam which was faced with a public disapproval mostly because it was considered to be futile, immoral and unnecessary. But there was also a considerable pressure put on the American as well as other western societies to adhere to certain patriotic standards - if non for the rice beer of national pride then at least for the common good of the democratic world. Definitions of patriotism and responsibility for the country were erected along the process. Such stability was not easy since the 1960s generation is still considered the most rebellious and innovative so far.John Lennon, an English songwriter, singer, musician, graphic artist, author, peace activist and one of the innovation members of the legendary band The Beatles, was an icon of the generation. He channeled his fame and p enchant for controversy to successfully protest against the Vietnam War in the late sixties and his performance, so-to-speak, became of almost historical significance. During the Vietnam War, in 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono held two, week-long Bed-ins, as a radical form of protest against the unpopular war. Although physically away from the United States they still managed to make a significant constituent to the anti-war state of opinion with the help of the print press and electronic media. However a music stars engagement in political life was at that time a rather rare phenomenon therefore most newspapers and magazines mocked the absurdity of his undertaking which only reinforced the Bed-ins rock-and-roll identity.The couple decided to use their wedding as the opportunity to express their solidarity the peace-loving community of the world staging a week-long Bed-In for peace in Amsterdam in 1969 during their honeymoon. However, when they could not follow the Amsterdam Bed-In with a similar event in the U.S. due to Johns precarious visa eligibility at the time, they chose Montreal across the Canadian border as the next venue for their unusual project. Lennon told the reporters that his trades union was bound to make headlines anyway, so why not turn the occasion into what he called an advertisement for peace (Charlesworth 1976) The atmosphere of this interview and the introductory comment were written in a sympathetic tone.