The manner in which societies perceive resistance or different types of resistance may largely be contingent on the narratives that describe and portray such movements or actions. In the realm of criminal prosecutions of resisters, many judges will limit the types of information that defendants will seek to offer into evidence on the theory that such information (going to motive) is immaterial to the determination of their culpability. What is focused on is simply whether the resisters/defendants have committed the unlawful act(s) in question (actus reus) and whether the defendant intended to commit the impugned act(s) (mens rea). In some trials, judges will admit such contextual evidence and the result may lead to an acquittal notwithstanding clear evidence of an otherwise culpable act having transpired - particularly where a jury is involved. In such cases, defendants are allowed to present a larger narrative rather than just rebutting the more restrictive one offered by the prosecution. See here for example.
In the court of public opinion, narratives are shaped by various sources - including most certainly reportage in various media outlets. Certain narratives are privileged over others that are obscured. This is evident for example with respect to coverage surrounding protests taking place in Vancouver concurrent with the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The protests involve both a mix of largely non-violent activities with some violent protests. However as coverage of this weekend's protests have demonstrated, much of the attention on the CTV and CBC websites has been aimed at the destruction of property by some of the violent protesters. While the CTV article linked above (which is actually a Globe and Mail article) gives some acknowledgment to the fact that the violent protesters are not representative of all the protesters, it is not surprising that the violent acts that draw the lion's share of the attention. More importantly, we are never told what the basis of the protests are, either with respect to the non-violent or the violent protests or the fact that they encompass different interests and positions. The overwhelming focus remains on the violent protesters who are juxtaposed against the main protagonists of the Olympic Games, the qualified and inspiring athletes who draw our attention. A strong narrative contrast is then implicitly drawn between violent malcontents on one hand and hard-working athletes on the other. The former are perceived or can be perceived as petulant vermin seeking to detract from the attention of the subjects of the Olympic Games.
In contrast to the more mainstream reporting on the protests which concentrate on the violence, Democracy Now (DN) presents a larger narrative behind the various non-violent protest groups, without completely ignoring that violence exists amongst some of the protesters. The DN report paints a much different narrative of confrontation. Here the non-violent protesters emerge as the sympathetic protagonists squaring away against a heavy-handed police presence which is cracking down on both peaceful and non-peaceful protests alike. Also, the DN covers voices which explain the thrust of their protests. For example, they focus on the huge costs of the Olympics that take an economic toll on the local population, including the impoverished, not to mention the heightened security presence. Furthermore, some argue about the problematic nature of having the Olympics take place on stolen First Nations' lands. Whether you agree with their positions or not, their voices and positions are at least articulated and ascertainable. One may conduct further research on these positions and come to an educated conclusion. Thus an important narrative surrounding the protests is not obscured as it is in the mainstream media accounts.
While the non-violent protests do not entail violations of the law per se, they are nevertheless waged against a rather powerful set of networks which support the Olympic Games and the athletes competing. Any effort to draw attention away from the Olympic festivities is a form of social and cultural resistance in and of itself against the driving narratives surrounding the Games that appear in the mainstream reporting.
Sources:In the court of public opinion, narratives are shaped by various sources - including most certainly reportage in various media outlets. Certain narratives are privileged over others that are obscured. This is evident for example with respect to coverage surrounding protests taking place in Vancouver concurrent with the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The protests involve both a mix of largely non-violent activities with some violent protests. However as coverage of this weekend's protests have demonstrated, much of the attention on the CTV and CBC websites has been aimed at the destruction of property by some of the violent protesters. While the CTV article linked above (which is actually a Globe and Mail article) gives some acknowledgment to the fact that the violent protesters are not representative of all the protesters, it is not surprising that the violent acts that draw the lion's share of the attention. More importantly, we are never told what the basis of the protests are, either with respect to the non-violent or the violent protests or the fact that they encompass different interests and positions. The overwhelming focus remains on the violent protesters who are juxtaposed against the main protagonists of the Olympic Games, the qualified and inspiring athletes who draw our attention. A strong narrative contrast is then implicitly drawn between violent malcontents on one hand and hard-working athletes on the other. The former are perceived or can be perceived as petulant vermin seeking to detract from the attention of the subjects of the Olympic Games.
In contrast to the more mainstream reporting on the protests which concentrate on the violence, Democracy Now (DN) presents a larger narrative behind the various non-violent protest groups, without completely ignoring that violence exists amongst some of the protesters. The DN report paints a much different narrative of confrontation. Here the non-violent protesters emerge as the sympathetic protagonists squaring away against a heavy-handed police presence which is cracking down on both peaceful and non-peaceful protests alike. Also, the DN covers voices which explain the thrust of their protests. For example, they focus on the huge costs of the Olympics that take an economic toll on the local population, including the impoverished, not to mention the heightened security presence. Furthermore, some argue about the problematic nature of having the Olympics take place on stolen First Nations' lands. Whether you agree with their positions or not, their voices and positions are at least articulated and ascertainable. One may conduct further research on these positions and come to an educated conclusion. Thus an important narrative surrounding the protests is not obscured as it is in the mainstream media accounts.
While the non-violent protests do not entail violations of the law per se, they are nevertheless waged against a rather powerful set of networks which support the Olympic Games and the athletes competing. Any effort to draw attention away from the Olympic festivities is a form of social and cultural resistance in and of itself against the driving narratives surrounding the Games that appear in the mainstream reporting.
"Anti-Olympic Rioters Smash Vancouver Store Windows" CBC News (13 February 2010), online: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/02/13/bc-vancouver-olympic-protest.html
Franklin Lopez, "Vancouver Activists Greet Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony with People's Summit, Protest" Democracy Now (12 February 2010), online: http://www.democracynow.org/2010/2/12/olympics
Robert Matas, "Police, protesters clash in Vancouver" The Globe and Mail (13 February 2010), online: http://www.ctvolympics.ca/about-vancouver/news/newsid=40366.html#vancouver+protest+turns+violent?cid=rssctv
Franklin Lopez, "Vancouver Activists Greet Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony with People's Summit, Protest" Democracy Now (12 February 2010), online: http://www.democracynow.org/2010/2/12/olympics
Robert Matas, "Police, protesters clash in Vancouver" The Globe and Mail (13 February 2010), online: http://www.ctvolympics.ca/about-vancouver/news/newsid=40366.html#vancouver+protest+turns+violent?cid=rssctv
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