Reddit wasn't around 10 years ago.

Yes it was but it was called Fark or Digg.

Was Digg really around that long ago? I used to Fark all the time but Fark wasn't quite as populated or connected as Reddit.

Protest culture has been fueled largely through the social media 'revolution'. 10 years ago people did not have access to mobile information the way they do now.

Also, things go 'viral' much more quickly and severely now. I've been a net nerd for a long time, watched the viral / meme world develop and gain momentum, and it wasn't until the Rebecca Black - Friday shit that I realized just how quickly something can become massively viral now.

So 10 years ago, people weren't as informed about the O&A case. Your primary source of information was mainstream media. In the last decade, the Internet has exposed the sham that is the mainstream media, their bias, and began making it obsolete.

10 years ago, people would have been even less enthusiastic about Pussy Riot as they were O&A/Sex for Sam.

I would go as far to say that the people who are enthusiastic about Pussy Riot are not the people who called for blood from the bbboys.

Matter of fact, I would guarantee that the two vocal majorities are not at all related.

I would also say that a lot of people speaking up for Pussy Riot were probably in high school or younger 10 years ago.

I didn't know about O&A at the time.

Liberals love international religious "freedom of speech" affairs. (most) Liberals hate O&A. I'm a fan of both O&A and Pussy Riot.

This may be speculation, or maybe my own experience... but I think people were much more likely to be religious 10 years ago...

It's definitely along similar lines, though the O&A case was never a criminal matter. I don't even think the FCC opened an investigation?

I think the difference in outrage is the Occupy generation (maaaaaan) and Pussy Riot being seen as a political activism group being held down (maaaaaan).

What amazes me is every radio personality or comedian that gets in trouble the people who should be supporting them lining up to fire their shots AT them instead. O&A and friends are the few that publicly support anyone no matter their beef.

Yeah, Opie, Ant, and Yimmy also didn't get sentence to two years in Russian Jail.

You know, that's a very good point. Did Mercurio's charges stick?

Aside from O&A message boards, the 13 of us on irc.opieanthony.net, and a few news articles, there just wasnt much centralized talk about the whole ordeal. Drudge posted a few articles, and it was largely before comments were enabled on most news sites, so there wasnt much discussion. The only place that was really discussing what had gone down was the New York Radio Message board.

Its kind of weird to think that if there had been something like Reddit at the time that an outcry could have gone out, but there just wasnt anything like it at the time with this many users with various interests.

It's like you are saying, people didn't have the voice they have today. You could go out and protest but as we've seen from the Occupy stuff, the media can make thousands of people look like dozens and not cover shit.

Now, with Twitter, Facebook, and every website taking a Web 2.0 approach to things, you see more outrage because there is a platform for it. Imagine if the Seattle Riots happened with today's Social Media boom and smart phones. Would be a completely different situation. It would have been global.

You know, that's a very good point. Did Mercurio's charges stick?