Theatrical component of protests against Covid-quarantines: socio-philosophical reflection

Abstract

The socio-political life of society presupposes communication between the authorities and the people, and the people with the authorities. This communication can be carried out in various forms, including with elements of theatricality (play, performance, artistry, costumes and sets, drama, direction, etc.). The Covid-19 pandemic has largely changed the socio-political life of different countries, but has not canceled the desire of people to theatricalize this life. This is evidenced, in particular, by the protests against the Covid-quarantines, which added new techniques and subjects to the repertoire of the political “theater”. The purpose of this study is to identify elements of theatricality in protests against Covid-quarantines and to interpret them in a socio-philosophical aspect. The methodological strategy of this study is based on the concept of theatricality of socio-communicative manifestations of culture. This concept allows us to comprehend the essence and forms of existence of social reality in the dynamics of their changes with a change in the cultural (political, socio-economic, informational, etc.) context. As a result of the study, it was found that many protests against quarantine restrictions are characterized by theatrical component withe elements such as play, performance, costumes and scenery, corresponding drama, etc. This is due to the fact that any protest action (whether it be a mass meeting or an individual protest) is a public event addressed to a specific audience to which a specific message needs to be conveyed. However, it was found that in protests against lockdowns, the theatrical component manifests itself in different ways at different stage of the pandemic. During the first wave, elements of costumed performances and comic antics prevailed in them, but for the second wave mass rallies became characteristic, most of which end in clashes with the police. There is much less theatrical content in these actions. This indicates that the theatrical component of the protest action lasts only as long as there is hope for a dialogue with the authorities. When the people do not receive answers to their questions, they begin to use other forms of communication with the authorities.