I remember reading this John Lennon story.
He was upset that reporters weren’t paying attention to what he believed was important. Instead of covering the substance of his songs, he felt reporters were there to find new and juicy gossip.
So perturbed, Lennon (and Yoko Ono) came up with the bed-in:
Knowing their March 20, 1969, marriage would be a huge press event, Lennon and Ono decided to use the publicity to promote world peace. They spent their honeymoon in the presidential suite (Room 702) at the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel for a week between March 25 and 31, inviting the world’s press into their hotel room every day between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. After their nonconformist artistic expressions (cf. Bari: 33),[3] such as the nude cover of the Two Virgins album, the press were expecting them to be having sex, but instead the couple were just sitting in bed, wearing pajamas—in Lennon’s words “like angels”—talking about peace with signs over their bed reading “Hair Peace” and “Bed Peace”.
I often wonder, in today’s world, with the tools and opportunities in front of us, how do we continue searching for new and creative ways to bring topics to the forefront?
And can this be done in a peaceful, non-confrontational way?
The Men’s World Cup will be held in Qatar later this year. The games will surely be held in extraordinary venues. And the young (and veteran) talent will be wonderful to watch.
While the time difference will be tough to catch live games across the United States, I wonder if this global event will provide a stage for players to bring individual topics to the forefront?
I remember being in New York when the United States Women’s National Team won the World Cup.
A bunch of us took a late lunch and walked the block or so to catch the team roll down the Canyon of Heroes.
Many of those women have gone on to use their platform to make good trouble and change their sport (and beyond) for the better.
Given the talent on the USMNT, the availability of instant communications and the potential for many of these players in coming of age opportunities (both professionally and personally), this might be the most talked about World Cup since 1986.
