Dictating adequate emotions

As a result of their prejudice against the masses, the first theorists of collective action satisfied themselves with equating protest movements, riots and revolutions with the overflow of uncontrolled emotions. As a reaction against the simplistic standpoint of ‘crowd psychology’, researchers in the 20th century worked on considering acts of protest as rational choices dictated by utilitarian or strategic goals. Only recently have several American authors reaffirmed the legitimacy and usefulness of examining the role of emotions in collective mobilisations. From this perspective, the use of musical devices is a unique vantage point. Taking into account the expressive properties of certain musical arrangements, the latter can be seen as awareness-raising devices, that is, material supports, organisation of objects and staging that activists use to provoke affective reactions that predispose listeners to support the cause. The use of music also embeds political claims in a pre-reflexive sensibility that is stronger and more engaging than simple discursive formulations. This is why publicising militant principles often involves a musical accompaniment that deserves close analysis.

From this perspective, the methods used by anti-bullfighting organisations are very informative. The website of the International Movement Against Bullfights (IMAB) reveals images of the terrible injuries inflicted on the bulls while the song ‘Free Me’, by Goldfinger, plays in the background. In this song, the plaintive voice of the singer is that of the animal itself, begging the torturer whose motives it can't understand: ‘I’ve done nothing wrong / so free me / what the hell do you want from me / kill me if you just don't know how / or free me’. We can see a similar approach, evoking the direct voice of the victim through song, on the Italian website of the International Organisation for the Protection of Animals, with a meditative song from Prodemo. Similarly, the French organisation Comité radicalement anti-corrida (CRAC; Radical Anti-Corrida Committee) encourages the public both to sign a petition against bullfighting and to listen to the very introspective song ‘Por favor’. In this song, the author, Gérald Fontaine, also presents the voice of the bull, revealing his final thoughts.