To piss or not to piss

Almost every week the municipal police of Riga reports happy news that yet another pisser has been court pissing near or on the Freedom monument in Riga. It almost sounds like there is some mafia or network of organized pissing crime. Yet no-one questions why so often people choose to urinate there? Some local nazies think that tourists do so to “shit into soul of Latvians”. Actually the answer is pretty simple. First, they do so to experience a little moment of fame – they are filmed on CCTV cameras, immediately being court by bored police guys and after that most likely they will make headlines in local media. The fine for urinating is much cheaper than if they would decide to buy air time on TV or in press. Also, having done that perhaps turns the pisshead into some sort of a hero in the eyes of greedy friends as besides the sight-viewing in relatively boring city they have done something adventurous to tell their friends back home. Secondly, and this hasn’t been brought up yet, is to look at it from psychoanalytic approach – to think how the Freedom monument works at unconscious level for passers-by. What does the photo from google remind you? Yes, you are right – an urinal or a toilet seat. We believe that there is some sort of way how architecture and its shape can influence behavior of people.

Fuck Riga

Riga city has a brand new image and slogan – Live Riga. Developed by unknown German agency Embassy which is rumored to have some connection with advertising guru Ēriks Stendzenieks and his German office of Mooz – a company that for the past years is doing all political ad campaigns for the party of vice-mayor of Riga and oligarh Ainars Šlesers. The new logo and the “original” Live Riga slogan which resembles airBaltic logo or low-cost grocery chain Supernetto cost 1 million lats (1,5 mil euros) of tax-payers money. The mayor Nils Ušakovs is saying that this money was paid by airBaltic company, however he had forgotten that 51% of airBaltic shares belong to the state. The competition was restricted to foreign companies only while the newly launched Riga tourism development agency by City council that was officially ordering the logo is chaired by airBaltic boss Bertolt Flick. Can you spot a weird connection there? Next year the city plans to spend 5 million lats in public relations and advertising and it seems that none of this money will stay in Latvia. It would be fine as tourism has a total downfall in Latvia, however it rather sounds like it is again only a routine money laundering project of Ainars Šlesers. And everyone will be happy – Bertolt Flick will promote his own jet company with this airBaltic-ish logo, vice-mayor Šlesers would have distributed a big piece of cake of city’s budget to his loyal business partners, while the mayor Niks Ušakovs will tempt foreign tourists by shouting “this is how we Live Riga”..