Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dKdBlKgquw
Sinead O'Connor's a cappella performance of Bob Marley's "War" for SNL in 1992 culminated in this moment, with a completely silent audience- after changing the song to refer to child abuse rather than racism, she sang the word "evil" while tearing up a photo of Pope John Paul II, one of the most beloved figures of her era. This was her protest against the then largely unknown widespread child abuse- emotional, sexual, or otherwise- that occurred in the Catholic Church (mainly in schools), especially in her native Ireland. It was a moment that nearly killed her career, and became largely misunderstood due to a number of factors relating to public view of the church and her personal public image. However, now it has become a topic of discussion given the scandals surrounding child abuse in the Catholic Church that began to surface in recent years, leading many to either lament that her protest fell on deaf ears or that her protest was "before its time." It remains an intriguing case study on implementation of protest, and what can make a protest a success or a failure.
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