Why not Sabzi Polo with Fish
Why not Sabzi Polo with Fish? Are the obscene and derogatory slogans based on gendered language aligned with the protesters’ goals, or do they contradict them? Some believe these slogans merely express anger, while others argue that slogans containing vulgar language not only lack decency but also oppose the main slogan of ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ and reproduce the same patriarchal structure. The sexually and non-sexually obscene slogans were first heard on the streets and in markets.
From Nazi Abad, from gatherings of Iranians abroad, and later even infiltrated universities to the extent that some conservatives criticized the students as being vulgar, rude, and offensive.
Protesters curse because it seems they’ve reached their limit and can no longer tolerate the situation. In a state of desperation, cursing is a form of intense emotional release, usually explosive. Cursing is essentially the shrapnel of an internal explosion. The emotion released in cursing stems from intense anger; the more intense the anger, the harsher or, as they say, the juicier the curse.
Hossein Ghazian, a social researcher, points out that one of the juiciest curses is a curse on one’s honor because, in a patriarchal social tradition, honor is the most important element. He says, therefore, a curse on one’s honor, by targeting it, allows for the greatest release of emotional anger, and its accumulated energy is explosively discharged outward. When an individual or group lacks other tools for tangible conquest and dominance, they use sexual curses for symbolic victory.
Profanity-laden slogans and the issue of universities
They say the origin of the harsh encounter that took place on the night of Sunday, 10 Mehr, at Sharif University was these slogans containing profanity, and specifically one particular curse, which drove the other side mad and gave them an excuse for a brutal attack on students.
In fact, if the unconventional slogans had remained limited to the alleys and streets, they wouldn’t have provoked such a reaction as they did in universities. Some have advised that students should consider what damage repeating such slogans does to their credibility and even question the origin of the slogan. Right or wrong, society expects something different from students and universities compared to other groups, and disappointment in them is a deep wound on the body of the protest movement.
Reproducing a culture of assault
Some believe the issue isn’t just about venting anger because one person, at the peak of anger, says ‘Woman, Life, Freedom,’ while another hurls their genitalia at others. Sexism, with a kind of superiority, says don’t tell me anything because I’m angry, but the one who gives a progressive slogan knows that the space for sexual and gender minorities becomes unsafe because of these slogans. Based on this, misogyny, violence, and assault on women stem from the same culture that creates the slogan about Sabzi Polo with Fish.
That is, a culture of assault, a culture that throughout history has claimed millions of victims, a culture that considers male sexual desire a tool for expressing power, humiliation, and torture, a culture that views the body of the enemy’s sister, mother, and wife as his land and field, to be plowed if reached, regardless of who they are or what they’ve done. A movement whose slogan is ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ does not hurl its genitals at the world.
Criticism aimed at the goal
They say the function of a slogan is that it not only keeps the fire of anger and the light of hope alive in the heart of the slogan chanter but also prompts the inactive or indecisive gray individual to take action. For example, if someone gets shot while chanting for freedom, surely their friends and brothers will rise in support, even if they were previously indifferent. But someone who shouts about Sabzi Polo like a street vendor pushes even their comrades towards passivity. A slogan that the media has to censor half of with a beep—is it even heard, let alone functional?
Meanwhile, some believe that cursing as a political act shatters the superficial charisma of power or the one in power, leveling it to the ground so thoroughly that rebuilding it becomes impossible. However, others believe that the spread of slogans containing vulgar curses causes the gray class or those inclined towards power or their social base not only to fail to sympathize with the protesters over time but also to distance themselves from them or become more steadfast in their current stance.
Ableist and derogatory slogans
Some believe that if outdated ideas are to be discarded, ableist ideas must also be reformed. Referring to that particular slogan whose videos have been released, they say it’s an anti-disabled slogan that, instead of condemning the behavior of the ruler and the powerful, uses his condition and disability as a trait worthy of contempt. When being disabled is considered worthy of contempt, it preemptively justifies social hierarchies and determines that a body outside the norm indicates being less human.
On the other hand, it is said that this slogan also conflicts with ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ because women’s bodies, alongside those of the disabled, are outside the norm of beauty and are among the bodies that have been humiliated, objectified, and dehumanized. Objectifying them by power is considered legitimate and even desirable, and freedom without social justice and access to opportunities and resources is impractical. Therefore, in a protest movement, all the excluded must be considered.
Iran Gate has been reporting and analyzing the incident since the first moments of Mahsa Amini’s death by the morality police. You can search for related content using this keyword.
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