The Yellow Spectacle; Gen Z Language in Urban Management!

The Culture and Publishing Service of the Iran Book News Agency (IBNA) has witnessed a new surprise from the capital’s municipality! This time, banners – the same old banners – have appeared on Tehran’s side streets, main roads, and highways, displaying words in Gen Z language. The goal: to promote noble literature, but with a low-quality script; a spectacle alien to Persian culture. Even if we ignore the common questions about how much of the capital residents’ money has been spent in the name of ‘promoting rich culture’ and ‘cultural initiatives,’ it is still not right to remain silent and not criticize the urban management’s performance in this recent surprise.

A Few Examples of the Surprise Story

‘I’m not toxic enough to ghost you,’ ‘Whatever mood you’re in, I love you,’ ‘You’re a pillar, boss, your gang is high up’ – these phrases top the list, with updated meanings below, beautifully positioned with ‘meaning’! A novel but concerning bridge-building for connecting yesterday’s and today’s generations.

For example, the main message of the first sentence is the famous verse, ‘Shame on me if your sanctity is broken before my eyes.’ The second sentence also wants to convey: ‘Iran, sacrificed for your tears and laughter,’ and the message of the third sentence: ‘A country of difficult, wounded, and crisis-ridden, yet proud, days.’

Meanwhile, ‘Toxic’ means poisonous, and ‘Ghosting’ is translated as suddenly ending an emotional relationship, disappearing, or vanishing. Therefore, even in terms of semantic connection with the poetry, no relevance is evident.

The city’s banners these days seem to have brought virtual conversations to life on the columns around the city; strange lines before the eyes of citizens; broken words from the English language, far from the noble meaning of the poems attributed to them. The urban management’s effort in this so-called cultural initiative seems more like the execution of a faint, disorganized, and ineffective plan.

Decoding Gen Z Writing

The increasing flow of vocabulary production from the minds of Gen Z cannot be denied; it’s a linguistic and pervasive phenomenon with sociological roots. Although these words are not inherently common tools for transmitting messages, they are undoubtedly movements carrying messages. Perhaps the first and foremost message of this so-called Gen Z transformation, if not outright defiance, appears to be indifference, disregard for the Persian language, and linguistic exploitation, interpreted as an attempt to break strong cultural and linguistic structures. Therefore, using Gen Z’s ‘literature’ to convey noble messages, including patriotism, seems illogical, ineffective, and a ‘yellow spectacle’ that is inconsistent with its stated goal.

A Bear Hug with Culture!

Let’s not doubt the good intentions of the city’s managers and custodians; however, we must judge for ourselves that we cannot overlook the directorial interpretation of this ‘yellow spectacle.’ Let’s start with a few simple questions and a request:

Is there truly no simpler and more considered way to convey the message – here, patriotism – so that the goal and message do not get lost in artificial, not modern, forms? Therefore, cultural work with minimal surprise is suggested.

Secondly, why are we beating around the bush? Probably, the think tank designing the banners considered Gen Z writing a creative initiative. If we accept this premise, why does this effort appear more like an anti-Persian language spectacle? Is the use of Gen Z’s foreign vocabulary in content production – here, banners – consistent with the goals of the poetic messages in the banners? A perfect example of a ‘bear hug’ with culture!

Is Culture the Priority?

The definitive answer: Yes, but the solid criterion is pragmatism. Perhaps the ‘anti-generation’ banners in the capital are not a priority for Tehran residents amidst the daily volume of political and economic news. Perhaps street potholes, the rat situation, water scarcity, or the safety of the capital’s buildings are the primary issues for urban management, but we remember that ‘money is always involved.’ If there is a budget for producing and installing banners or time for creating so-called creative content, then please do real regulation.

There is no need for complex operations to identify the city’s cultural issues; everything is evident. For example, Enghelab Street and its bookstore windows.

The rapid narrowing of Tehran’s book pavement due to the widening of bookstalls is an example of the proverb ‘Year by year, alas for last year.’ Or the forgotten plan of installing flag signs for booksellers, or naming more alleys and streets after publishers and even booksellers, or designing urban elements for books and reading, or thousands of other ideas instead of targeting the Persian language in the name of cultural work.