ali likes the stars
Senior Member
German, Persian
Hi guys,
an Iranian Christian has received a lot of hate on his Twitter account from pro-government and very islamic (islamist?) people. I was asked to translate those tweets into German so that they can be used to strenghten is asylum bid in Germany.
One thing I noted was how often he was accused of not being a human being or آدم.
There have been similar topics here:
But I am wondering, what exactly is meant by "becoming a human being". Sure, when used to address children it means "to behave". But I wonder if there is more to it and how this expression came to be.
For example, one of the tweets reads:
دهنت و ببند و بشین بی صدا مثل بچه آدم زندگیت و بکن
It makes me wonder, what a "human being" is in such context. Doesn't it rather mean a "normal person", where "normal" is what the accuser perceives as normal from their cultural and societal standpoint?
So, when a person says "when do you want to become a human being?" or "you won't become a human being" or "act like a human being" etc, what they really mean is "don't act out" in the sense of "don't behave differently than what is expected from you by society and it's standards and values, represented by me and what I see fit". It's more than just "behave". It implies a social dominance and the right to look down on others. Stripping them of their rights is one thing, but stripping them of their humanity has far more implications.
So basically, "whoever is not with us is not even considered a human being and therefore has no rights to be heard or respected, or in fact to live".
It seems a little exagerated, but I think it does make a big difference when seen in the context of such hate massages and what they might imply. Even when said to children, it implies so much dominance and plants a desperate need for acceptance into the childrens minds: You are nothing until I say so."
Too much?
an Iranian Christian has received a lot of hate on his Twitter account from pro-government and very islamic (islamist?) people. I was asked to translate those tweets into German so that they can be used to strenghten is asylum bid in Germany.
One thing I noted was how often he was accused of not being a human being or آدم.
There have been similar topics here:
But I am wondering, what exactly is meant by "becoming a human being". Sure, when used to address children it means "to behave". But I wonder if there is more to it and how this expression came to be.
For example, one of the tweets reads:
دهنت و ببند و بشین بی صدا مثل بچه آدم زندگیت و بکن
It makes me wonder, what a "human being" is in such context. Doesn't it rather mean a "normal person", where "normal" is what the accuser perceives as normal from their cultural and societal standpoint?
So, when a person says "when do you want to become a human being?" or "you won't become a human being" or "act like a human being" etc, what they really mean is "don't act out" in the sense of "don't behave differently than what is expected from you by society and it's standards and values, represented by me and what I see fit". It's more than just "behave". It implies a social dominance and the right to look down on others. Stripping them of their rights is one thing, but stripping them of their humanity has far more implications.
So basically, "whoever is not with us is not even considered a human being and therefore has no rights to be heard or respected, or in fact to live".
It seems a little exagerated, but I think it does make a big difference when seen in the context of such hate massages and what they might imply. Even when said to children, it implies so much dominance and plants a desperate need for acceptance into the childrens minds: You are nothing until I say so."
Too much?
