Throwing a shoe
Throwing a shoe: political protest or capital insult.
Meaning
Target direction : Violent protest, extreme contempt - an almost criminal act.
Interpreted meaning : Extreme variation: political protest vs. serious crime.
Geography of misunderstanding
Offensive
- egypt
- saudi-arabia
- uae
- qatar
- kuwait
- bahrain
- oman
- lebanon
- syria
- jordan
- iraq
- morocco
- algeria
- tunisia
- libya
- india
- pakistan
- bangladesh
- sri-lanka
- nepal
- bhutan
Not documented
- peuples-autochtones
1. The gesture and its expected meaning
Violent protest, extreme contempt - almost criminal act. Removal of shoe, forced projection towards person. Rare act, ultra-aggressive, signifying total rejection, dishonor. Little codified culturally: primitive gesture reflecting raw anger.
2. Where things go wrong: the geography of misunderstanding
Extreme variation: political protest vs. serious crime. Middle Eastern context (Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Oman), shoe-throwing = ultimate contempt, legitimate political protest. Western context = aggression, violence, potentially criminal. Radical polysemy: same act, political legitimacy vs. crime.
3. Historical genesis
Medieval Middle East (Persian Shahnameh epic). Modern: Iraq 2008 (Muntadhar al-Zaidi) popularizes gesture as Arabic-speaking political protest. Roots: shoe defiling object (impure foot), thrown = maximum dishonor.
4. famous documented incidents
December 14, 2008: Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi throws two shoes President George W. Bush in Baghdad; shouting "it's goodbye, you dog!"; al-Zaidi jailed 9 months; BBC, Reuters, Al-Jazeera, NYT, International Herald Tribune. November 2009: Pakistani Islamabad protesters throw Obama effigy shoes; Dawn Pakistan. February 2011: Egyptian demonstrators in Tahrir Square throw Mubarak image shoes; Al-Ahram, Reuters.
5. Practical recommendations
Do: (1) Understand political context before interpreting; (2) In Middle Eastern protest context, recognize political legitimacy; (3) Ask forgiveness if committed unintentionally. Don't: (1) NEVER throw shoe voluntarily diplomatic/professional context; (2) Don't ridicule someone political protest; (3) Don't assume absence = absence anger. Alternatives: Verbal protest, leave the room, written demand.
Documented incidents
- 2008-12-14 — Iraqi journalist throws both shoes at President Bush; shouts 'This is a farewell kiss, dog!'; al-Zaidi imprisoned 9 months (BBC, Reuters, Al-Jazeera, NYT, IHT)
Practical recommendations
To do
- - Rechercher en amont codes gestuels - Observer gestes locuteurs natifs - Demander clarification si doute - Maintenir posture neutre
Avoid
- - Ne pas projeter codes propres - Ne pas ignorer signaux malaise - Ne pas utiliser formellement sans certitude - Ne pas supposer intention
Neutral alternatives
- Give priority to verbal communication
- Use universal gestures
- Contextual conventions
Sources
- Morris, D. (1977). Manwatching. Harry N. Abrams.
- Ekman, P. (2003). Emotions Revealed. Times Books.
- Axtell, R. E. (1998). Gestures: The Do's and Taboos. Wiley.