Finger (gesture)

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The finger
The finger

For other uses, see The bird (disambiguation)

In Western cultures, the finger (as in giving someone the finger) is a well-known obscene hand gesture made by extending the middle finger of the hand while bending the other fingers into the palm. A known variation includes extending the thumb as well.

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[edit] Alternate names

The gesture is also known as the "bird", "flipping the bird", "flipping someone off", "shooting a bird", "flying he bird", or innumerable obscure monikers such as the "highway salute", "The New York Hello", "concert C", "sticking your middle finger up", "Showing Off Your Monkey", "The One-fingered Salute", "The Canadian Turn Signal", and "The Stone Cold Salute", etc. When both hands are used, it may known as the "double-barrel salute", the "double deuce", a "double whammy" or the "dirty double". A variation of the hand gesture is also made by showing someone the back of the hand, with three fingers extended, with the comment to "read between the lines". A more comical approach is to wiggle all five fingers and ask, "Do you see these?" then retract all but the middle finger and say "Its a whole flock of these!" (A distinct reference to the aforementioned "bird")

[edit] Origin

The origin of this gesture is speculative, and quite possibly thousands of years old. It is identified as the digitus impudicus ("impudent finger") in Ancient Roman writings[1] and reference is made to using the finger in the Ancient Greek comedy The Clouds by Aristophanes. It was defined there as a gesture intended to insult another person. The widespread usage of the finger in many cultures is likely due to the geographical influence of the Roman Empire and Greco-Roman civilization. Another possible origin of this gesture can be found in the first-century Mediterranean world, where extending the digitus impudicus was one of many methods used to divert the ever present threat of the evil eye.[2]

Another possible origin is the phallic imagery of the raised middle finger (the middle finger being the longest finger on the human hand), similar to the Italian version of the bent elbow insult. Also, there is a variation of the finger where it can be done by performing The Fangul, by sticking out the finger during the throwing motion.

A popular urban legend incorrectly states that during the Hundred Years' War, the French would cut off the middle fingers of captured English archers so they would be unable to use their bows, and that after the Battle of Agincourt, the victorious English showed the French that their middle fingers were still intact. The fact is that in England they use two fingers like a reverse peace sign for the insult, as it was both fingers the archers used to draw the bow that the French would cut off [3]

[edit] Uncommon forms

There are many forms that are not well known:

  • The Flying Bird, where the thumb, and pinkey are also stuck out, then one "flaps" them rithumaticly.
  • The Attacking Bird, when one taps the top of there fist (to signify the head of the person it's aimed at) with the finger (as the attacking bird, pecking).
  • Uncle Sam, when you point the middle finger at the person.

[edit] In other cultures

In the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, the V sign (given with back of the hand towards the recipient) serves a similar purpose (primarily "fuck off"), whilst "the bird" is more often used for "up yours", "swivel on it", "sit and swivel on it" or "sit and spin".

The Eastern equivalent of the finger
The Eastern equivalent of the finger
The Sri Lankan equivalent of the 'finger'
The Sri Lankan equivalent of the 'finger'

In Iran, and several other middle eastern countries, the "thumbs up" gesture means the same as "the finger" in western countries which can result in misunderstandings.[citation needed]

In some African and Caribbean countries, a similarly obscene gesture is extending all five digits with the palm facing forward, meaning "you have five fathers" (thus calling someone a bastard).[4]

In South Asian countries such as India and Sri Lanka, certain limited social circles use the middle finger gesture in the same context that it is used in western cultures, The same is true for most South Asian countries.[1]. However, in Sri Lanka another version of the gesture exists, specially among the social circles not exposed to the western culture. In that version, the index finger is used in a similar manner to mean the same.

[edit] Famous examples

[edit] In the media

  • Charles Radbourn gave the finger in 1886.
  • The band The Supersuckers perform the song "Born With A Tail" live, where the band tells every person in the audience to raise their middle finger.
  • In the show South Park, Craig and his family have the habit of flipping people off, which often results in a visit to the school counselor's office.
  • In the first Mr. Bean feature film, there is a scene where Mr Bean mistakenly thinks that giving the finger is a positive gesture, similar to a thumbs-up sign. Hilarity ensues.
  • in John Carpenter's They Live, George, As a last dying act, gives the aliens the finger.
  • In the film 'Top Gun', Tom Cruise, as the main character of Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, said, "Greetings!" while he gave the enemy MiG fighter pilot the bird while flying inverted at 4-G at the beginning of the movie. Mitchell would call it "Communicating...keeping up with foreign relations..."
  • In the film 'Constantine' Keanu Reeves, as the title character, after performing his deed of self sacrifice, gives the finger to Lucifer as Constantine is being taken to Heaven.
  • Former WWE superstar Stone Cold Steve Austin brought the finger to the wrestling audience.
  • On the cover of Moby Grape's self-titled debut album, drummer Don Stevenson gives the finger. The story goes that the band was tired and bored after a day spent being driven around by the photographer looking for a location for the shot. Stevenson's gesture was airbrushed off some early versions of the album cover.
  • The cover of pianist Ben Folds Live album, consists of the singer burying his head in his hands as the entire audience gives him the finger.
  • In Titanic, Rose DeWitt Bukater give another character the finger. This part is not seen when the movie is shown on TV. In his book Titanic: The Illustrated Screenplay, director and screenwriter James Cameron addresses accusations by critics that Rose's use of the finger in 1912 was an anachronism by pointing out its history dating back to Roman times.

[edit] In politics

  • In 1968, captured crew members of the USS Pueblo (AGER-2) used a discreet version of the finger as a covert signal of "obscene derisiveness and contempt" (quoted from a newspaper caption) in propaganda photos taken by their North Korean captors.[5] The gesture was explained to the North Koreans as 'the Hawaiian Good Luck sign'.
  • In Canada, showing the middle finger is sometimes called the "Trudeau salute" (or "Salmon Arm salute") after Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau was alleged to have given the finger to protesters in Salmon Arm, British Columbia. Popular mythology holds that there is a photo of this incident, but none exists. He had also used the gesture in the Canadian House of Commons. Prior to becoming Premier of Alberta, the then-Environment minister Ralph Klein was caught on camera giving the finger to a protester during a 1990 meeting about a contentious pulp mill project.[6]
  • On July 9, 2003, Philip Wong Yu-hong (Chinese: 黃宜弘), a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong in favor of the unpopular article 23, was seen giving democracy protesters the finger as he left the Legislative Council building.[7][8]
  • In 2003, the influential newsmagazine The Economist featured an illustration of a cactus tree shaped as if giving the finger on the cover of its September 20 issue. The illustration reflected the cover story, on the outcome of the Cancún ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization.[9]
  • In some subcultures in the United States, it is known as the "one-fingered victory salute", which gained popularity after this video appeared on the Internet in October 2004, showing George W. Bush, at the time of the film the Governor of Texas, using the gesture while engaging in horseplay before beginning the filming of a public address.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Adams, Cecil. "What's the origin of 'the finger'?" Straight Dope, 4 September 1998
  2. ^ Malina, Bruce J., The New Testament World: Insights from Cultural Anthropology, 3rd Ed., (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001)
  3. ^ Moors, Stephen.<ref>Mikkelson, Barbara.[http://snopes.com/language/apocryph/pluckyew.htm "Pluck Yew"], Snopes.com, [[29 September]] [[1999]]</li> <li id="cite_note-3">'''[[#cite_ref-3|^]]''' {{cite news |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0DEED61039F93BA2575BC0A960958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |title=What's A-O.K. in the U.S.A. Is Lewd and Worthless Beyond |work=The New York Times |date=1996-8-18 |accessdate=2008-04-11 }} </li> <li id="cite_note-4">'''[[#cite_ref-4|^]]''' Russell, Stu. [http://groups.msn.com/ctoseadogs/usspueblocrew1.msnw "The Digit Affair"]</li> <li id="cite_note-5">'''[[#cite_ref-5|^]]''' [http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061030/klein_quotes_061030/20061031/ CTV.ca | The loose tongue of Ralph Klein<!-- Bot generated title -->]</li> <li id="cite_note-6">'''[[#cite_ref-6|^]]''' [http://appledaily.atnext.com/template/apple/art_main.cfm?iss_id=20030710&sec_id=4104&subsec_id=12731&art_id=3402688 Apple Daily, July 10, 2003]</li> <li id="cite_note-7">'''[[#cite_ref-7|^]]''' [http://news.tvb.com/noon/2003/0710/index.html TVB noon news, July 10, 2003]</li> <li id="cite_note-8">'''[[#cite_ref-8|^]]''' [http://www.economist.com/printedition/displayCover.cfm?url=/images/20030920/20030920issuecovUS400.jpg Issue Cover for September 20, 2003], economist.com</li> <li id="cite_note-9">'''[[#cite_ref-9|^]]''' [http://www.blesk.cz/Clanek69122.htm Blesk.cz | Topolánek ukázal opozici zdvižený prostředník<!-- Bot generated title -->]</li></ol></ref>

[edit] See also

  • SuperFinger, comedian Dane Cook's variant created due to a loss of potency of the original

[edit] External links

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