Finger (gesture)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Image:Male right middle crop.jpg In Western cultures, the finger, as in giving someone the finger, is a popularly known obscene hand gesture made by extending the middle finger of the hand while bending the other fingers at the second knuckle. A known variation includes extending the thumb as well. Its meaning can be translated as "fuck you". The gesture is also known as "the bird", "flipping the bird", or "flipping (someone) off."

1 Origin
2 Interpretation
3 Famous examples
- 3.1 In politics
- 3.2 In popular culture
4 External links

[edit] Origin

To meet Wikipedia's quality standards, this section may require cleanup.

Please discuss this issue on the talk page, and/or replace this tag with a more specific message. Editing help is available.
This section has been tagged since October 2006.</div>

The origin of this gesture is highly speculative, but is quite possibly up to 2500 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.

[edit] Interpretation

In the Anglosphere, the gesture, which is often accompanied by a verbal insult ("fuck you," "up yours," or an equivalent being quite common), is generally considered very offensive — perhaps even more so when the gesture is made using both hands ("double bird" or "double finger"), or when accompanied by a vigorous upward motion of the hand and forearm. In much of the Middle East, a similar gesture with fingers pointing downwards is just as insulting because it is an implication of impotence -- although the thumbs up is in fact the more common equivalent of the finger there, which may cause problems for unwary Western visitors. Also in the Middle East the finger means a religious corruption.

In Asia, notably in Hong Kong or Singapore whose cultures are westernised, the gesture is also a taboo. In Germany (where it is known as "der Stinkefinger")[2], showing it to an individual can be considered as an insult and theoretically is punishable with a fine of up to a month's income. Enforcement of this law is nearly unknown, however, since obtaining definitive photographic evidence of such a spontaneous moment is very hard. Similarly insulting gestures in Germany include making a circle by touching the index finger to the thumb (perceived in America as the "OK" sign) to call someone asshole; and tapping one's forehead with their index finger, an insult to the intelligence of the person to whom it is directed.

In Portugal, Brazil, Colombia and The Philippines, this sign is made holding the middle finger straight between the other bending fingers. The two bent fingers closest to the middle one represent the testicles.

In China, contrary to the offensive nature of the gesture in other cultures, Chinese Sign Language used by the deaf of China employ this handshape to represent the first born male, a position of status in traditional Chinese culture.

In some Mediterranean countries and much of Asia, it is permissible to use the middle finger to point to something (on a written page for example) and some Western cultures tolerate the use of the middle finger to point to things. In North America, while tolerated, it is considered bad form to point, or scratch oneself, with the middle finger.

[edit] Famous examples

[edit] In politics

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 goofing off before beginning filming of a public address.
In Canada, showing the middle finger is sometimes called the Trudeau salute after Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, because of a famous photo of him giving the finger to protesters in Salmon Arm, British Columbia. He had also used the gesture in the Canadian House of Commons. Prior to becoming Premier of Alberta, Ralph Klein was caught on camera giving the finger to a protestor.
The highest elected U.S. official caught "flipping the bird" while in office was Vice-President Nelson Rockefeller. Rockefeller was photographed responding to hecklers during the 1976 Republican National Convention. [3]
In November 2004 President Bush visited Canada on his first official visit. As his motorcade made its way from the airport to downtown Ottawa he was greeted by many waves and signs. Some were excitedly welcoming him, others were telling him to leave. Along with the waves of greeting people were also giving him the finger. Bush responded to this saying, "I want to thank the Canadian people who came out to wave, with all five fingers, for their hospitality."
In 1968, captured crewmembers 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. [4] The gesture was explained to the North Koreans as 'the Hawaiian Good Luck sign'.

[edit] In popular culture

The United States FCC has banned display of this gesture on broadcast television as an obscenity. As a result, the gesture is often censored, and airbrushed out or replaced with large-pixel blocks. This gesture occurs frequently on television shows like The Jerry Springer Show or on music videos shown on MTV and VH1 although the popular show South Park does not censor it. This practice was explicitly parodied in the first episode of Drawn Together, where one of the characters isn't sure if another one has flipped her off because her hand was pixellated at the time. A popular MTV show, Pimp My Ride, featured rapper Xzibit taking a car with a pair of Mickey Mouse gloves with four fingers including the thumb. As Xzibit drives the car, he wears the gloves and flips off the camera. Despite the technicality, it is still censored. The Boondocks episode The Garden Party with Ed Wuncler III giving the finger was censored.
Silent film comedian Harold Lloyd can be clearly seen giving the finger in his last silent film, Speedy.
Ignignokt and Err of Aqua Teen Hunger Force are usually seen using this gesture, which remains uncensored because their 8-bit pixelated format only allows one finger to be visible anyway.
Country/rock and roll legend Johnny Cash famously took out an ad in Billboard magazine after the success of his album Unchained that featured a picture of him giving the finger at his 1969 Concert at San Quentin and a caption sarcastically "acknowledg[ing] the Nashville music establishment and country radio for their support."
It is also used quite frequently by Stone Cold Steve Austin of the WWE, who began using the gesture after adopting his "Stone Cold" gimmick in the late 1990s. After entering a ring, Austin usually climbs the ringpost in each corner, raises his arms and gives the gesture. Austin does not turn his hands, so technically he's giving the finger to everyone behind him.
In the Seinfeld episode The Pledge Drive, George Costanza's entire storyline revolves around his obsession with the belief that people are purposely giving him the finger.
There is a recurring character in The Ronnie Johns Half Hour, an Australian sketch-comedey show on Network Ten, who pretends to pull something out of his pocket, but actually gives the other person the finger.
Comedian Dane Cook is famous for using the finger often. However, he got tired of this and began using what he calls "The Super Finger" or "SuFi" (the thumb, middle and ring finger).
Miami Dolphins fullback Larry Csonka appeared on the cover of the August 7, 1972 issue of Sports Illustrated with the middle finger of his right hand extended across his shin in a variation of the finger. Csonka received hate mail for years afterward.
After an Atlanta Falcons loss to the New Orleans Saints in the Georgia Dome on November 26, 2006, Falcons Quarterback Michael Vick made an obscene gesture at Atlanta fans, holding up two middle fingers. Vick has said, "I'm sorry and I apologize to all the young kids and to whoever saw me make that gesture. I just let my emotions get the best of me in that situation and it won't happen again." [5]