It is odd how society decides that some things are offensive. For example, raising your index finger is fine. Athletes often point to the heavens after a good play to thank their god for taking time out from his busy schedule to help them out. But the third finger pointing to the heavens is considered such a dire insult that it can result in murderous fury.
We know that certain words are not allowed on broadcast television. But when I watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, they bleep out these words too, even though those shows are on cable and I watch them online.
But what surprised me is that when the people on these shows raise the third finger, it is pixelated. Despite the fact that many of the comedic segments on the show involve gestures that have obvious similarities to sexual acts and are not pixelated, ‘giving the finger’ is seen as so toxic that it gets special treatment.
Ah…I love how you call it the ‘third finger.’ For most native born American’s its referred to as the ‘middle finger.’ Those wonderful nuances of language 😀
I believe that in parts of Europe (France maybe?) showing the ‘peace sign’ with the back of the hand faces the other person is considered disrespectful. I think it has to do with back in the middle-ages one would use those 2 fingers to draw a bow. It’s like saying, ‘Look, at least I have my 2 fingers.’
I’ve always wanted to be in some heated confrontation so I could “bite my thumb”, an old insult that I learned from Romeo and Juliet (“Do you bite your thumb at me sir?”), and see what confusion might ensue. Maybe this would be a good insult whenever you encounter cops? I can see the arrest paper for disorderly conduct: “He did bite his thumb at me”.
Try living in countries like Korea, China and Taiwan. People don’t point to things with their index finger, they point with their middle fingers. I’m told this is also true in Japan.
That takes getting used to. I’ve gotten into the habit now of pointing with the entire hand open because it’s generally not offensive to anyone.
Henry, I’ve heard the same origin story, but Snopes disagrees. Their refutation is oriented to the middle finger rather than the backhanded V, but it would seem to apply equally well to either.