Everyone seems to be "giving the finger" these days, says Linton Weeks at NPR. "You can buy middle-finger wallpaper for your smart phone. There are even cute little finger-flashing emoticons for your instant messages." But the more ubiquitous this "crude gesture" becomes, the more it seems to lose "its sting." Sure, it's still an "effective" way of saying "'go to hell,' 'up yours' or '(insert nasty-sounding verb here) you.'" But the once shocking middle finger is undeniably "becoming commonplace." And if "shooting the bird" turns entirely benign, writes Weeks, how's an angry person supposed to express himself, then? Here, an excerpt:
The Internet is littered with photos and reports of all kinds of famous people giving fingers to the paparazzi, fans, detractors, each other or the world at large. ... Politicians, charged with bringing people together and finding common ground, have also been known to flip a bird or two... [T]here's an infamous video, posted by Salon.com in 2004, of President George W. Bush (while he was governor of Texas), preparing to appear on camera, shooting the bird, then laughing and calling the gesture "just a one-finger victory salute."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.