so how many of you….

[veronica]

missed the webinar, b/c you are like me and didn’t pay close to attention to the time stating it was according to est?

i totally thought it was at 1 my time. and went doh! when i realized i just missed it. bummer.

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[wolfshades]

Wait. There was a webinar???

OH man. Guess you know my answer to your question. *laughing*

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[Patte Rosebank]

I knew about the webinar, but I was working the matinee today, so I couldn’t get to a computer. I figure they’ll post the feed, so I can see what I missed.

Hey, they did!

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[allovertheplace]

How did i miss that???

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[veronica]

cuz you’re allovertheplace remember?

bah-doom boom, pish! tee hee

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[Patte Rosebank]

Or, for those in England—boom-boom!

Yes, rim-shots differ by country. So do rude gestures.

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[Anonymous]

geezz … you’d think you guys had ADD or something

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[allovertheplace]

:o) lol

But you should see me when I hyperfocus!

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[veronica]

Larynxa:

Or, for those in England—boom-boom! Yes, rim-shots differ by country. So do rude gestures. !

what?! you mean to tell me the “finger” isn’t universal? bummer.

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[Patte Rosebank]

No, despite the near-total cultural dominance of the world’s entertainment industries by Hollywood, “the finger” isn’t quite universal.

The sentiment expressed with “the finger” in North America, is expressed with “the V-sign” (AKA “the forks”) in the United Kingdom and many of its former colonies. Unlike the “V-for-victory” (AKA “the peace sign”), which is done with the palm towards the recipient, the rude gesture is done with the opisthinar (the BACK of the hand) facing the recipient, often with a slight upward thrust—though the thrust is optional.

This subtle difference is very important, as George Bush Sr. discovered on an official visit to Australia, when he gave what he THOUGHT was the Victory sign to the crowds lining the motorcade route. It caused a minor international kerfuffle, and gave those of us who knew the difference, a damn good laugh when we saw the photographs in the newspaper. It also gave the writers of the first Mr. Bean movie the idea for the scenes of Bean driving through L.A., smiling and giving the finger (which he thinks is a gesture of friendship) to the people he passes.

As most North Americans still don’t recognize the rudeness of the gesture, I make a point of using it whenever I’m gesturing to indicate the number 2. I used it a lot when I was in the audience of “Let’s Make a Deal”, and we were telling the contestants which box or curtain they should choose. (Ain’t I a stinker?)

The origins of “the V-sign” may have been covered in an episode of “History Bites”. Or if not, they should have been…

The gesture has its origins in the Battle of Agincourt, when the French soldiers bragged that not only would they defeat the English soldiers (most of whom were armed with longbows), but they’d cut off the archers’ shooting fingers (the index & middle fingers) as trophies. Though the English were outnumbered, they managed to soundly defeat the French, and taunted them by raising their index & middle fingers at them, just to rub it in. “Look! We still have our fingers!”

I wonder if there’s much of a market for people who can explain the cultural differences of rim-shots and rude gestures, as used in different countries…

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[veronica]

larynxa

The gesture has its origins in the Battle of Agincourt, when the French soldiers bragged that not only would they defeat the English soldiers (most of whom were armed with longbows), but they’d cut off the archers’ shooting fingers (the index & middle fingers) as trophies. Though the English were outnumbered, they managed to soundly defeat the French, and taunted them by raising their index & middle fingers at them, just to rub it in. “Look! We still have our fingers!”

you are the second person i have heard this from. i dated this guy once. he is from south africa and moved to the states for school. he has adhd, too! huh! *sorry, just had a brainfart* hahahahaha…. moving on. he told me this story, too. i always thought he was full of it when he would tell me these, but it turns out he wasn’t! hahahahaa. sorry, “D”, if you ever read this… i still think you’re cool, bro! hahahaha

ya know, i’m sure there is a market for differences in rim-shots and rude gestures. maybe there’s a market for shirts and such that can be made. grrrrl, i believe you should start making funny logos to print. screen printed shirts are all the rage! hee hee

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[Patte Rosebank]

I see myself more as becoming a lecturer or monologist, presenting useless but entertaining information. Sort of like Cliff on “Cheers”, but with a more dynamic personality and a flashier wardrobe.

Incidentally, a gesture isn’t the only rude thing to which the Battle of Agincourt is relevant. When I studied Shakespeare’s “Henry V” (which involves the Battle of Agincourt) in university, the prof explained something that my high school teacher hadn’t. Namely, that the scene in which the French princess, to prepare for marriage with King Henry, has a bit of an English lesson with her maid, is FILTHY!

When I first studied the play in high school, the scene seemed completely pointless. Why were the princess and her maid getting so giggly and embarrassed over such common words as “foot”, “neck”, and “gown”?

But in university, we learned that “foot”, “neck”, and “gown” sound a lot like several extremely vulgar French words. Audiences at the time would have been familiar with these vulgar words, and would have laughed uproariously at the scene.

(You see? It pays to know another language!)

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[wolfshades]

@Larynxa: well thank you for that explanation. I was really kind of worried that the V stood for something completely different. I humbly admit: my mind went completely into the gutter on that one. Doesn’t seem quite so offensive once you understand the origin. I mean I almost never use a longbow anymore. Never in polite company anyway. *grin*

And I’m sorry but….Mr. Bush used that one, thinking it meant V for Victory? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

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[Patte Rosebank]

Well, there is a lingual variant of the V-sign, which is so exceedingly rude that I hesitate to describe it in further detail, to such refined persons as those who read this forum…

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[allovertheplace]

“to such refined persons as those who read this forum…”

Oh dear. You clearly don’t know me at all! ;o)

It couldn’t possibly be ruder than anything I already know, could it?

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