The Basic Middle Finger Gesture (Eitan Vilker)

Title: The Basic Middle Finger Gesture

General Information about Item:

• Customary Lore: Hand gesture
• Country of Origin: United States
• Informant: Daniel (last name withheld)
• Date Collected: 10-21-18

Informant Data:

• Daniel was born in Providence, Rhode Island in 2004. His father is an attorney for the state of Rhode Island, and his mother is a psychologist who operates a private practice. Daniel and his family are Jewish. He has lived in the small town of East Greenwich for most of his life. Daniel attends Cole Middle School. His family hails from both Western and Eastern Europe.

Contextual Data:

• Cultural Context: Children sometimes want to communicate a message to someone in as rude and unpleasant a manner as possible, in order to show just how much disrespect they hold toward a person or something they believe.
• Social Context: This hand gesture was brought up as a result of the interviewer asking what insulting gestures Daniel knew. He learned it from friends of his who go to school with him. Most insulting gestures children make are used in school settings, physical activities and games, casual conversations, and at home- in short, the situations in which children spend the majority of their time.

Item:

• To use this gesture, one simply raises the middle finger of one or both hands while leaving all other fingers down, usually pointing straight up but sometimes right at a person. It is used to directly insult someone in as offensive a fashion as possible. Flipping the bird, as the gesture is also termed, can be used in a wide array of situations, though it always has the same meaning. Having a way to tell someone off as succinctly as possible is very useful to children.

Associated File:

Transcript:

• “If I want to tell someone I’m really mad or that they suck, I lift up just my middle finger.”

Collector’s Comments:

• This gesture can be used in many different social contexts, but it has a very unsubtle meaning, which is an interesting contradiction.

Collector’s Name: Eitan Vilker

Tags/Keywords:

• Insulting Gesture
• Middle Finger
• Flipping the Bird

The L for Loser Gesture (Eitan Vilker)

Title: The Be Quiet or Shut Up Gesture

General Information about Item:

• Customary Lore: Hand gesture
• Country of Origin: United States
• Informant: Daniel (last name withheld)
• Date Collected: 10-21-18

Informant Data:

• Daniel was born in Providence, Rhode Island in 2004. His father is an attorney for the state of Rhode Island, and his mother is a psychologist who operates a private practice. Daniel and his family are Jewish. He has lived in the small town of East Greenwich for most of his life. Daniel attends Cole Middle School. His family hails from both Western and Eastern Europe.

Contextual Data:

• Cultural Context: Children like to use gestures that send a very clear message about how they feel about each other. Clearly insulting teases, taunts, or jabs are all heavily favored by children as a result.
• Social Context: This hand gesture was brought up as a result of the interviewer asking what insulting gestures Daniel knew. Most insulting gestures children make are used in school settings, physical activities and games, casual conversations, and at home- in short, the situations in which children spend the majority of their time.

Item:

• To use this gesture, one raises one’s thumb and index finger so that they are perpendicular to one another and lower’s the other three fingers. It is used to insult or taunt someone that has been defeated or one hoped to defeat. It can be mean-spirited, but it can also be used in a jesting manner.

Associated File:

Transcript:

• “When I want to call someone a loser, I make an L with two of my fingers. I don’t usually say it to be mean but when I’ve beaten someone at something.”

Collector’s Comments:

• This gesture is fairly specific and unsubtle in its use. It’s almost always rude or at least teasing. Furthermore, it is applicable in only a narrow range of situations- usually when a person has won some form of event or is taunting someone else in a competition or game.

Collector’s Name: Eitan Vilker

Tags/Keywords:

• Insulting Gesture
• L for Loser 

The Be Quiet or Shut Up Gesture (Eitan Vilker)

Title: The Be Quiet or Shut Up Gesture

General Information about Item:

• Customary Lore: Hand gesture
• Country of Origin: United States
• Informant: Rahil (last name withheld)
• Date Collected: 10-21-18

Informant Data:

• Rahil has lived in East Greenwich, Rhode Island for the last six years. His mother is a physicist, and he and his family are Pakistani, though Rahil has lived in America his whole life. Rahil attends Cole Middle School. He is a gifted student in a family that heavily encourages a focus on education.

Contextual Data:

• Cultural Context: Children, much like adults, often enjoy the sound of their own voices more than those of others. Consequently, they often employ gestures that send a strong signal that they want to take over the conversation.
• Social Context: This hand gesture was brought up as a result of the interviewer asking what insulting gestures Rahil knew. Most insulting gestures children make are used in school settings, physical activities and games, casual conversations, and at home- in short, the situations in which children spend the majority of their time.

Item:

• This gesture is made by raising one’s index finger to one’s mouth. It does not have to be an insult, but it can be used to tell people what they’re saying is not interesting or is stupid. It is more often used in an academic setting​ or in friendly conversation. If the gesture is made during the middle of a conversation, it is very rude, but if it’s done when someone needs to know that it’s not an appropriate time to speak, the gesture can actually be polite. Children are much more likely to use the gesture at impolite times, however.

Associated File:

Transcript:

• “I use this gesture to tell people to shut up or stop talking. I use it at school and talking with friends. I just put my finger to my mouth.”

Collector’s Comments:

• This gesture is particularly interesting because it can be used in so many different ways by different people. The fact that it can be both polite and horribly rude is an impressive amount of flexibility for a simple motion that only uses one finger.

Collector’s Name: Eitan Vilker

Tags/Keywords:

• Customary Lore
• Insulting Gesture
• Shut Up
• Be Quiet

Folklore Form/Genre: Japanese gesture/mannerism       Informant: Derek Nagahashi

Name: Japanese Shoes Off Gesture           Place of Origin: Japan

Date Collected: 11/4/2018

Informant Data:

Derek Nagahashi was born in Tokyo, Japan on 10/15/2000. He grew up most of his childhood there before moving to New York in 2010. He learned and used many Japanese gestures growing up and proceeded to teach me some.

Contextual Data:

Social Context:

I collected this gesture from Derek over facetime. I asked him if there were any more traditional insulting gestures that older people might use instead of younger people. He then told me that it is insulting if you do not take off your shoes before entering any house.

Cultural Context:

This gesture came from old Japanese times. Taking off your shoes has always been seen as respectful and courteous in Japanese culture, and people still do it today. People do it as a sign of respect and if you fail to do so, it can be seen as insulting

Item:

Informant’s Comments:

Derek said this gesture is used all the time, as it you must take off your shoes before you enter into any household.

Collector’s Comments: 

I find it really interesting how this is insulting, as the gesture itself is not outwardly insulting, but if one fails to do this it can be seen as insulting. I am also not sure if this stemmed from Japan or not, as many cultures also adapt this rule of taking off your shoes before entering the house.

Collector’s Name: Brian Chiang

Tags/Keywords:

• Gestures
• Japan
• Insulting
• Shoes
• Mannerism

Folklore Form/Genre: Japanese gesture/mannerism       Informant: Derek Nagahashi

Name: Japanese Pinky Gesture           Place of Origin: Japan

Date Collected: 11/4/2018

Informant Data:

Derek Nagahashi was born in Tokyo, Japan on 10/15/2000. He grew up most of his childhood there before moving to New York in 2010. He learned and used many Japanese gestures growing up and proceeded to teach me some.

Contextual Data:

Social Context:

I collected this gesture from Derek over facetime. I asked him if there were any more traditional insulting gestures that older people might use instead of younger people. He proceeded to lick his middle finger and brush his eyebrows with that finger. This means that you are doubting what you are hearing, or what you are hearing is nonsense.

Cultural Context:

This gesture came from old Japanese times. When someone did this gesture, it meant that they cannot believe what you are saying and you are speaking blasphemy.

Item:

Informant’s Comments:

Derek said this gesture is not used very often anymore, as it was more popular during older times. The older generation probably still uses it sometimes he says.

Collector’s Comments: 

I find it really interesting how this is insulting, as the gesture itself is not outwardly insulting. One would have to understand the meaning behind the gesture to get it, which I find very interesting and unique to Japanese culture.

Collector’s Name: Brian Chiang

Tags/Keywords:

• Gestures
• Japan
• Insulting
• Eyebrows
• Mannerism

Folklore Form/Genre: Japanese gesture/mannerism       Informant: Janice Chiang

Name: Japanese Pinky Gesture           Place of Origin: Japan

Date Collected: 11/4/2018

Informant Data:

Janice Chiang was born on 7/1/62 in Malaysia. Her parents are also of Malaysian decent. Although she grew up in Malaysia, she moved to Japan for five years because her advertising agency moved her out there. There, she learned many Japanese gestures and cultural elements that she shared with me.

Contextual Data:

Social Context:

I collected this gesture from Janice over FaceTime. She is my mother so I thought she would be a great person to ask about Japanese gestures. I asked her if she knew what the middle finger equivalent was in Japan. She then showed me that if you put your thumb in between your index and middle finger, this signifies the middle finger. She learned this at a very young age when her older sister taught it to her.

Cultural Context:

My mother explained to me that this is not just the case for Japanese culture. Malaysia, China, and many other Asian countries use this as their middle finger equivalent, as well.

Item:

Informant’s Comments:

Janice said this was the middle finger equivalent in most Asian cultures. However, this gesture is not used often as Japanese people are more passive and do not outwardly express insults.

Collector’s Comments: 

I find it really interesting how Japanese people and other Asian cultures use this as the middle finger. I wonder if this originally stemmed from Japan, or some other Asian country.

Collector’s Name: Brian Chiang

Tags/Keywords:

• Gestures
• Japan
• Insulting
• Middle Finger
• Mannerism