The Finger

I drove north to a wedding this weekend.  On my way up I was behind a truck with a couple of guys about my age in it.  They were doing a little bit of road flirting with me -- passing, waving at me, pulling over and letting me pass, etc.  There was traffic, and a merge, and they ended up considerably ahead of me on the other side of the road construction bottleneck.  I saw them passing an 18 wheeler and as they did so both the driver and the passenger shot their arms out of their windows, middle fingers extended, and waved them at the 18 wheeler.  I can't imagine why.  I didn't know people still did that.  I was trying to think about the last time I've seen an adult give someone else the finger.  It was a long time ago. 

Comments

[Patrick]

You have clearly never seen a photo of anyone from South Georgia, where the ubiquitous "party pose" is when you lean back slightly and shoot two "redneck birds" with a cigarette hanging out of your mouth. Hand are held thrust out and down between the sternum and belly-button. Also, you should smirk, and you really ought to be wearing blade-type sunglasses.

For the uninitiated, a "redneck bird" is when you stick up your middle finger, and fully clench your other fingers, i.e., you DO NOT merely bend the other fingers at the first joint. Bending your fingers at the first joint, by the way, is very "yankee" and will get your ass kicked, Pierre.

[Lisa]

Oh my, you ought to drive in Michigan once in a while.

The one finger salute is very common here. I prefer to think that I am telling my fellow drivers, "HEY! You're number one!"

[Melissa]

well I'm from Arkansas and well . . I guess redneck bird is right because I see it all the time. Maybe that says more about my driving and social skills than anything . . .

I've seen it quite a bit.