Digitus Infamous

I found the following review in Books & Culture and that got my head going … I will eventually have to take a look at the book.

http://www.booksandculture.com/articles/webexclusives/2010/october/winner101310.html

Anyway… here are some pre-reflections on what the book may have to say…
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You learn something new everyday… Did you know that giving someone the finger is a mode of communication that has been around since the Graeco-Roman times???

Mais Oui. Yes, and Howsabouthat?

Fingers are marvelous things – you can slap with them, say “no no no” with them, poke someones eye out with them, eat with them … these implements are after all the East Indian’s 2 forks and 10 chopsticks.

Consider…

Just one simple finger – the digitus secundus, our forefinger, is enough for one to pick the nose with – as children so ably demonstrate. Just one single finger – the baby finger – aka digitus pinkus – is enough for one to clean the ear out with.

What marvel???

However these are just some of the pragmatic uses of the one single finger. Utilitarian considerations also abound. For example, one can point to even richer uses of the fingers, when one considers their collective activity together. Take for example the fact that without the fingers held up high, one cannot even properly say “Boo!” to someone. And if not a “Boo”, then how much more difficult is it to say “Boo hoo hoo”. This mutterance ( = to mutter an utterance) is of limited value if it is made, apart from the accompaniment of the fingers being taken up to the eyes in a curled up fashion and then being brought to bear on them in a uniform circular motion.

The Power of the Finger…

Politically speaking, wars are declared with the fingers, when for example, the fingers are curled and the hand closed, thus producing a ball like formation known as the fist. Then two fingers, the thumb and the secundus are extended and the words, “Bang! Bang! Bang!” uttered in sequence. On the other hand, peace is declared when once again the hands are closed, the fist made and the digitus and the infamous are extended and the entire hand then proffered to the Other along with the words “Yo. Peace!” If the Other accepts and concord is established, then outstretched hands and fingers meet, resulting in what is known as a handshake. Peace has been duly established.

blah blah blah..

~ B. B. Becomings aka Anand Anandananda.