Spyke
lemmy.world

"Xeepzorp, it's not that complicated. The thumb-up is like crossing your eyestalks, and the middle-finger is like extruding your rectal tentacle."

83
lemm.ee

Wait until they learn that the thumbs-up in some countries means what the middle finger does in the US...

54
lemmy.world

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the Czech Republic, where apparently holding up a single index finger means 2.

28
reineireply
lemmy.world

Not a Czech but now that you mentioned it I want this here too!

I mean have you tried counting from either end using all your fingers i.e. thumb == 1? That dexterous shit is hard so making a single index finger two instantly makes it nice and smooth!

(Instant edit: this obviously only holds if index finger+ middle finger counts as 3, otherwise there really only seems to be an advantage in calling out 2 and my argument collapses)

6
angrystegoreply
lemmy.world

I do have some experience with the Czech Republic and I'm pretty sure this isn't the case.

1
lemmy.world

I was only there a month. I can't claim to be any kind of expert. But I do know I wound up eating two sausages.

6
angrystegoreply
lemmy.world

Sausages are often sold as a pair there, just like socks - you won't get just one :) Even the czech word párek (sausage) means also "a pair".

3
kuretareply
lemmy.ml

Humans vibrate the air in different and complicated ways. One vibration pattern humans like, another vibration pattern they don't like. sure this "speech" thing is really complicated. also symbols squibbled on surfaces. language, am I right?

18
lemmy.world

Instead of just using brain-to-brain radio waves like any civilized species would. Pathetic.

15

What are you? Some sort stelliferous era primitive? We of the degenerate/blackhole era use quantum entanglement for daily communication.

2
lemmy.world

This made me realize that if we encounter aliens there is a non-zero chance there will be alien weebs that become obsessed with our culture and think it is superior.

31
sh.itjust.works

The exam is explaining the difference between split index and middle finger palm forward and split index and middle finger back hand forward.

18

So I was going to make a joke about the peace and v signs by using the "peace be with you; and also with you" thing but have it say "Peace be with you. And also 'fuck you'". But then I was thinking, what if I said "up yours" instead because it's a more direct reference and less offensive. But then I realized it doesn't match anywhere near as well in syllables/sound.

So, long story short, my question is which one would be funnier/more appealing? Seriously, I genuinely want to hear opinions

Peace be with you. And also "thank you"

7

Seems like any aliens advanced enough to study us would very easily figure out that hand gestures are a form of communication.

18

Fun fact: cats sometimes respond similarly to humans when presented with the middle finger. Without training. And often it with cats that do hate it, it's that finger specifically and only that specific gesture.

I still have absolutely no idea why, but some cats just naturally react as if it's an offense towards them. Maybe they equate it to a tail raised straight?

17
lemmy.world

My dog pisses on other dog's piss as a show of dominance. We're all weird.

11
lemmy.world

Shit's regional, too, yo. For "fuck you", the brits use a gesture that's more akin to "eat my cunt".

11

The human race is often thought of as communicating primarily on a vocal basis. however, they also possess an extremely complex and sophisticated language based on gestures. For example, the simple gesture of raising the index and middle finger with the palm inwards can convey the complete sentence: "up yours Frenchie, I still have all my fingers"

1
digehodereply
lemmy.world

We do? Can you describe the gesture? Maybe it's so ingrained I don't even recognise it. Or I need to learn it. Then I can use it at everyone today.

1
el_abueloreply
lemmy.ml

I believe theyre referring to the usual two-finger-fuck-you. As in v for victory.

If you take that same sign and press it to your lips you get a gesture recognised as "eating pussy" when accompanied by some tongue action through the V of your fingers.

5
digehodereply
lemmy.world

Ah, I see. We don't tend to put it to the mouth. It's more "fuck you". Apparently comes from demonstrating to the French that you still have your bow-drawing fingers and intend to use them. British archers captured by the french would have their first two fingers removed to prevent them launching arrows.

6

Let's see how harmless it is when I jam it in your compound eye Mr. Kleezorp

10
lemmy.ml

"The gesture is an invitation for the adversary to put their middle finger in their own excreting orifice"
"Wow it must be painful for them!"
"They seem to have rather pleasant experience instead"
"Interesting..."

7
lemmy.world

And some humans don't mind the middle finger at all and even react to it with bemusement!

6
Etterrareply
lemmy.world

But some humans think the ok gesture is as bad as or worse than the middle finger.

4

Others are offended by the index and middle finger being extended in a V shape with the palm facing inward...but never when it's facing outward!

1

Maybe it evolved to be harmless. Maybe it used to be the poison finger and now we instinctively try to poison each other.

5
lemmy.world

If aliens exist (and they probably do,) they’d probably take one look at our incessant sat tv broadcasts and nope the fuck out.

Also, probably just stay away because they’d know we nuked ourselves. Multiple times. We’re psychopaths.

5
chatokunreply
lemmy.dbzer0.com

Or they're still watching single female lawyer and will visit when the feed cuts during the finale.

6
FuglyDuckreply
lemmy.world

Can you imagine another species being addicted to reality TV?

3
chatokunreply
lemmy.dbzer0.com

Absolutely. I think part of the draw of reality TV is seeing people who are a bigger mess than we are (personally I don't watch it, but the theme is consistent in comedy and sitcoms, Futurama, Family Guy, Simpsons all have kinda stupid protags to make it easier to relate/laugh at because they aren't better than the general viewer). I could see an alien species laughing about how dumb humans are.

2

You should see The Orville. There's an episode about exactly that.

2
tocopherolreply
lemmy.dbzer0.com

There's a Star Trek ds9 episode where a non-human alien gets sent back in time to 1947. They discover on their sensors the radiation from the continual nuclear bomb tests and are horrified that the humans would irradiate their own planet. I just recently became a 'trekkie' and I get it, it really has some of the best themes and plots in sci-fi

2
FuglyDuckreply
lemmy.world

You’re talking about the one where quark and rom go back in time on accident? And get caught by military police?

It ain’t trouble with tribles, but it’s a good one.

2
tocopherolreply
lemmy.dbzer0.com

That's the one, I personally dislike even the smallest of spoiler so I was being vague haha. I enjoyed it though, I never watched any Trek at all before this and I'm so hooked lol.

1
FuglyDuckreply
lemmy.world

The only Star Trek anything I haven’t watched is St:Discotheque- that one makes more sense if you just assume the entire crew is jumped up on space shrooms.

My uncle got me into when I was a kid. I was left alone at his place while the adults were either talking downstairs or at my brother’s soccer thing and I found his collection. (Everything that had ever come out, on VHS.) I was on trouble with tribbles when he came up stairs and said “OHHH that’s my favorite episode, back it up while I go make popcorn!” (And then we proceeded to binge Star Trek until way late.)

3
tocopherolreply
lemmy.dbzer0.com

I haven't seen the original yet but the DS9 version of that episode was great, I was impressed they even used old style lenses and film to recreate the style of the 60s episode. It also made me realize "huh, William Shatner is kinda hot isn't he?" Ahah. I'll watch the original series eventually, I have a lot to catch up on lol.

1

Yep.

For the record DS9 was my favorite show over all.

The cake was taken when Sisko TKO’d Q. Best captain ever. (“I’m not Picard!”)

Although if you liked ds9 s1, try giving Babylon 5 a chance- upn9 ripped off an early show bible from JMS to start ds9. Londo singing the Hokey Pokey is… amazing.

2
lemmy.world

Ya know I don't actually think having widely recognised hand signals with different meanings is all that weird.

5

Body language is ubiquitous as communication in animal species, it's like saying "why one noise good but another noise bad"

4

"You see, in france, the archers were getting their middle fingers cut off ... and that's why it's offensive."

"Is all that true?"

"Yes, the history is well documented. Billy from home room told Jessie in gym class..."

4
lemmy.world

Well, the middle finger use to represent the ability to draw a bow. Unless I'm making shit up.

4

According to Wikipedia, it originated in ancient Greece and has always meant the same thing as it does now.

22

That's what I heard, but the fellah who told us both might have been making it up

10

That's middle and index fingers, with the palm facing backwards. Just a backwards peace sign.

9
digehodereply
lemmy.world

In the UK two fingers up is a rude gesture and it comes from battles with the french. If they caught a British archer they removed those fingers so they couldn't fire a bow. So sticking them up at the enemy and gesturing was showing they had them and would use them to fire arrows at them. I am not an historian, though, and this could just be one of those tales that sounds so true everyone believes it and passes it on.

2

I did corporate training for an international company for about 20 years. Once when I was in Mexico something happened in class and I said something was okay and used my finger and thumb to make the okay sign. They kind of laughed and started talking among themselves. I guess the okay sign means asshole in Mexico so when they explained that I laughed with them and said I didn't know that. One of the jokers in class said "yeah, okay we believe you" and gave me the okay sign. lol

2
xia
lemmy.sdf.org

I'm a bit out of the loop. What social media (or forum) platform is pictured here?

1

You may raise the index finger vertically, but not horizontally; unless you're referring to the thing it is aimed at, so long as it's not a person, unless you're indicating that person directly or making an accusatory statement directed at them, unless the person you are accusing is in a superior tactical and/or strategic position.

The pinky (last) finger is mostly irrelevant.

1