FRANCHISETAGGED

I sometimes need more than 140 characters to convey what's on my mind. Hence, the FRANCHISETAGGED blog.

The Middle Finger and Why It’s No Longer Cool

I’ve come to notice in recent years that an age old gesture that had proven itself meaningful and effective over the years is started to lose some of its swagger.  I would often see folks tossing it up everywhere and all the time, especially in pictures that I see plastered all over the internet.

This gesture is putting up your middle finger.

As far back as I can remember, giving someone “the bird” always stood as a symbol, a sign conveying your displeasure at someone or something that has done you wrong.  It was a gesture that basically allowed people to scream “fuck you” without ever having to say a word.

Nowadays, photos of people throwing up the highway salute can be found all over social media networks such as Facebook and Myspace, even in situations where they are obviously having a good time and shouldn’t have anything to be angry about.  I can understand it if a celebrity gives the finger to a nearby paparazzo who has been harassing their kids, but if you’re some 22 year old breezy who often refers to herself as a “bitch” and uses her middle finger to signify what is highly likely to be a fake lack of concern towards social decorum, then you get no love from me.