Why and when did extending one's middle finger become such a threatening gesture?

Question

Is there a history to this? And why is it called flipping the bird? What's up with that?

Answer 1

The Historical Origin of the Middle Finger
Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, anticipating victory
over the English, proposed to cut off the middle finger of all captured
English soldiers. Without the middle finger, it would be impossible to draw
the renowned English longbow and therefore be incapable of fighting in the
future.
This famous weapon was made of the native English Yew tree, and the act of
drawing the longbow was known as "plucking the yew." Much to the
bewilderment of the French, the English won a major upset and began mocking
the French by waving their middle fingers at the defeated French,saying,
"See, we can still pluck yew ... ... PLUCK YEW!"
Over the years, some 'folk etymologies' have grown up around this symbolic
gesture. Since 'pluck yew' is rather difficult to say (like "pleasant mother
pheasant plucker", which is who you had to go to for the feathers used on
the arrows for the longbow), the difficult consonant cluster at the
beginning has gradually changed to a labiodental fricative 'F', and thus the
words often used in conjunction with the one-finger-salute are mistakenly
thought to have something to do with an intimate encounter. It is also
because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows that the symbolic gesture is
known as "giving the bird".

Answer 2

The first documented instance of a public figure 'flipping the bird' was in 1886, pop culture historians say, when famed ball player Charles 'Old Hoss' Radbourn covertly extended his middle finger while posing for a team photo with the Boston Beaneaters. It's been a downhill slide for American manners ever since, according to an article by George Basler in the Binghampton Press & Sun-Bulletin. Social critics complain that the increasing prevalence of casual bird-flipping in public — arguably a trend of cosmic proportions these days — signals a disturbing vulgarization of the culture. As to the oft-disputed origins of the once-taboo gesture, experts insist the digitus impudicus goes all the way back to ancient Greece, not the 1415 Battle of Agincourt, as alleged in a popular email factoid.

Answer 3

it's threatening? not really since everyone does it and how did it start, well who knows, it's been like that for ages!
history, some guy must have thought it was funny, maybe he was retarded and made everyone think he was doing it to be mean and flipping the bird, emm . . . . who's knows?! our world is full with loads of crazy people!

Answer 4

Interesting question....never even thought about it.

This is what "Wikipedia" says about giving someone the middle finger :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_finger#Origin

Wow, did you know this gesture may be up to 2500 years old already?? I would have thought it was a fairly "modern" gesture.

Answer 5

Back in the cave days they used it to fend off wild dinosaurs while holding a long sharp sick in one hand and waving a middle finger in the other

Answer 6

i dont feel threatened at all by the "middle finger" I always thought people were telling me I was #1

Answer 7

its like pointing a penis at somebody, not sure of the origin, probably Italian

they have a whole language of hand gestures

Answer 8

Who know's. why is it rude to stick your toungue out at someone or say "bite me". I thinks it just a fad that someone started and it has continued and just never went out of style.

Answer 9

I don't know. In Arizona we call it the "California Howdy." I think when someone does it, it's funny.

Answer 10

Probably when it was done ina menacing way and with anger?