Is it an affectation that they’re trained to deploy? (If so, why?) Or is it just a natural thing that happens in the very specific circumstance of being a politician on the campaign trail, and that’s why no one else seems to do it?
I don’t think I’ve seen it in any other context 🤔
Cheers!
It’s the I’m-pointing-at-you-with-a-pen-but-I-forgot-my-pen gesture.
It’s so they don’t point their finger and wag or shake a fist while they are taking. It is seen as a less offensive gesture to people watching body language.
trump and his accordion hands are very noticible, especially when he has to make a lie on the spot.
If you work for a large company, ask around if there is a toastmasters group. If so join it and you will be let in on all the secrets of public speaking.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chironomia
They are taught by “experts” that pointing is an ugly aggressive hand gesture.
And this is safer than “air dicking”.
It’s silly how some of them do this while simultaneously pushing ugly and aggressive policies.
They’re squeezing their hands like that so they don’t accidentally do the nazi solute again.
Gotta make those policies seem friendly and non-aggressive!
That’s neat.
Why does that article contain no references more recent than 1806 though. Is it called something else these days? It seems like there should be more modern information on the practice.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_jive
Not really tho.
honestly with drawings like that I half expected at least one panel be involving bloodletting
Oh that?
Thats the motion you make when fanning through dollar bills, one handed, to count em.
They’re doing a pavlovian reflex everytime they need to remind themselves where their money comes from, and how its time to focus in on delivering
shareholderlobbyist value.I wanna say I’ve heard that be referred to as the “Clinton thumb” since Bill Clinton did it a lot when president.
I’ve heard that before too but being an old bastard, I’m pretty certain Clinton didn’t do it until after he was debating Bob Dole. Bob Dole used this gesture because he held a pen during debates. And he held a pen in his non-dominant hand because he had an injury in WWII and the way his hand curled made him look weak.
I remember it as a Dole gesture originally, too
Esoterically speaking, it is a modification of the sign of the fig—a vaginal hand symbol indicating that you are creating with your words. The traditional sign of the fig has the thumb placed between the index and middle finger, which you see Bill Clinton do a lot. Others put the thumb on top, I imagine for plausible deniability of being satanic or something. The gesture is very old, going back to Ancient Greece or earlier.
Historically, politicians have been influenced by groups such as the Masons and the Rosicrucians who would have been aware of the meaning of these gestures, and then it filters down over time to become standard political gestures for people who aren’t aware of their origin.
The gesture is very old because, and I know this is a wild unsubstantiated theory, it’s a pretty natural and organic way to hold your hand when speaking to or before a large group? I suppose magic makes more sense.
These gestures aren’t exclusive to any particular group—part of the reason they last is that they are easy to discover multiple times and use in multiple ways, plus they seem somewhat natural. It’s similar to how the “devil horns” gesture can also be seen as an owl, a longhorn, or an I Love You. They’re multi-purpose, which is part of why they end up being commonly used.
I’m not suggesting that everyone who uses the sign of the fig is using it in a Masonic or occult way, but rather that some politicians probably picked it up from that background and began using it, and then it was copied by other politicians who liked their style. Eventually, it just becomes a standard political gesture, and only some politicians would be aware of its roots.
It’s possible that they just came up with it independently and copied each other, but if that were the case, I’d expect to see more closed fists with the thumb around the fingers mixed in rather than them synchronizing to the thumb on top (the “fishing reel” as described in this post). This is just my theory—I never had the chance to ask Bill Clinton where his thumb gesture came from, but it aligns with what we know about the connections between American politics and Masonry.
Edit: Here is a good photo of Clinton with his thumb on the middle finger. He did it more commonly in his earlier years, later changing it to the thumb on top with his pointer knuckle jutting out as a base:
And Clinton likely picked it up from Bob dole…
this could be total bullshit but i wouldnt know. seems legit but ya know? lacks references but has the air of authority
I’m a practicing occultist, so my knowledge of the gesture is from that angle. I’m at work right now, so I can’t drag up the best sources at the moment, but here’s a Wikipedia article about it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fig_sign
And here is a Wikipedia article about hand gestures that mentions the “Clinton Thumb” under the single handed gestures section:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_gestures
I believe I first heard the Masonic political connection from Lon Milo DuQuette, who I believe is a Mason as well as a practicing occultist like myself. He has over 1000 videos on occultism on YouTube, and I think I probably heard it from there as well as other sources about occult hand gestures.
For the record, I’m not saying it is an occult gesture to imply any conspiracy—just that the history of Masonry and other occult interests in politicians over history have led to certain themes and gestures blending in to the common political vernacular.
Its what you do when you naturally want to point but dont want to be seen as rude and aggressive.
Correct answer right there. Politicians and business people are very aware of their body language. Another rule is never touch your face. When they do, photographers will snap a picture. In the photo they will look frustrated
LOL that’s why I will never be a politician. I would be so frustrated by not being allowed to touch my face! The irony of it would just overwhelm me.
It’s more of a public speaker thing than just a politician thing, but… Well, politicians are all public speakers, so it makes sense that that’s the context you’ve seen it in.
It’s literally a practiced gesture - public speaking makes use of some gestures that telegraph well to crowds, but seem unusual otherwise. IIRC, that fishing rod grip is an alternative to gesturing with a fist - it looks less aggressive, but gets the point across.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chironomia
They are taught by “experts” that pointing is an ugly aggressive hand gesture.
Of course, by now, this has become an aggressive hand gesture.
even cats don’t like to be pointed at
They just sniff the finger
Jerking themselves off to the idea of fucking their citizens over
Trump just channels his childhood accordion lessons. He doesn’t even realize he’s doing it.
They all go to Ivy League colleges, and they all take the same public speaking classes.
It’s a big club, but we’re not in it.
This is the real answer.
No the real answer is that literally nearly every possible configuration of your hands and movement is offensive and rude to some culture, person or religion.
It’s fucking damn near impossible to find ANY that are actually safe.
This has been a problem of public speaking for longer then America has been a country, and longer then the ivy leagues have been a thing.
Public speaking hand gestures go back literally hundreds of years.
Okay but the reason they all do it today is because they went to the same rich people colleges and courses. The reason those courses teach these things may have historical background, but that’s not what we’re referring to here.
Gesticulation has long been a part of public speaker training.
It helps frame your words and your message and also direct meaning in a way that punctuation does in the written word.
As punctuation is to reading, as gesticulation is to speaking.
It’s part of body language being part of speaking to someone (a person or an audience) and can help people relate to the speaker.
That particular gesture was famously popularized/lampooned due to Bill Clinton
