When I was young, I saw news stories on TV of
protestors of the Vietnam war giving the peace sign to each other in greeting
to show they wanted peace.
People use gestures
known as hand signs to show others, especially fellow members, that they are members
of the group. Often the meaning of a hand signal is only fully known by fellow
members, and the secretiveness of the hand signal gives it a special power.
Membership in a group
can be powerful and positive or create cultlike destructive power, and hand
signs of membership can communicate a positive and supportive message or hateful
and destructive one like these hand signs of white supremacist https://www.adl.org/hate-symbols?cat_id[153]=153
I am known as an expert in Hitler's body language.
Yes, I have an interesting career, research in Hitler's body language, and media
pundit on Celebrity Couples relationships. One of the topics the documentarians
and the media call on me to discuss is the Heil Hitler salute. Now I am being
asked about the ONE FINGERED SALUTE (One Finger pointed up) gesture.
Like the Nazi salute (https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/19741562/866231751332370374?hl=en
or the raised fist, the One Finger Up sign shows membership in group. This gesture
has become an integral part of both the Taliban and IS (Islamic State ISIS) propaganda,
particularly among the young.
Videos from IS-held areas frequently show small
children saluting with a single finger in unison while shouting IS propaganda. It's
an appropriated gesture from the Muslim Faith that used it to show their belief
in "the one."
This appropriated gesture has been
used by jihadis for years, including high-profile ones like Osama bin Laden. They
have appropriated to mean "The oneness of God and alienation of the west."
Within the jihadi context, the raised index finger takes on a political meaning,
widely rejecting any form of government not under Shariah law," It is used
by fighters and supporters of ISIS including disturbing photos of their murdered
victims. Jihadists translated their core ideas like the one-finger salute into
memes.
Now a subgroup of extreme conservatives in the GOP is using this
gesture. In speeches and social media, these extreme conservatives say they use
this gesture to show.
·
They admire the conservative values of ISIS & Taliban
·
They consider the fellow Ultra Conservatives in the GOP should
apply those principles with a "Christian" variant
·
They agree with them that woman's value is to serve men and have
children
·
They admire their insurgency fight.
