3

1 for me.

Context matters a lot. I wouldn’t flip off my mom, but with some friends it’s how we say hello. So I guess I put it in the whole range of 1-5

Now, about you seeing it censored, I always thought that was bizarre. You see it a lot in american media - but let’s be adults for a second. If they’ve censored somebody’s hand, there’s a very limited few reasons why that might be. It doesn’t take a genius to guess what the censored gesture is, and the blurring doesn’t really do anything to diminish the insult.

Honestly, I think it has a lot to do with the prudishness of american media. The gesture is symbolic of an erection, but I don’t know anybody who’d confuse a finger for a penis.

Interestingly, all cultures seem to have a gesture for this, even if it isn’t necessarily the middle finger. Some places it’s the thumbs-up that stands in for it, and others it might be gripping your elbow and pointing your fist.

Offensive? 2-ish

Vulgar? 4-ish

I don’t find the middle finger offensive at all.

1 - I grew up in Boston.

I think from about Salem through Newark it’s more of a greeting than anything else.

Originally it was used as a hex to dispel demons.

Using it on a person is telling that person that you believe they are a demon that needs to be cast back into hell.

So how offensive it is honestly depends on who’s doing it.

The tatted out meth head with four teeth? Not offensive at all.

Kindly old church lady with a heart of gold and an apple pie in every pocket? 100,000 out of 5 offensive

I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone over 15 do it