Posted on 01/22/2005 10:10:44 AM PST by nickcarraway
Jenna's gesture shocks those who recall it meaning devil worship
Jenna Bush's Longhorn salute during her father's inauguration festivities caused a stir in Norway, suggesting that Austin and Oslo are two cities separated by the same hand gesture.
"Sjokkhilsen fra Bush datter," read an outraged headline on Norwegian news Web site Nettavisen. Translated: "Shock greeting from Bush daughter."
Sjokkhilsen, indeed. The University of Texas marching band and Norway's death-metal musicians inspire the same reverent hand gesture from their respective legions, the time-tested "horns" produced by extending one's index and pinkie fingers.
The "Hook 'em, Horns" that Bush flashed when The Eyes of Texas was played at the Black Tie and Boots gala Wednesday was misconstrued by some in Norway as a sign of the devil used by a musical scene that terrorized the country in the late 1980s and early '90s.
Bush's gesture has more innocent roots, credited to UT head cheerleader Harley Clark in 1955. Clark, a former state district judge who retired to Dripping Springs, introduced the sign at a pep rally that November as a response to Texas A&M's "Gig 'em" sign, a thumbs-up gesture.
"Surely everybody in the world takes offense at the Aggie Gig 'em sign," Clark says. "I can't think of anything more repulsive than that hand gesture."
Death metal's history
In Norway the horns carried a greater menace. The country has long been a hotbed of death metal, a subgenre of music with a sordid history of church burnings, murder, inadvertant bludgeonings (with sheep skulls), pet sacrifices and sundry behavior best described as anti-Christian. There the gesture has little to do with sports rivalries.
Largely a reaction to the country's conservative population, its black or death-metal scene popped up roughly 20 years ago and has a grisly history, best documented in the book Lords of Chaos.
The appropriately named band Mayhem was at the epicenter of Norway's unsettling music movement. One of its founders, Oystein Aarseth, was stabbed to death in 1993 by a member of rival death-metal band. Of course, Aarseth was hardly a saint. When one of his bandmates, ironically nicknamed "Death," killed himself, Aarseth and another musician reportedly cannibalized him.
Norwegian death metal made headlines again in 2003. At a Mayhem show (death has been unsuccessful at breaking up the group), the group's current singer lost control of a sheep head he was ritualistically carving, and it flew into the crowd, fracturing the skull of a fan.
Needless to say, Norway's more prudish contingent was aghast upon seeing the daughter of the American president flashing a sign associated with such behavior.
It could be worse ...
America's metal scene has long inspired similar horn throwing, particularly during concerts. But without the arson and bloodshed, the worst crimes committed by low-grade U.S. metal bands are against good taste and good tunes.
There have been no reports so far as to any such misunderstandings about Bush's gesture in Italy, which has its own interpretation of the horns. Called the mano cornuto, when the hand is brought up to the forehead, the gesture signifies that one has been cuckolded.
"I suppose it can mean different things to different people in different parts of the world," Clark says. "I guess the Norwegians and Italians should be happy that our mascot was a longhorn and not a unicorn."
Every day I wake up and wonder what the Norwegians are up to/s
hehe
Okay, I think I am in agreement with Norway on this one. I can't think of a more repulsive hand gesture than Hook 'em Horns.
I have one more thing to add:
Gig 'Em Aggies!!!!!
Gig Em!..
UFF DA! Sound to me like Norway needs to get a life.
This thing did not cause a stir in Norway.
It was a fun novelty story for the Norwegian media. In the same way the story about the Norwegian story has become a fun novelty story in the American press.
ROFL, bump
My children and many relatives are Tech alums and I have 3 Tech grandsons...I do have a strong tie to A&M through my youth back in years I shall not divulge...The kids indulge my loving the Aggie Band...
FMCDH(BITS)
FMCDH(BITS)
It's the lack of sunlight. It'll drive you bonkers. I was feeling twitchy back when i was there in Dec. :P
Red
I was thinking the same! Their ability to detect evil is not one of their strong points! Much like mainstream democrats of our country. Hmmmmm....
This gesture of defiance (reversed V) is from the old days when archers used to have their fingers amputated when taken prisoner. The display of these two fingers showed they had not been "unmanned" and were therefore ready to fight on.
In Asian countries you do not make the circle with finger and thumb that in North America means "OK" -- because over there you are calling the other guy a, well, female sex organ.
Well, do the Norwegians know what "fiord" translates into in Arabic? They'd just better be on their guard.....
Norwegians are easily shocked. I know some who were shocked that we can go to a store and buy aspirin, antacid and things like that without having to explain to a pharmacist why you needed them. They were shocked that we had multiple choice TV and didn't have to watch the government stations. Are things different now in Norway? Of course firearms is a whole other subject.
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