Posted on 01/24/2005 3:11:14 AM PST by M 91 u2 K
'Hook 'em, 'horns' gesture lost in translation Associated Press
OSLO, Norway President Bush's "Hook 'em, 'horns" salute got lost in translation in Norway, where shocked people interpreted his hand gesture during his inauguration as a salute to Satan.
That's what it means in the Nordics when you throw up the right hand with the index and pinky fingers raised, a gesture popular among heavy metal groups and their fans in the region.
"Shock greeting from Bush daughter," a headline in the Norwegian Internet newspaper Nettavisen said above a photograph of Bush's daughter Jenna, smiling and showing the sign.
For Texans, the gesture is a sign of love for the University of Texas Longhorns, whose fans are known to shout out "Hook 'em, 'horns!" at sporting events.
Bush, a former Texas governor, and his family made the sign to greet the Longhorn marching band as it passed during the inaugural parade through Washington during Thursday's festivities, Norway's largest newspaper, Verdens Gang, explained to its readers.
Imagine how "shocked" they'll be when they actually feel another old Texas symbol: a boot up their pansy, socialist ass!
Screw Europe.
LOL...
1 trimester ugrad and then came back as grad student. Wouldn't have came back, but RIT was the only school that offered both the necessary services for the deaf and the degree I wanted.
The many, many disgusting stories I could tell you... but RIT did more than anything else to convince me that liberalism is insanity.
No dear, we "guys" don't assume any such thing. They assumed the Bush family was flagrantly flashing a Satanic sign.
Who is stupid in this story?
Which nicely proves my point.
I mean, really...DUH
How true. The hand with the two outer fingers raised is also a warding against evil sign. The "OK" sign with the thumb and forefinger touching in a circle is an insult in South America.
Thanks. I knew it was similar.
Father Hernandez: "El Diablo! Dios mio! El Diablo!!"
That would be appropriate. After all, UT is in Austin, which is Berkely on the Colorado.
To clarify, maybe he should say something??
I would have been shocked about it, since I don't live in Texas and never been there. My backround tends to be that hand gesture means what the article says.
As a UT Alumni and a citizen of Texas, the sight and sounds of the UT Marching band warmed my heart on a cold and windy day. To hear them crank up "The Eyes of Texas" brought a tear to my eye and a song to my heart.
The norwegians will get over it.....Hook'em Horns
Haha! I've seen a commercial here in Holland about a guy travelling around the world using that sign until ending up in South America.
No, but if your press wasn't so lazy, they could have taken five minutes out of their busy schedules of assuming things and passing it on to their readers. A small amount of research would have revealed the truth about what the gesture meant within the context in which it was made.
But NO, Euro papers get headlines along the lines of "BUSH MAKES DEVIL SIGN AT INAUGURATION".
But yes, the presidents adviser in charge of obscure European hand signals dropped the ball here. The sooner the president learns to cater to the fine folks in Norway, the better.
APf
I'm guessing that Norway doesn't have a seperation of church & State if this hand signal has something to do with Satan.
Where I grew up, that gesture meant Bull S**t.
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