← Hand gestures

The OK ring (thumb-index circle)

Nixon in Brazil in 1950? A myth. But the American diver's small thumb-and-index circle can really insult a Brazilian driver just as fast.

Category : Hand gesturesSubcategory : emblemes-une-mainConfidence level : 4/5 (partial solid)Identifier : e0002

Meaning

Target direction : Accord, validation, "perfect", "all's well" in the English-speaking world and in Japan, where it also means "money" (small circle like a coin).

Interpreted meaning : Graphic representation of an anal orifice in Latin America (especially Brazil) and the Middle East, hence sexual insult. In Turkey and Greece, accusation of homosexuality (historically charged). In southern French slang, means "zero", "zero", even "you're nothing".

Geography of misunderstanding

1. The gesture and its expected meaning

The thumb and index finger form a closed circle, the other three fingers or slightly bent. In the English-speaking North American and British british area, this gesture means "OK", "okay", "perfect". It is also used in scuba diving as an international safety signal ("all's well") - a practice codified by diving federations since the 1950s.

In Japan, the same gesture means "money" (the circle evokes the shape of a coin) the shape of a coin), without the positive emotional value of the English word to refer to sums of money, not to validate an idea (Matsumoto & Hwang 2013).

2. Where things go wrong: the geography of misunderstanding

In many cultural areas, the thumb-index circle is read as an anatomical anatomical representation of an anal orifice:

• Brazil: a serious insult, equivalent to the middle finger in the USA, historically highly charged.
• Turkey and Greece: accusation of homosexuality - negatively charged in these societies, although acceptability is evolving in the metropolises.
• Southern Italy: a variant of the "vaffanculo" with explicit sexual connotations connotation.
• Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Iran in particular): anal obscenity.
• Germany: ambiguous - can mean "you're a zero" or be frankly insulting, depending on context and region.
• Southern France / slang: means "zero", "zero" - less obscene obscene than insulting through devaluation.

There's also a contemporary dimension: the gesture has been hijacked by white supremacist movements in the U.S. from 2017 onwards as an ironic as a sign of ironic recognition ("white power" - the three outstretched fingers forming a W, the circle a P), but it remains mostly used in its neutral its neutral meaning. The Anti-Defamation League added it to its list of hate symbols in 2019, then qualified it in 2021 by specifying that the majority of uses uses remain non-hateful. This new ambiguity complicates the reading in the United States itself. Source: [ADL Hate on Display Database, URL_TO_VALIDATE].

3. Historical background

The use of the thumb-index circle as an English "OK" probably dates back to 19th-century America, where it was associated with the expression "oll korrect" (humorous spelling of "all correct"), popularized in the press (a humorous spelling of "all correct"), popularized in the Boston press 1830-1840s. The gesture accompanies the expression in press and advertising iconography.

Obscenity in the Mediterranean, Latin and Middle Eastern areas is older and totally independent is older and totally independent: it is part of the classical gestural-obscene repertoire documented since Roman Antiquity (see corbeill 2004, pages_à_vérifier).

• The Nixon myth in Brazil 1950 There's anecdotal evidence to the effect that Richard Nixon, on a visit to Brazil in 1950, saluted the crowd by with both hands, provoking a massive insult. This story is contested: Nixon did not make an official visit to Brazil in 1950 (he was then a newly-elected senator from California). A visit took place in 1958, but the OK incident has not been solidly attested. To be treated explicitly as an urban myth to be to be disproved** in the final form ([SOURCE_À_VÉRIFIER - fact-checkers Snopes / Reuters Fact Check]).

• Michael Phelps, Rio 2016 Olympic Games The American swimmer was photographed forming an OK after a gold medal, which provoked comments in the Brazilian press. A minor incident, but one that documents misunderstanding persists in the age of the mediatized Olympic Games ([CITATION_PRESSE_À_VÉRIFIER - presse brésilienne 2016]`).

5. Practical recommendations

• To do: in Latin America, Turkey, Greece, the Middle East, prefer a thumbs-up (checking §e0003 for your own pitfalls) or simply say "okay" verbally. In scuba diving, the gesture remains universal by professional convention.
• Never: Give a Brazilian motorist an OK through the windshield through the windshield - this is a direct provocation. Never photograph a turkish or Greek group while forming an OK for the camera.
• Alternatives: the thumbs-up (beware of the Middle East classic, see e0003), the thumb-index circle inverted (fingers pointing downwards, use of (fingers pointing downwards, diving usage), or simply the spoken phrase.
• US contemporary vigilance: take into account the white-supremacist 2017 for politically sensitive contexts sensitive contexts. The probability of hateful interpretation remains low in but not zero in militant contexts.

Documented incidents

• — Mythe urbain selon lequel Nixon aurait insulté une foule brésilienne par un OK en 1950. Historiquement non-attesté — Nixon n'était pas au Brésil en 1950. À démonter explicitement dans la fiche.
• — Détournement du geste OK comme signe de reconnaissance ironique sur forums 4chan, progressivement repris par milieux extrémistes. ADL l'a ajouté à sa liste de symboles haineux en 2019, nuancé en 2021.

Practical recommendations

Neutral alternatives

• Thumbs-up (warning: see e0003 for countries where thumbs-up is insulting).
• Explicit oral validation ("okay", "perfect").
• Vertical head nod (caution Bulgaria, see e0494).

Sources