Why do we give people the 'finger' when we are mad at them?

Found on the net - I received this as an email too so I knew it was out there somewhere. Have no idea if it's true:

History of Flipping the Bird

Now who knows if this is true...but I received it in an email today:

A History of Giving the Finger

Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, anticipating victory over the English, proposed to cut off the middle finger of all captured English soldiers.

Without the middle finger it would be impossible to draw the renowned English longbow and therefore be incapable of fighting in the future. This famous weapon was made of the native English Yew tree, and the act of drawing the longbow was known as "plucking the yew" (or "pluck yew").

Much to the bewilderment of the French, the English won a major upset and began mocking the French by waving their middle fingers at the defeated French, saying, "See, we can still pluck yew! PLUCK YEW!" Over the years some 'folk etymologies' have grown up around this symbolic gesture.

Since 'pluck yew' is rather difficult to say (like "pleasant mother pheasant plucker," which is who you had to go to for the feathers used on the arrows for the longbow), the difficult consonant cluster at the beginning has gradually changed to a labiodental fricative 'F', and thus the words often used in conjunction with the one-finger-salute are mistakenly thought to have something to do with an intimate encounter.

It is also because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows that the symbolic gesture is known as "giving the bird". And yew all thought yew knew everything!

(Folklore/proverbial expressions)

The following, from Eric Partridge's "Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English," may be relevant although it makes no mention of the hand gesture. To give someone the bird is "to dismiss [him], send him about his business . . . late C. 19-20. [From] the theatre . . . In Australia, 'give the bird' is to treat with derision: from before 1916." In obsolete theatrical usage (Partridge gives a date of 1883), "the bird" is defined as "a hissing of an actor," from the sound made by geese.

The most popular explanation dates back to medieval times, when French invaders threatened to cut off English villagers’ middle fingers at the Battle of Agincourt so they couldn’t fire bows. As the Frogs attacked, the Brits greeted them with middle fingers raised. But that story’s been debunked, since the bird may have hatched more than 1,000 years before. “Romans called the phallic-looking middle finger digitus infamis, or ‘infamous finger,’” claims Adam Blank, coauthor of The Field Guide to the North American Bird. The earliest record of the digital salute is the Greek play The Clouds, written by Aristophanes in 423 B.C. “One character talked about flipping someone off by sticking out a finger,” says Blank. “But some translators claim that stage directions didn’t specify which finger.” Other countries have their own signs: Italians flick their chins with their fingers, Brits give the V, and Germans snap out their right arms. But thanks to cultural ambassadors like Eminem, the bird is recognized throughout the world. Now read between the lines.

Learned behavior. If you don't like "the finger" how about a motion of the hand as though you are flicking a piece of lint off your shoulder? Or give them the "A-OK" sign.

TK9804..that's a riot even if it's not true its a urban legend now...hahahaha WOW

I don't know how factual TK's answer is, but that is the same story that I've seen, as well.

It is easier than giving the toe.

cause it annoys them. sometimes we dont care why something annoys them, just what annoys them. if public sex annoys them, start fuc*1ng!! if eating cookies annoys them eat oreos!! who cares why its bad! it just is and its fun to give!!!

you are just saying good bye forever to someone lol lol