Line #18 Main/DeclarativeFinger


1	[[quoteright:141:[[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hobbes01_8648.png]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:141:"I can see why tiger aphorisms don't catch on."]]
3
4	It seems that a hand gesture involving a character lifting his or her hand, and sticking up the index finger, is often associated with the idea that said character is saying something profound and/or philosophical, whether according to the character, the author, or both. Especially {{Narm}}-y if the character closes his or her eyes while doing this, suggesting self-satisfaction.
5
6	[[DiscreditedTrope Often parodied to the point of subversion or even inversion, though.]]
7
8	Not to be confused with GivingSomeoneThePointerFinger, [[FlippingTheBird a declarative use of another finger]], or [[FingerWag an admonishing finger wagging]].
9	----
10	!! Examples:
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12	[[foldercontrol]]
13
14	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
15	* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'':
16	** In the episode "The Perfect Match!", Jessie does this while talking about her plan to steal the Sea Spirit sapphire.
17	** Bianca raises her finger while talking about food in "Emolga the Irresistible!".
18	* ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'': Osaka [[http://media.animegalleries.net/albums/Azumanga_Daioh/osaka/azu_osaka0103.jpg does this a couple of times.]]
19	* Jinnai Katsuhiko from Anime/ElHazardTheMagnificentWorld has a [[LargeHam vast library of expressive gestures]] which also contains this one, naturally.
20	* Often done by Yamazaki from ''Anime/CardCaptorSakura'', who claims to have the definite answers to everything, but most of the time [[KnowNothingKnowItAll he's lying]].
21	* Katy from ''Anime/TheFantasticAdventuresOfUnico'' often does this in her cat form when she gets an idea.
22	[[/folder]]
23
24	[[folder:Art]]
25	* ''Art/TheLastSupper'': Thomas, the apostle to Jesus's left, is raising his index finger as if to make a point. This could be an indication of his doubt in Jesus's accusation, referencing the doubt Thomas has in ''Literature/TheFourGospels'' when the Apostles claim Jesus has risen from the dead.
26	[[/folder]]
27
28	[[folder:Comedy]]
29	* In one of his stand-up routines, Creator/{{Gallagher}} claims that he used to annoy his teachers by constantly raising his hand for questions, to the point that they would only respond to him when he prefaced a question with this.
30	* During a skit about how singing the American National Anthem is more about the dramatic tone and physical performance than actually knowing the words, Creator/EddieIzzard suggests repeated use of this trope - "Keep confirming and denying things!"
31	[[/folder]]
32
33	[[folder:Comic Books]]
34	* ''ComicBook/TheSmurfs'': Brainy Smurf, did this a lot, especially when quoting Papa Smurf.
35	* Creator/WilhelmBusch's ''Literature/MaxAndMoritz'': [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Lämpel.jpg Teacher Lämpel]] is introduced with this pose.
36	* In {{ComicBook/Dollicious}} Bay Leaf has this habbit, especially when she is lecturing or preaching to others.
37	[[/folder]]
38
39	[[folder:Fan Fic]]
40	* Sherman of ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesTheSeries'' does this while delivering AnAesop in "Surge".
41	[[/folder]]
42
43	[[folder:Film]]
44	* Used by Lucas in ''Film/EmpireRecords'', who gets away with it largely on the basis of being a CloudCuckoolander.
45	* Genie ''tries'' to do this in ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' when Al tells him that he [[LoopholeAbuse never actually wished to get out of the Cave of Wonders]], and Genie had ended up doing it for free. As Genie doesn't actually have a rebuttal, he raises his finger with a huge grin, [[{{Beat}} freezes]], then his [[JawDrop jaw hits the floor]] as he realized that he's been outwitted.
46	* Baymax from ''WesternAnimation/BigHero6'' does this frequently when making a declaration.
47	* In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', Mei does this when she declares she will attend Tyler's birthday party in her giant red panda form for $200.
48	[[/folder]]
49
50	[[folder:Folk Tales]]
51	* A folk tale has a peasant be mistaken for a doctor through [[OneThingLedToAnother a series of misunderstandings]]. When several scholars visit to test the renowned intelligence of this doctor, he lies in bed pretending to have lost his voice. One of the scholars goes in and holds his finger up, ready to launch into a long speech on how there is only one God. The peasant thinks it stands for "I'll poke your eye out", and responds with holding three fingers out for "I'll poke out both your eyes and cut off your nose". The scholar returns astonished, for as he was about to prove there was only one God, the doctor cut it short with [[RuleOfThree the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit]].
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
55	* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': In "Hush" the Scoobie Gang have had all their voices taken away, so Giles does this as MrExposition when making a dramatic point.
56	* ''Series/FullerHouse'': DJ frequently mixes this with a FingerWag.
57	-->This finger? It's ninety per cent of parenting.
58	* ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'': In "[[Recap/InterviewWithTheVampire2022S1E3IsMyVeryNatureThatOfADevil Is My Very Nature That of a Devil]]", after Daniel Molloy makes the assumption that "1917 doesn't sound like it was such a bad year," Louis de Pointe du Lac raises his right hand and lifts his index finger to caution the journalist not to jump to conclusions because it was "Rigged to burn, Daniel."
59	* ''Series/KamenRiderKabuto'': This pose is part and parcel of Souji Tendo's catchphrase, where he points to the sky as he relates a piece of wisdom from his grandmother.
60	* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': The gesture is occasionally used by the pompous Mr. Conklin.
61	* ''Series/StargateSG1'' has a humorous instance where the Asgard Thor drops in on an international meeting discussing the Stargate:
62	-->'''Thor''': Senator Kinsey. O'Neill suggested that I send you to a distant planet [[ObstructiveBureaucrat for your actions here today]], but I am reasonably certain his statement was in jest.\
63	'''Kinsey''': ''[holds up one finger]'' I'm sure it was, Commander--\
64	'''Thor''': ''[copies the gesture]'' '''Supreme''' Commander.
65	[[/folder]]
66
67	[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
68	* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' has this done frequently by at least Calvin and his dad, and by Hobbes, who provides the page image.
69	* Also pretty common in ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'', except that there a character would raise his or her entire ''fist''. (Apparently, Charles Schulz didn't realize that this is a common socialist gesture.)
70	* ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} does this a lot, especially when [[NoFourthWall addressing the reader]].
71	* It's also common in ''ComicStrip/BigNate'', particularly the titular character.
72	[[/folder]]
73
74	[[folder:Music]]
75	* Music/WeirdAlYankovic does this in the "Dare To Be Stupid" video. Of course, this being Weird Al, he was emerging from a large pot with mashed potatoes in his hair, expression [[TheComicallySerious completely deadpan]], while proclaiming "Mashed potatoes can be your friends."
76	[[/folder]]
77
78	[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
79	* In {{Wrestling/TNA}}, [[ActionSurvivor Joseph Park]] once did this in a match with a Wrestling/{{Aces And Eights\|Wrestlers}} thug when he managed to knock him down before attacking him further.
80	[[/folder]]
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82	[[folder:Video Games]]
83	* King Harkanian from the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCdiGames Zelda CDi]] game Faces Of Evil, does this while saying "''[[MemeticMutation mah boi]], this peace is what all true warriors strive for!''" See context [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNpLXo55yfw here.]]
84	* Another [=CDi=] example, this time from ''VideoGame/HotelMario'': "If you need instructions on how to get through the hotels, check out the enclosed instruction book."
85	* Henry of [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Fire Emblem Awakening]] does this perpetually, whether he's cheerful, nervous, cheerful, calm, or cheerful. His calm expression really mimics most examples of this trope, though. (Every expression has his eyes closed, save for the nervous one.)
86	* Used sincerely by Kayna, the protagonist's first mentor, in VideoGame/MonsterHunterStories2WingsOfRuin when teaching the player the ropes of riding and combat.
87	[[/folder]]
88
89	[[folder:Webcomics]]
90	* Used on occasion for a punchline in ''Webcomic/{{Housepets}}'', such as [[https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2021/11/16/the-moral-of-the-story-is/ Draig explaining what she and her brother have learned as mortals.]]
91	--> '''Draig:''' Ahem. Don't bite the hand that feeds you.
92	--> '''Craig:''' Ooh, that's a good one.
93	* Webcomic/VGCats parodies this [[http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=141 here.]]
94	[[/folder]]
95
96	[[folder:Web Original]]
97	* WebVideo/SailorMoonAbridged lampshades this.
98	* The [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/fgsfds fgsfds]] meme.
99	* This is a CharacterTic for Rowdy of ''WebVideo/TVTrash''.
100	* WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic does this when he introduces a Top 11 video, explaining "Because I like to go one step beyond."
101	[[/folder]]
102
103	[[folder:Western Animation]]
104	* Zuko from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', had one when he was impersonating his Uncle giving him sage advice.
105	--> Zuko: How am I supposed to convince these people that I'm on their side? What would Uncle do? [Impersonating his Uncle, pacing and holding up his finger] ''Zuko, you must look within yourself to save yourself from your other self. Only then will your true self reveal itself.'' [Dropping the impersonation and getting frustrated] Even when I'm talking for him I can't figure out what he means!
106	* Ferb Fletcher of ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' is [[http://phineasandferb.wikia.com/wiki/File:Ferb_Fletcher.png typically depicted in this pose]].
107	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs1981'': Brainy Smurf does it every time he lectures the other Smurfs.
108	* Practical Pig in Disney's ''WesternAnimation/TheThreeLittlePigs''. It fits his moralistic personality.
109	* The finger point, in fact, was very common in the early days of UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation, as mentioned on ''Literature/TheIllusionOfLife''. Animators were starting to animate dialogue, and the pointing finger was the most popular way of hitting the accents on the voice track. As their skills improved and found more sophisticated ways of matching the vocals, use of the finger was curtailed as too cliché.
110	* Frequently used by Dexter on ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory''.
111	** Subverted in the infamous episode "Dexter and Computress Get Mandark!", where Dex puts one up, but doesn't say anything because the child narrator can't think of anything[=/=]forgot his line.
112	* In ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', Towelie does this when dispensing towel advice.
113	* Used in ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow''. Often, keeping in tune with [[OffModel the show's style]], the finger will be ridiculously larger and more detailed than the rest.
114	* Creator/KennedyCartoons founder Glen Kennedy was fond of having characters he would animate do this, as seen on episodes of ''WesternAnimation/APupNamedScoobyDoo'', ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'', ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' and ''WesternAnimation/GoofTroop''.
115	* ''WesternAnimation/WordGirl'': In "Rhyme and Reason", [=WordGirl=] holds up her finger while explaining what the word "harmony" means to Reason. She's trapped in ice at the moment, so she frees her finger and only her finger so she can do the gesture.
116	[[/folder]]
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118	[[folder:Real Life]]
119	* ''Art/RaphaelRooms'': This [[TropeCodifier probably goes back]] to Creator/{{Plato}} (the quintessential Western philosopher), as depicted on Creator/RaphaelSanzio's famous fresco "The School of Athens". Plato's upward-pointing finger is contrasted by Creator/{{Aristotle}}'s downturned palm, which [[RuleOfSymbolism symbolically]] depicts Plato's abstract view of nature and Aristotle's more empirical way of thinking.
120	* Socrates, the philosopher guru who taught Plato, is [[http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/resourcesb/dav_soc.jpg depicted as this in this famous depiction of his death]]. Artistically, the painter was making heavy use of lines, particularly the strong lines and right angles of Socrates' pose, for logic and order.
121	* Depictions of biblical prophets and apostles often put them into this pose.
122	* Fidel Castro, of all people, was caught on camera doing this while scolding fellow Latin strongman Hugo Chavez for his occasional anti-Semitic statements.
123	* UsefulNotes/BillClinton: "I did NOT have sexual relations with that woman."
124	* Islamic sheikhs and preachers tend to hold their index finger raised and visible while giving sermons, as do devout Muslims during important events where an expression of their faith is suitable. This is intended as an emphasis of ''Tawhid'' - the Oneness of Allah - which is one of [[SeriousBusiness the most important]] tenets of Islam.
125	** This is also the same reason jihadists regardless of rank tend to hold their index finger up in videos or while making declarations, as they often view themselves as fighting against polytheism. Unsurprisingly the [[DontShootTheMessage highly-visible use]] of the gesture among jihadists has caused the wider world to see the gesture as [[HitlerAteSugar exclusively jihadist]].
126	* In UsefulNotes/{{Cricket}}, the umpire raising his arm and pointing his finger upward means the batsman is out.
127	[[/folder]]

Context Main / DeclarativeFinger