Zen And The Art Of The Finger
Having been flipped the bird in recent days, I’ve been thinking about the various ways in which the iconic “finger” is used. It occurs to me that there are two major styles to the “one finger salute” that everyone uses, and like it or not your hand unconsciously favors one over the other.
Finger #1: “The Traditional”: Favored by hard-drinking bikers, lumberjacks, and brutes of varying intelligence levels, this style is much like a closed fist with one angry digit doing its mightest to poke conformity in the eye. It’s used as a blunt tool in an equally blunt world. With no instruction or previous experience this universal symbol can easily be thrown in the heat of any argument.
Finger #2: “The Cosmopolitan”: This twist on “The Traditional” requires a bit more dexterity and forethought, and lends an air of hipster dissatisfaction with a prudish bent. Preferred by drunk sorority girls, supermarket cashiers, and published authors this finger tells the world to eff-off with a sophisticated flair missing from “The Traditional”.
Personally, I favor “The Traditional” over “The Cosmopolitan”. The Cosmo seems to send more of a pretentious message that tends to escalate tense situations quicker than the Traditional does. The Cosmopolitan conveys more of a flippant “screw you”, which makes one more of a target for a sucker punch. With the Traditional, words tend to get exchanged and combatants size each other up before the dancing commences.
Oh, BTW, the finger that was thrown to me a few days ago…Traditional! 
Don’t forget the eye glasses bird., the mini bird, and the double bird
Excellent examples. Also forgot about the SuperFinger.