Caption this. No, seriously.
My buddy Sean Bonner pointed me to this non-hoax photo from the White House.We obtained it from this url, which originates at whitehouse.gov, and accompanied this news release. So, not a joke. Nevermind whatever the news release says, what the hell are they doing? Is that a masonic gang sign? The $700 Billion Shocker? Or are they throwing down for the largest, bloodthirstiest, thievingest gang in the world? Your conspiracy theories welcome in the comments.
the latest
latest episodes
2.5 more months !
(pic was taken 2 weeks ago)
Ahem: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/11/20081112.html
OMG isn't that the dirty thing that that was mentioned some years ago on LA LAW?
I do believe that's the Shocker.
Why the president and these people are signing it, though, I have no idea.
I don't know. It's a real SHOCKER!
2 in the pink, 1 in the stink.. classy.
As much as I'd like to believe the leader of the free world is throwing the shocker, it's actually the Arizona State "pitchfork".
"We love SHOCKING Americans!"
It's kind of a sneaky code, as you need to read every 2nd finger.
Start from either side.
Isn't that W? Dubya, you know. :)
They've all failed Cheney, once....
It's late and this may be far less obvious in the morning, so thought I'd throw out the possibility that they're all making a 'W' sign...
You know, for George Dubya Bush.
Anonymous Sam
Was just about to post this article about Bushes daughter accidentally throwing "the shocker" instead of the ASU trident, which shows that hand sign for the Arizona's trident. But it looks like everyone beat me to it.
SLGALT (#13), I think you're thinking of the "Venus Butterfly", which is basically "the Shocker" with two hands...I think.
AKA : two in the Bush, one in the tush.
Solved! Here's the original in context:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/11/images/20081112_d-0077-5-515h.html
explaining he's with Arizona State Students. And according to the Wikipedia page on the Shocker:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shocker_(hand_gesture)
ASU students make a hand gesture that's similar to the Shocker that's supposed to represent their devil mascot's trident.
Dang, that photo is so awesome that it was worth retyping the URL on my iPhone just to share it. (stupid lack of copy and paste .... Grr)
Isn't it just a W sign
as in gWbush Whitehouse posse
"Shocker and Awe"
67 Days folks...67 and counting.
The yakuza wasn't pleased about the money they lost that was invested in the american economy.
Shocker and awe
If Homer Simpson was president, this confusion would not have happened.
I don't wish to kick W when he is getting booted out anyway, but I believe if HJS was in charge we would have been better off!
Three finger salute. Time to reboot.
Shittiest gang ever!
"holla!! it's ya boy, the W... i got all my peeps wit me, and we bout ready to bounce this shit... peace the fuck out, bitches.. one."
George Bush expresses solidarity with employees at a meat-packing plant in Omaha, Nebraska.
"TWO IN THE PINK, ONE IN THE STINK" - by Aerosyn-Lex
Bush shows solidarity with RSI sufferers.
I believe that's standard finger-based hexadecimal.
The standard way to count using fingers is to start with the index, so that must be the least significant "digit" (pun intended) since no one there is using their thumb as part of the sign.
They all have the index, middle and little fingers up, while the ring finger is down. That gives us:
Which is 11, or 'B' in hexadecimal.
'B' for "Bush", obviously.
There only 4 sane people in the photo!
I was gonna suggest that this is a "W", but as others have pointed out, turns out to be a trident.
Check out the guy on the far left though; his fingers are shockingly closed, and he has a grin that seems a little too knowing...
"2 in the pink, 1 in the stink".
Yeah, as in two wars and a collapsing economy.
http://www.wakeupfromyourslumber.com/files/wakeupfromyourslumber/horns.jpg Also shows bush throwing the "Devil salute" while standing next to the Queen. That's just not protocol, dont you know.
"3 beers for us lumbermill guys"
Blatantly a reference to the Illuminati. It is the second digit in from the left side that is being held down, so that gives us a 2. The left side represents the otherwordly and unknown that the Illuminati thrive on. There are then three fingers left up, and 23 is the Illuminati holy number. 2+3=5, the number of fingers on each hand, and another holy number of the Illuminati.
It also repersents the horns of a goat standing next to a single man, representing the evil that follows us all around... Ewige Blumenkraft!
Or it could just be this trident thing :D
polkarobot@31: four beers, surely.
acx99@30: that link is blocked here as racism. Hmm...
I´m with the Bloodthirstiest Gang thing.
The question is: Is the White House Gang a crisp or bloods style gang?
Either "Meet my black friends!" or "I was born a poor black kid..."
The guy on the front row, 3rd in from the left, is actually trying to apply the shocker to his colleague. Saucy!
Are you sure they're not all just making fun of Rahm Emanuel's truncated finger?
Here's the ASU Sun Devil himself throwing the shocker:
http://cdn.faniq.com/images/blog/arizona-state-cheerleader-sparky(1).jpeg
Fail the American Yakuza, and they'll take your finger in payment.
You guys all have it wrong.
That is clearly the vi gang sign.
Unix 4 life, homies! Command line represent!
"Yes we can"
It's "Safety Third". (missing finger)
"Heh-heh, so this is because my Presidency was so shockingly awesome? Sweet. Laura's gonna get a kick out of this."
Par for the course.
And this is NOT the Hammer.
Also: WHOOP DA SHOOP
W is the whitest one there besides the chick next to him. It must be the mailroom staff or something.
It is too bad that is not his Cabinet, chances are they would have done a better job than the people he has...
Showing you what they really meant by Shock and Awe.
Rings-of-invisibility (with a very limited range).
Ahh Yes the shocker. I belive there was a high school that was forced to reprint all their yearbooks due to this hand gesture.SUHWEEEET
Farewell meeting for the United Amalgamated Tablesaw Workers ("Our fingers keep working for you!")
They're just laughing about what they'd really like to do to that damn Palin woman.
Arizona State? no way.... Its the silent cheer for the Wichita State SHOCKERS !!!
It's obvious they are all Dave Allen fans.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dave+allen+&search=Search
Although they felt just the middle finger expressed their feelings towards the nation more accurately, "W" and his crew tried to soften the blow by adding their nose- and arse-picking fingers.
Echo Parque Represent! EXP!
Oh... my... God! They are getting the Vulcan hand sign all wrong!
This is going into my scrapbook of elaborate pranks on clueless and inept presidents.
I hope this picture is used for all future references of W.
Thanks for the 8 years America! You might want to get your self checked for STD's.
Stop Web Content Filtering: Or THIS May Happen to Your School Next!
At first I thought I was the sign for "I Love You" but on closer examination it appears not.
http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/topics/i_love_you.htm
Look at the guy in the top row, far left - He's thinking, "This is SO wrong."
"All youse banks that're borrowin' from us -- if youse don' pay back on time, we're gonna make you regret it, ya know what I'm sayin'? Ben _likes_ cuttin' things..."
I think they're all making fun of Rahm Emmanuel.
They're all trying to be Rahm Emanuel.
Westwingside
A digression - but if you look at the girl 4th from the right in the front row, has someone done a crude colour-replacement on her nails?
Her lower hand, if you zoom in about 15x, looks like it has a halo from the replacement, and the higher hand (making the gesture) has a different-coloured nail on her face.
Why bother?
Is my eyesight failing... or is that guy in the back row (fourth from left), flipping the bird?
i'm thinking maybe they're trying to do the 'W' sign, but turned out Fail for a shocker lol. a shocker should be index and middle finger together, not apart..
Word.
Well, here's a conspiracy theory. What do you think about the theory that the financial interests that funded Hitler and survived WWII immediately turned their sites on America, with the intention of turning this into the Fourth Reich? And that the CIA, which has acted as a reliable instigator of fascist governments around the world, was an important vehicle for realizing this goal from the start? And that the Bush family was thus pivotal in this effort? And that they have for the most part succeeded?
Discuss.
P.S. Ever heard the name "Reinhard Gehlen?" It's an interesting story, look him up.
The W is for Wanker.
It's a combination of the ASL sign language signs for the letters "V" and "I." Thus making, "VI," the Roman numeral for "6." Put them all together, you get a string of "666"'s.
A group foto of all the people in the world who want a third George W Bush administration?
"I hope you can see this, because I'm doing it as hard as I can!" --Ignignokt
The guy in the front row on the far right looks super-uncomfortable throwing up the shocker, haha.
This is quite obviously the Jerry Garcia Fan Club.
The day "The Shocker" became a lot less shocking.
If it is the shocker, and it certainly looks like it, that's embarrassing and sick for a president to exhibit himself in such a barbaric manner.
If it were Adam Sandler, I would understand. But this is disgusting.
@ #11
Hate to burst your bubble but that pic of Jenna Bush is a bad photoshop. She was actually doing a hook 'em, the University of Texas hand sign.
http://rerevealed.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/jenna-bush.jpg
@ #30
I think Dubya is trying to get a sly hook 'em in as well, though his association with the University is a bit more tenuous.
Definitely not the shocker. As others have mentioned, this is ASU's "pitchfork" symbol.
Check the tutorial:
http://www.asu.edu/about/everywhere/
As someone who lives in Tempe, AZ (home of ASU) I can tell you this is the "trident" sign for the schools sports teams. I have had discussions with my friends and we think that the students popularized this sign in correlation with the popularity of the "shocker". So it is like when you were a kid and you did the OK symbol with your hands. You know it means asshole, but your parents don't know that. So I think all the students know it means "shocker" and find it hilarious when they get parents and administrators to do it. Which makes this even funnier as they are getting the President of the United States to do the "shocker"!
It's clearly a gang "W", because we know Bush is the capo di tutti capo.
Caption: "My third term administration would be jam-packed with women and minorities just like these," Bush said. "But thanks to those pesky 'term limits' that won't happen, which is why we're all hiding our third fingers. Too bad that Constitution that everybody else seems to revere just doesn't respect diversity."
Pete
www.petelit.com
Bush and his minority minions ridicule Obama chief of staff Rahm Emmanuel's missing ring finger. Fittingly, nearly half use the wrong hand.
2 terms, 1 idiot.
@29: "'2 in the pink, 1 in the stink'.
Yeah, as in two wars and a collapsing economy."
Ah, different gesture. That would have to be the Nacho Scoop, also known as "3 in the Stink."
Personally, I like to think they're all pretending to be allosaurs taunting tyranosaurs by showing off their greater number of digits.
It was a "defense of marriage" act by removing their ring fingers.
look like a W to me.. probably for george W bush, who's standing front and center.
Anyone notice that there is another gesture being done in this picture:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/11/images/20081112_p111208cg-0033-515h.html
I have no idea if that references to Florida State or not. Maybe someone else knows?
It's the annual gathering of ring finger amputees, who coincidentally can't count to the number five properly due to the devastating loss of the fourth finger.
Well, they always came across as a bunch of gangsters.
While it's amusing to imagine they're doing The Shocker, it's just a "W." There was a Swedish thrash metal band called Witchery that used that hand symbol to indicate the first letter in their name. That's how I figured it.
Sorry to digress, but anyone notice this related photo from the same press release?
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/11/images/20081112_p111208cg-0033-515h.html
President Bush and Florida State's champion track team mock Native Americans with a tomahawk gesture.
Proof at last that the Bush Administration has a finger in every pie.
O all-knowing synchronicity! Thy gifts can be great indeed!
@66: Centricity, nice catch. It totally looks like he's flipping the camera off. Unfortunately, if you magnify it just a bit (3x to 5x or so), it's clear he's just amazingly badly positioned. They put the whitest whitey against a yellow background.
Bush: Alright everyone, let show them what I've been doing to this country the last 8 years!
Duh... they're all from TSASC (pronounced "Task").
Table Saw Accident Survivor's Club.
MIDDLE FINGER EPIC FAIL.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/11/images/20081112_p111208cg-0033-515h.html
I think this one is a little more ... shocking...
If you don't get then look at these links...
http://jordanmaxwell.com/articles/questions/images/eu-rome/NaziPriestsSaluteHitler.jpg
http://www.ww2incolor.com/gallery/albums/germans/nazi_parade_23_03_05.jpg
It's actually ASL for '8', though I'm not sure why their palms are turned inward. Clearly these are the people in the Bush Administration who've been with him for all 8 years, celebrating that fact.
I can't believe it took to #73 to get this one. It's Jerry Garcia fans, although half of them are using the wrong hand.
Since it's the Arizona State University track team, they're all displaying the "pitchfork." I imagine if the president was posing with the University of Texas track team they'd all be doing "Hook 'em horns," or they'd all be doing "Gig 'Em" if it was the Texas A&M track team. Although then I guess y'all'd think they were doing Buddy Christ impressions. :)
TANNER@76 and WILDANDCRAZY@85 figured it out. if you follow WILDANDCRAZY@85 url it will take you to a .gov server. Select the fourth thumbnail on the right and you will see the same photo that Xeni blogged. The caption is "President Bush Welcomes 2008 NCAA Sports Champions to the White House". The baloon that displays over the picture says its the Arizona State University Men's and Women's Track Team.
Oh... my... God! They are getting the Vulcan hand sign all wrong!
The Ferengi always get it wrong.
NED613
did you read the post?
"Nevermind whatever the news release says, what the hell are they doing?"
Just thought you should know that the 98 people above you weren't quite oblivious. Now that you're in on the joke, what else MIGHT they be doing?
Who knew the Bush Crime family had their own gang sign...
@28: clever, but Bush isn't that smart.
@70: I know, I know, but what are we gonna do, right?
It is at least LOL funny, Bush getting all "gansta", though.
We put the Dubyah in WTF!
Most of the people in the picture are not doing "The Shocker". The Shocker has the index and middle fingers together, not apart. The guy on the far left is pretty much doing The Shocker...everyone else is doing the trident symbol for the Arizona State University Sun Devils.
Sharon Tate?
The Shocker Doctrine
Who on earth managed to convince them that "The Shocker" was actually a W???? That is one -serious con-job.
I'm swearing off the finger...
From now on if you royally tick me off I'll "give you the W"
I don't care what the symbol is supposed to be, I'm nominating this for inclusion on hotchickswithdouchebags.com. It has the requisite hotties, douchebag (Douchebag-in-Chief) and pseudo-gang signs. Perfect.
Thankfully, there will be no controversy because no one is wearing flip flops
After being convinced that this obscene gesture was used by a major university, Bush helped sing what he was told was the the Arizona State fight song. A hit made popular by one Rick Astley.
Two in Iraq and one in yer crack!
Eh? Eh?
Follow-up to #117
It's already on Hot Chicks with Douchebags!
Caption: Two in the Bush, One in the Cheney
IN UR JUNK, BEIN PREZIDENCHAL
Westsiiiiiiiiide Bitches! Rollin down the street smoking indo sippin' on gin & juice.
Nope, they're paying homage to
Vashon Island High School
Oh! Oh!
"Mission Accomplished!"
"We're all 21 or over here, so bring on the booze!"
Are they saying "Live long and prosper....but F--k You?"
oh the shocker, still a crowd favorite
I see only one guy in the whole crowd knows the shocker sign. Either that or he's a poor teacher...
Classy right up till the bitter end.
#119, that made me laugh more than the photo - thank you.
"Two in the Bush, One in the Tush" --- CLASSIC!!!!!
The original image is much worse:
http://antfarmjournal.com/bushcrap/bushbirds.html
I find it funny that the post right before this one was for "After Shock: earthquake alternate reality game". As you scroll down, it appears after the Bush photo so it appears to be "After Shocker". Mmmm, my conspiracy sense is tingling. Is that some subliminal boinger code to tell us what the photo is really about? Personally, I think it is the shocker and he's just finally come clean on what his administration has been doing to all of us for the past 8 years.
Chriswright @ 125 - "Mission Accomplished!"
OH YES.
Every Texas Football team has a hand sign. This one is for U of Houston.
You know the giant foam hand signs. Yeah you can buy one in the UH school colors, and I'm not even kidding, red and white. Some of them say shocker at the bottom.
So try this on for conspiracy. George Bush is just hangin with his UH crew. they do there handsign for the pic and he joins in the fun. Just another day in Texas, ohh I mean white house.
Go Cougars
They think it's the Vulcan greeting.
Well, they screwed everything else up!!
It's the prop-8 victory party. They're all saying, "no ring finger for you, bitches!"
Yo Whitehouse is in da House!
The entire Whitehouse staff honored the anniversary of Jerry Garcia's death today by attempting to give the "Jerry's hand" Grateful Dead hand signal. Typically, no one present had either the will or the knowledge to correct the erroneous "missing digit" the president presented.
We almost got you for the third time, DEMOCRATS! Long live REPUBLICANS? Yeah!!
I guess Bush's Devil has 3 horns.
and as for the shocker, knowing old smart george, he probably gives it, BACKWARDS.
the sign for 2 girls, 1 cup.
If it's the shocker, once again the Bush administration is doing it wrong, since the first two fingers are spread rather than together.
Could be a ASU Devil's pitchfork, but GWBush is a good Christian, so I'd never believe that.
I suppose that these could all be people who failed Dick Cheney, but the photo is pretty clear that many of the "missing" digits are actually still present.
My personal guess is that these are all people who have cheated on their spouse or fiance. They are all showing their technique of hiding their ring fingers to pick up sex partners.
The shocker is a hand gesture with a sexual connotation. The ring finger and thumb are curled or bent down while the other fingers are extended. The index and middle fingers are kept together (touching) and the back of the hand faces outwards (away from the gesturer). The gesture refers to the act of inserting the index and middle fingers into a vagina and the little finger into the unwitting anus, hence the "shock". Because of its explicit sexual connotation, the shocker is sometimes considered vulgar. -Wikipedia
@134 No, it does not stand for the U in UH. It stands for the three paws of their mascot, as one of it's paws got cut off.
No, I don't go to UH.
'Read between the lines, America!'
"President George W. Bush and his remaining band of young conservatives congratulate Barack Obama on the election, signaling they wish him to Live Long and Prosper."
Hasn't anyone ever seen the movie "Help!"...this is the sign Leo McKern continually flashes as they run around trying to get the sacrificial ring back from Ringo. So clearly someone has lost the current administration's sacrificial ring and they needed it back.
One of my favorite movies btw.
"No it's not a 'W' sign! George gets snippy if you say nu-clee-ar instead of nuc-you-lar. Takes a finger for every time you do it."
Salute to Rahm Emanuel
I've seen the War of the Worlds TV show. Three fingers = aliens. They've taken over the government, we're doomed. Doomed I tell you. DOOOMED.
It took ya'll 4 posts to get the reference, aw, sweet innocent boingboing posters.
Right off the bat I noticed that all the people on the left side of the picture are holding up their right hand, and the people on the right side of the picture are holding up their left hands, which creates two different signs - one side represents 21 and the other side represents 12, an obvious reference to the commemoration of 100 years of the New World Order, following the 'end' of the world, or current world order, in 2012. The decapitation of the ring finger refers to an end to traditional marriage in favor of a hive mentality - they could have accomplished the same initial message by closing only the middle finger - so obviously in the next hundred years we'll need that finger fairly often. Finally, it's not the fingers that create the message, it's the empty space between the fingers, which creates a Wi, and for some, with downturned hands - a Mi. So a reference to the takeover of the world order by Nintendo.
Shock and awe comes home.
I'm SHOCKED!!! This is SHOCKING!!! I am SHOCKED at how SHOCKING the SHOCK of this SHOCK is SHOCKING me!!! The SHOCK!!! I'm SHOCKED!!!
Yo! Say hi to Frodo's Nine-Fingered Gang, y-all!
...and you thought the bailout was shocking!
Who's behind this?
OK
are you all losing it or is there still a significant BDS Hangover in play here?
W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W