Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
deliberately used by the (non)sender with the intent of showing disrespect, of
offending the addressee's image by diminishing him, in some cases to the point
of not acknowledging his presence. This is why not to say hello to someone may
be a serious insult since it does not credit the other's existence, as if to say: “You're
nothing.” Nothingness.
Let us now consider some insults by gestures and other bodily actions. To insult
by hand movements, one can use both codified gestures (Poggi 2007 ) - those usually
represented in the mind as a gesture-meaning pair - and creative ones - the iconic
ones created on the spot by imitating shapes and actions.
(18) A typical insulting Italian codified gesture is the hand raised with index and little finger
extended upward as horns , which means “You are a cuckold.”
(19) Another codified insulting gesture was used by Luigi De Magistris, during the rally for
mayor of Naples, in a TV debate against his opponent Giovanni Lettieri: he waves his right
hand, in a fan shape, palm facing left, close to his head from right to left, four times :an
Italian symbolic gesture that means “Are you mad?” (D'Errico et al. 2013 ).
(20) A less codified gesture, done to insult the European Union, was used in 2014 by
Gianluca Buonanno (a deputy from the secessionist Lega Nord party, which is strongly
opposed to Europe), who used the European flag to blow his nose .
Facial expressions and gazes can be used for insults, too: a disgusted face, spitting
in the target's face to show contempt, raising an eyebrow to display skepticism
(Ekman 1979 ), an ironic smile , laughter ; finally, a loose and relaxed posture may
be insulting, especially when talking to a person who wants to be respected and
honored.
Among bodily insults, too, some may be indirect.
(21) When interviewing the right-wing minister and university professor Renato Brunetta,
the journalist Daria Bignardi misremembers the name of Brunetta's old teacher. To
underline Bignardi's error and his own amazement in the face of her ignorance, Brunetta
covers his face with his hands to convey despair; then he puts his hands down on the table
and squints his eyes as if suffering from a hard blow; finally, he leans on his left hand,
with his elbow on the table , as one forced to remain where he is listening to a person who
has just displayed her profound ignorance. He is communicating: “I am in despair over
such unforgivable ignorance,” which implies, in turn, “You are very ignorant!”. This is why
Brunetta's pantomime counts as an indirect insult.
13.4.4
A Serial of Insults
Since insults are a heavy blow to people's image, they may easily trigger heavy
reactions: for example, “counterinsults,” insults against the insulter. An example
comes from a sequence of reciprocal insults launched by Italian political opponents.
(22) In 2013, the left-wing Prime Minister Enrico Letta makes Cécile Kienge, a black doctor
from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and an Italian citizen, the Minister for social
integration. On 14 July 2013 Roberto Calderoli, a member of the right-wing racist party
Lega Nord (North League), fighting for the secession of Padania (North Italy), during a
Search WWH ::




Custom Search