Date: Wed, 14 Jan 1998 16:39:52 -0500

From: Alan Baragona baragonasa[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]VAX.VMI.EDU

Subject: Re: RE Very TAN--Giving Finger



At 10:00 AM 1/14/98 -0500, Grant Barrett wrote:

Are we sure Roger Ebert isn't poking a little fun at us for saying it's

"unlikely" that a young lady would have given someone the finger in 1912?





Actually I said that, not Ebert, though in his review he implies he thought

it might be unbelievable because it was unseemly as well as anachronistic.

As for the assumptions you go on to mention, you're quite right, but I

haven't seen the movie and don't know about Kate's adventures in steerage.

I think we can agree that it would've been shocking for a well-bred young

lady (if that describes her role) to flip the bird in 1912. That wouldn't

make one incapable of it.



Alan



Bundled up in that "unlikely" are a lot of assumptions about behavior of

young ladies of that period and the validity of the official and personal

historical records.



Also, if we buy the storyline, by the time Kate Winslet's character flips

the bird, she's been fraternizing with low-class passengers for some time

and could have acquired the gesture.



Grant Barrett

gbarrett[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]dfjp.com



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