Mooning

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Stanford University students at a mass mooning protest and world record attempt in May 1995

In English, mooning refers to the process of showing someone your bare bum to express protest , scorn or disdain, to provoke, shock or simply for fun. The Māori call this gesture, which has existed there for a long time, as Whakapohane . In Germany it is called, among other things, “pulling your butt off”.

Mooning is usually viewed as an indecent and cheeky act, albeit mostly milder than frontal exhibitionism .

Etymology and usage

Mooning as a form of protest: the feminist group FEMEN

The verb moon exists in the meaning of "the (moon) light expose" since 1601. Since 1756 the main word is moon (dt. Moon ) as a metaphor for the buttocks known. The use of the verb to moon in the meaning of "bare the buttocks" comes from the American student language and was first mentioned in writing in 1968.

Mooning describes the process itself, the activity is expressed, for example, with “I mooned” (German: I showed someone my buttocks) or “I was mooned” (German: someone showed me their buttocks). Sometimes it is used figuratively when someone is being disregarded, and sometimes it is used when there is no deliberate intent, such as when moving.

In Australia, the term “mooning” replaced the euphemisms that used to be common there : “flashing a browneye” or “chucking a browneye” (German: “throw a brown eye”).

Process and spread

Jello Biafra , lead singer of the punk band Dead Kennedys , “moont” the audience at the 2006 Hackers on Planet Earth conference in New York at his keynote

Usually you bend over, pull your pants down and show your bare buttocks to the addressee. The genitals are usually covered. Young people like to turn it into or out of passing vehicles.

This custom is particularly widespread in Anglo-American countries, especially among young people and students in North America . This custom is also known in the United Kingdom , Australia , Canada , South Africa , Sweden , Denmark and the Māori in New Zealand . In German-speaking countries, this custom sometimes applies to amateur football , or it is practiced by the fans.

During the Battle of Crécy in 1346, when Edward III. took the city of Caen , several hundred Norman soldiers stood on the way to Crécy, baring their butts in the direction of the English archers .

When Giovanni da Verrazzano visited the Etchemin people in what is now Maine (USA) in 1524 , he was seen off with showing his buttocks and laughing. Other seafarers also reported the same behavior.

The Māori of New Zealand call this gesture to their enemy Whakapohane and have existed since before Europeans set foot on the island. It was first described when Europeans went ashore for the second time by Jonathan Monkhouse in 1769. It was the strongest sign of mockery to offend the person and was also used as a gesture in Haka dance rituals. This disgrace was also shared by high-ranking people: In 1953, the newly crowned Elizabeth II made the acquaintance of this ritual on her first long journey. In the spring of 1983, Prince Charles and Princess Diana were shown a Māori rump. The 42-year-old Māori activist Te Ringa Mangu Mihaka (also known as Nathan Dun or Dun Mihaka ), who is well known in his home country , protested against the visit of the British crown and against the gunboat policy of the Thatcher government. Despite his reasoning that this was a traditional form of the Māori protest, a court in Wellington sentenced him to a fine of the equivalent of € 370. In 1986, during a renewed visit by Elizabeth II, Dun Mihaka had stuck a poster with this gesture on his rear side window and wanted to approach the royal convoy, but was pushed away by the police. The Māori activist Tame Iti is also known for his Whakapohane.

Sometimes mooning in the USA also turns into a mass event for young and old and a longstanding tradition. In the Mugs Away Saloon ( 33 ° 34 '  N , 117 ° 40'  W ) in Laguna Niguel ( California ) man promised in 1979 those a drink at his expense that the next train on the passing Amtrak show -distance the bare bottom . This became an annual tradition that takes place on the second Saturday in July. The Annual Mooning of Amtrak now lasts all day, at night with flashlights, and every train is mooned, including Metrolink trains for some time . The trains reduce their speed and give a signal or greet the mooners via loudspeaker announcement. In 2007 there were around 3,000 visitors. At the 29th time in 2008 there were over 8,000 people. There were women who showed their breasts, a few people undressed completely, and some were drunk. At around 3 p.m., the crowd was dispersed by the police, which were reinforced by forces from neighboring communities, with 50 men in protective gear and with a helicopter. After the police left, some came back and some new participants did not join until late afternoon or evening and the moonting continued. Volunteers took care of cleanliness. In 2009, the city council issued several regulations, such as a four-day parking ban, alcohol consumption and public urination. News releases and Twitter have been telling people to avoid the area this year, and threats have been made of crackdowns, including street vendors. On the thirtieth anniversary of 2009, only around 400 to 800 visitors came. The police were also present, this time without special protective equipment.

Punishment for mooning on Mt. Washington

Elsewhere, too, this sport is quite popular compared to trains. For example rafting in the Colorado River , next to which the Union Pacific Railroad runs for longer distances . In the state of New Hampshire , Mooning the Cog operates on Mount Washington across from the Mount Washington Cog Railway . The tradition has been practiced by some hikers, mostly cross-country hikers, since around 1977 or 1987, and it increases especially towards the end of summer. A private assumption is that it could be related to the history of the railway, which was formerly called The Railway to the Moon . Others say that it is a protest against the steam locomotive, the smoke of which is drawn up the mountain and can be felt over a wide area. Some passengers find it funny, others, especially parents, retirees and the railway operators, don't. That is why at the end of 2007, on two weekends, soldiers or rangers in plain clothes drove with us, who, if necessary, got out and issued court summons. Eight males were fined $ 125. The news was spread through newspaper articles and websites. The police hope this will contain the problem over the next year.

The artist couple Gilbert & George created the work Piss Mooning in 1996 , which shows two "moon faces".

In June 2000, a mass mooning under the title Moon Against the Monarchy in front of Buckingham Palace in the United Kingdom was organized by the organization Movement Against the Monarchy (M'AM) to fight against the monarchy, "the most expensive soap opera in history" protest. About 2,000 people came, but due to the massive police presence, only a very few dropped their covers. Some managed to pose for the press. Four people were arrested, one of them for having their pants down.

In 2001, about 200 Europeans bare their butts to protest US policies when George W. Bush made a state visit to Sweden.

In 2002, more than 300 people were arrested for mooning in Greece . Most of the people were drunk teenagers and young adults from England between the ages of 16 and 30.

In 2003, pole vaulter Tim Lobinger caused a stir when he bared his bum at the World Athletics Finals in Monte Carlo , which ultimately resulted in an apology to the IAAF .

Robbie Williams is known to practice mooning over and over again. Marlon Brando and Robert Duvall did it while filming The Godfather . The concerts of the Australian band AC / DC were also known for giving guitarist Angus Young his bare downside. This mooning the audience was an integral part of the stage show. In the television series The Simpsons , son Bart shows his buttocks in front of many people in many episodes. This is a running gag in the series . When in one episode (season 22, episode 21) Bart shows his bum to various people, a man begins to smile and turns into a howling wolf. This brings the mooning and the myth that wolves like to howl at the moon in a (not serious) context. The same applies to Shin-Chan, the protagonist of the manga and television series of the same name .

In Simbach am Inn there has been a sculpture at the bridgehead to Braunau since April 2008 with a huchen , which quasi leaps out of the Inn to Simbach and on whose back the river god Aenus rides and shows his back to Braunau. Aenus wears a loincloth, but it is hardly noticeable when you drive over the bridge from Braunau to Simbach. In addition to the discussions about the beauty of the monument and the almost naked river god, the question arose whether the Simbachers wanted to offend the Braunau people.

Rally driver Mark Tapper was so irritated at the Rally New Zealand in May 2010 by a moonlighting fan at the roadside that he lost control of the car and it rolled over. Up to this point he was about to win.

See also

literature

  • Te Ringa Mangu Mihaka (alias Nathan Dun) and Diane Patricia Prince: Whakapohane , Ruatoria Publications, Porirua (New Zealand), 1984, new edition 1990, ISBN 0-9597745-0-5 ; About famous Maori activists' struggle with the law

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Moon , Online Etymology Dictionary, Accessed December 30, 2007
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Blanche Poubelle: Shooting the moon , The Guide Magazine, August 2003
  3. ↑ a b c d e The Art of Mooning ( Memento of November 3, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) , Anglorama No. 4/2005 (32), Poland, online version ( Memento of November 3, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ^ The Hundred Years War - Battle of Crécy ( Memento of April 30, 1998 in the Internet Archive ), archeryweb.com, as of August 23, 2006
  5. ↑ James Axtell: Beyond 1492: Encounters in Colonial North America. Oxford University Press, 1992, ISBN 0-19-508033-5 , p. 189
  6. ^ Sally Planalp: Communicating Emotion. Social, Moral, and Cultural Processes , Cambridge University Press 1999, ISBN 0-521-55741-0 , p. 207 ( Google Books )
  7. ^ Ministry of Justice: A Glimpse into the Maori World - Maori Perspectives on Justice Section: A Collection of Behaviors, Philosophies, Emotions and Cultural Influences March 2001
  8. ↑ Carsten Ott: Defeats that life writes like this - from ABERGLAUBEN to AUTO - Nackter Buttern , alexander-tropf.de, Version: June 26, 2001
  9. ↑ UPI: AROUND THE WORLD; New Zealand Police Stop Royal Convoy Protester , New York Times, February 28, 1986
  10. ↑ moonamtrak.org ( Memento of 4 February 2006 at the Internet Archive ), as of July 16th 2007, Accessed: December 30, 2007
  11. ↑ David Haldane: Police halt 'mooning' of trains in Laguna Niguel after a crowd of 8,000 gathers , Los Angeles Times, July 13, 2008
  12. ^ Sarah McBride: A Mooning Festival Is Something The Mayor Just Can't Get Behind , The Wall Street Journal, July 10, 2009
  13. ^ Associated Press: Train-mooning draws smaller, calmer crowd , msnbc.com, July 11, 2009
  14. ↑ Suzanne: Mooning the Train, The Sequel ( January 11, 2010 memento on the Internet Archive ), Twenty Four At Heart, July 13, 2009
  15. ^ Edith Tucker, Salmon Press North Country newspaper, Nov. 2007
  16. ↑ Katie Zezima: Riding the Rail to the Top, and Not Amused (free notification), New York Times, November 23, 2007
  17. ↑ Pissing Moon , Atnet.com, accessed January 2, 2008
  18. ↑ Cheeky anarchists in palace protest , bbc.co.uk, June 3, 2000
  19. ↑ Photos of evidence: Robbie Williams , georgenick.co.uk, accessed January 2, 2008
  20. ↑ Marlon Brando Was 'Godfather' Mooning Champ ( Memento from February 21, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  21. ^ AC / DC's Angus Young. M-TV website. March 30, 1998, accessed September 22, 2018 .
  22. ↑ Vortex around the statue: Bavarians stretch Braunauer's bare bottom ( memento from April 20, 2008 in the Internet Archive ), Oberösterreichische Nachrichten, April 16, 2008
  23. ↑ CHRONICLE - Vortex around the naked rear in Braunau , ooe.orf.at, April 16, 2008
  24. ↑ Mooning spectator causes Mark Tapper's car crash at Rally New Zealand ( Memento of 21 May 2010 at the Internet Archive ), tabloidprodigy.com 17 May, 2010.
  25. ↑ Nic Cackett: Video: Flasher causes driver to crash in Rally New Zealand , uk.autoblog.com, May 14, 2010

Web links

Commons : Mooning  - collection of images, videos and audio files