Mooning
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2008-07-14T04:54:12Z
Arbol25
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/* Notable incidents of mooning */ Laguna Niguel
'''Mooning''' is the act of displaying one's [[nudity|bare]] [[buttocks]] by removing clothing, e.g. by lowering the back side of one's [[trousers]] and [[underpants]], usually bending over, whether also exposing the [[genitals]] or not. Mooning is used in some cultures to express protest, scorn, disrespect or provocation but can simply be done for [[shock value]] or fun.
[[Image:Mooning.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Students at [[Stanford University]] at a mass mooning in May 1995.]] Mooning is generally considered a [[rude]] and insulting act.
==Word history==
''[[Moon]]'' has been a common shape-metaphor for the [[buttocks]] in English since 1743, and the verb ''to moon'' has meant 'to expose to (moon)light' since 1601, long before they were combined in US student slang in the verb(al expression) mooning "to flash the buttocks" in 1968.
Formerly, '''mooning''' was <!--American? UK?-->slang for "wandering idly" and "romantically pining."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=moon&searchmode=term|title=etymonline.com: moon|work=The Online Etymology Dictionary|accessdate=2007-02-03}}</ref>
==Geographic distribution==
The custom of mooning may be limited to [[North America]], some countries of [[Europe]], [[Australia]] (where the phrase 'mooning' is replacing the former vivid expression "flashing a browneye" or "chucking a browneye"), and the [[Māori]] of [[New Zealand]].
==Legal status==
The legal position of mooning varies between legislations, from [[indecent exposure]] to legal self-expression. Some example cases include:
===Zimbabwe===
Two [[Zimbabwe]] brothers were charged and jailed for indecent exposure in 2006, for wearing traditional African [[loincloth]]es which leave the buttocks exposed.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4673510.stm BBC NEWS | Africa | Zimbabwe furore over loincloths<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Whilst not strictly mooning, it illustrates the legal view on mooning in that country. The BBC reports that whilst this "reignited" a debate, "not many people in the capital are on their side".
=== Greece ===
A 2003 case saw two British tourists convicted and fined €920 each on indecent exposure charges.<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20030827/ai_n12708294 British pair convicted for mooning in Greece | Independent, The (London) | Find Articles at BNET.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
===USA===
[[Image:Public Nudity - Buttocks.jpg|thumb|350px|A [[thru-hiker]] proudly displays his citation after [[mooning the Cog]] [[Mount Washington Cog Railway|Railway]] on [[Mount Washington (New Hampshire)|Mount Washington]]]]
In 2006, a [[Maryland]] [[USA]] [[court of appeal]] determined that mooning is a form of expression protected by the [[United States Constitution|United States constitutional]] right of [[freedom of speech]].<ref>Cited in the [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/03/AR2006010301509.html Washington Post]). Also cited as {{cite news|first=|last=|pages=B6|title=Judge rules 'mooning' is not illegal in Md.|date=January 6, 2006|publisher=[[Delaware News-Journal|The News Journal]], redistributed from the [[Associated Press]]|url=}}.</ref> The court ruled that [[indecent exposure]] only relates to exposure of the genitals, adding that even though mooning was a "disgusting" and "demeaning" act to engage in, and had in addition taken place in the presence of a minor,
"If exposure of half of the buttocks constituted indecent exposure, any woman wearing a [[Thong (clothing)|thong]] at the beach at Ocean City would be guilty."
Defense attorneys had cited a 1983 case of a woman who was arrested after protesting in front of the U.S. Supreme Court wearing nothing but a cardboard sign that covered the front of her body. In that case, the [[Washington D.C.]] Court of Appeals had ruled that indecent exposure is limited to a person's genitals. No review of the case by a higher body, such as a [[Supreme Court]] took place, since the States Attorney dropped the prosecution after the ruling.
==Notable incidents of mooning==
<!-- Do not add unsourced incidents here, they will be deleted. See [[WP:SOURCE]] and [[WP:VERIFY]] -->
*During the [[Battle of Crécy]] in [[1346]] when king [[Edward III of England|Edward III]] of [[England]] took [[Caen]], on the way to [[Crécy]], several hundred [[Normandy|Norman]] [[soldier]]s exposed their backsides to the English [[Archery|archers]] and many of them paid a high price for doing so.<ref>{{cite web|author=|year=2002|title=Battle of Crécy|work=California Archery|url=http://www.archeryweb.com/archery/crecy.htm|accessmonthday=February 4 |accessyear=2006}}</ref>
*In the [[siege of Constantinople]] during the [[Fourth Crusade]] in [[1204]], the Greeks exposed their bare buttocks to the Crusaders after they repulsed them from the walls.<ref>Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges into History, 2001</ref>
*The [[Etchemin]] tribe of Maine were noted for this custom by a number of early explorers of the Atlantic coastline.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=-aTZ5k8VUFYC&pg=PA86&lpg=PA86&dq=etchemin+buttocks&source=web&ots=0K1o75ur4O&sig=PF8nb7g8F6LIayfSHfSQyVgn_9w#PPA189,M1 Beyond 1492:Encounters in Colonial North America, by James Axtell, p. 189]</ref>
*In [[June 2000]], a mass mooning event was organised outside of [[Buckingham Palace]] in the [[United Kingdom]] by the [[Movement Against the Monarchy]] (M'AM). The idea was for anti-[[monarchist]]s to show their dislike of the [[British monarchy]] by performing a mass mooning at their home. However, a large [[police]] presence prevented a large scale mooning, but even so, a few individuals mooned (although there were many more who turned up to the event but were put off mooning by the large police presence). Some of them were [[arrest]]ed, but others managed to pose for various [[newspaper]]s etc. This event is known as the ''Moon Against the Monarchy'' event.<ref>{{cite news|first=|last=|pages=|title=Cheeky anarchists in palace protest|date=June 3, 2000|publisher=[[BBC]]|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/775725.stm}}</ref>
*The ''Annual Mooning of Amtrak'' is a long-running annual tradition in [[Laguna Niguel, California|Laguna Niguel]], ([[Orange County, California|Orange County]]) [[California]], [[United States|U.S.A]], where many people spend all day mooning at [[Amtrak]] [[train]]s; some even ride the trains on that day just so they can witness the event. This mooning has spawned a chain of "train moonings" throughout the entire country.<ref>{{cite web|author=Sheldon|year=2005|title=Mooning Amtrak Trains, Southern California USA|work=|url=http://www.moonamtrak.org/|accessmonthday=February 4 |accessyear=2006}}</ref> On July 13, 2008, local authorities cracked down on the practice after a reported 8,000 people participated in the festivities.<ref>Catherine Elsworth, "'Mooning Amtrak' event shut down after crowd of 8,000 reveals too much" ''The Telegraph,'' http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2299603/'Mooning-Amtrak'-event-shut-down-after-crowd-of-8,000-reveals-too-much.html</ref>
*At the 2005 [[UK Music Hall of Fame]] awards ceremony, musician [[Ozzy Osbourne]] decided to moon the crowd after a set he played with his group [[Black Sabbath]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4441786.stm BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Legends turn out for Hall of Fame<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
*Patrick Devine, 19, from [[County Donegal]], [[Ireland]] was arrested on 27 July 2007 for allegedly dropping his trousers as a dare in Saint Louis in Senegal. Devine, a student of Queens University Belfast, could spend up to 6 months in jail for his alleged actions.<ref>[http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0817/devinep.html?rss RTÉ News: 'Mooning' Irish student still in Senegal jail<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
*The musical and movie ''[[Grease (musical)|Grease]]'' has a humorous incident of mooning, when three pranksters at a televised dance competition do it live.
*[[England|English]] [[Premier League|Premiership]] footballer [[Joey Barton]] was fined £2,000 for mooning [[Everton F.C.|Everton]] fans.<ref> [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/5395778.stm "Police to probe Barton incident"], BBC Sport, [[30 September]][[2006]], accessed [[30 September]][[2006]]</ref>
*A tradition of [[thru-hiker]]s [[Mooning the Cog]] has developed on [[Mount Washington]].<ref>http://www.wlbz2.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=74791</ref>
*On [[January 9]], [[2005]], [[Randy Moss]] of the [[Minnesota Vikings]] feigned mooning the [[Green Bay Packers]] fans following a [[touchdown]] he scored. He was fined $10,000 by the [[NFL]] for the incident.<ref>[http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs04/news/story?id=1963404 ESPN - Moss pretended to moon crowd after scoring - NFL<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
*In the Broadway musical [[Rent (musical)|Rent]] during the "La Vie Bohème" scene prior to intermission, the character of Maureen Johnson moons Benny and Mr. Grey to demean their uptight sensibilities.{{fact|date=June 2008}}
==References==
<div class="references-small"><references/></div>
<!-- What was this for? The link is invalid now. *Mann, Charles C. "[http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues05/dec05/pdf/indians.pdf Native Intelligence]" Smithsonian magazine, December 2005, vol. 36 #9, pp. 94-108. -->
==See also==
{{Portal|Nudity}}
* [[Anasyrma]]
* [[Gestures]]
* [[Debagging|Pantsing]]
* [[Indecent exposure]]
* [[Public nudity]]
{{nudity}}
{{Gestures}}
[[Category:Civil disobedience]]
[[Category:Gestures]]
[[Category:New Age]]
[[Category:Nudity]]
[[Category:Protest tactics]]
[[Category:Subcultures]]
[[Category:Rude behavior]]
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