Two fingers up was never "The Peace Sign"

I was at a gathering thirty years ago where an older hippy made the point that the Peace Sign was never the peace sign it was a "V for Victory" sign. When showing the V and saying Peace the intended message was "Peace IS the Victory!" By allowing it to be coopted into pop culture as the peace sign, minimized the message.

I thought he had a point.

What do you think?

What other messages are being lost as they are absorbed?

 

At a time when democracies are under assault from Fascism, perhaps 'peace' is 'victory'.

 

As a student of history and being an ancient crinkly, there are two versions of the 'V' sign. The first, showing the palm side is indeed a victory sign, given by Winston Churchill, although even he got it wrong on occasion. The other version showing the finger nail side is the same as giving 'the single finger' sign and pre-dates the single finger.

 

Doesn't that date from Agincourt, where the French threatened to amputate the string fingers of any English longbowmen they captured? After the English peasantry with their yew longbows decimated the French nobility, they held up their two right fingers in a gesture of scorn and defiance.

 

That doesn't address the saying Peace ✌️ when flashing the hand sign. I thought that his "Peace IS Victory!" line made a point. Nixon certainly was showing a double V for Victory when he used it.

 

The latter was introduced in the 100 years war by the English Longbow men after they were threatened by the French Knights in armour ,that if the were captured they would have 2 fingers removed so they could never use a bow again as the french regarded it as unchivalrous lol . So the English Archers used to use it as a signal of defiance . Sour Grapes comes to mind as the French didnt have an answer to counter the English Longbow Archer .

They Massacred the French Knights at the Agincourt Battle of 1415 , A great victory for King Edward V of England .

 

Sorry matey, wrong king - Henry V was the leader of the English army at Agincourt.

 

Yes your right silly me .

 

I have always thought that the V sign with fingers was originally the victory sign, thus not directly connected to peace .....but in the '60s , someone thought of using the V sign as a victory of peace.
He was the guy who used it in WW 2.....