this post was submitted on 27 Apr 2025
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.

Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:

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Your middle finger is only your middle finger if you also count your thumb as a finger. Which I find hard to accept. @showerthoughts πŸ–•

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[–] Blade9732@lemmy.world 67 points 23 hours ago

This is like the square/rectangle thing: "Not all fingers are thumbs, but all thumbs are fingers".

[–] betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.world 47 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

The thumb is thicker than other digits so naturally it'll be harder to accept. A lubricant may help but the key is to relax and go slow.

[–] j4k3@lemmy.world 11 points 22 hours ago

Nailed it.In that case use clippers and a small sanding stick.

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 41 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

It's pretty normal to count the thumb as a finger. I find it strange that you would not.

If you were asked "how many fingers do you have", would you answer 8, or 10? Surely, everyone knows the answer is 10 (assuming no physical abnormalities)? On a fingering chart, music will instruct you to play a note with your thumb with the number "1" and your pinky with the number "5".

[–] Lembot_0002@lemm.ee 39 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

You don't consider a thumb a finger? What is it then in your world? Tail?

[–] vrighter@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 23 hours ago (1 children)
[–] lord_ryvan@ttrpg.network 2 points 12 hours ago (2 children)

There are ten digits in our numeral system, and the thumb is neither a 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9.

[–] CmdrShepard42@lemm.ee 1 points 2 hours ago

If you put a fake mustache on that 0, it sure looks like a thumb.

[–] vrighter@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 2 hours ago

first of all, there exist more than one numeral system. Ex. I, X, V, A, B, C, D, E, F,etc

second

I'd a tail! Prehensile, or of that's not possible, then spiky

[–] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 20 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (1 children)

All of them are fingers. Thumbs are fingers, but a finger is not necessarily a thumb. I dont know where people get the idea that a thumb is not a finger. So many common sayings reinforce that it is. "Counting on your fingers (including your thumbs)", healthy babies have "Ten fingers, ten toes", "What did the five fingers say to the face... slap", "high five", "five finger discount", etc. Also, honorable mention to Princess Bride's Inigo Montoya searching for "the 6 fingered man" which includes his thumb. "Middle finger" is not the only thing that makes no sense if you don't accept that the thumb is a finger.

[–] rockerface@lemm.ee 2 points 2 hours ago

In almost every other language there isn't even a separate word for "thumb", it's just one of the fingers.

[–] TheReturnOfPEB@reddthat.com 20 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago)

you count your pinky as a finger ? it is not a finger; it is a pinky.

with the thumb being a thumb and as we have previously discussed about pinky leaves three fingers and certainly a middle one

[–] unknown1234_5@kbin.earth 16 points 14 hours ago

I used to genuinely argue that it wasn't a finger bc it had only two segments, not three. I've since realized that there is a third and I'm fucking stupid.

[–] Arcane2077@sh.itjust.works 14 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

If it’s not a finger, what do you think it is?

[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world -3 points 15 hours ago (1 children)
[–] JigglySackles@lemmy.world 4 points 14 hours ago

Not unless they are on your hand. Either way though they are phalanges.

[–] griefreeze@lemmy.world 14 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

What do you consider the thumb to be if not another finger?

[–] Quadhammer@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 53 minutes ago) (1 children)

Its a thumb. Its its own thing. If we had only ~~5~~ fingers we would be INFERIOR BEINGS

glares at spider monkies

Edit: apparently sponkeys have 4 fingers on their hands and thumbs on their feet

[–] dotson@sh.itjust.works 2 points 49 minutes ago (1 children)

how is a thumb different from a finger?

[–] Quadhammer@lemmy.world 1 points 34 minutes ago (1 children)

Its a thumb. Its oppsable. If you had 2+ thumbs on each hand we would probably differentiate them more

[–] FooBarrington@lemmy.world 1 points 24 minutes ago

Ah yes, that's why we can only count to 8 using our fingers

[–] dumbass@leminal.space 11 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Which I find hard to accept.

How?

[–] remotelove@lemmy.ca 3 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago) (1 children)

Probably because of its unique structure. It is slightly different than the rest of your fingers. I wouldn't consider it different enough to exclude it from being a finger though.

[–] Quadhammer@lemmy.world 1 points 26 minutes ago

Its more of a finger than a finger is a thumb

[–] davidagain@lemmy.world 9 points 14 hours ago

Well, it's not a toe.

[–] Acamon@lemmy.world 7 points 23 hours ago

"middle finger" is "the finger in the middle of the digits" not "the finger on the middle of the fingers"

[–] AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 6 points 10 hours ago

The thumb, the misunderstood tentacle.
An essay.

[–] Archangel1313@lemm.ee 5 points 23 hours ago

If you had to pick either one of those fingers to call the "middle" one, it's pretty obvious which one better fits the description.

[–] Lumidaub@feddit.org 5 points 23 hours ago

Oh yeah? Well πŸ–•

[–] SRo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 9 hours ago

What's wrong with you?

[–] guy@piefed.social 2 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

I got shocked when I learned my SO had learnt we have only four fingers. And a thumb.
I mean..

[–] tunetardis@lemmy.ca 2 points 16 hours ago

Yeah seriously don't tell my wife this. She still counts on them and it's going to go badly…

[–] superkret@feddit.org 2 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

You have three fingers named fingers.
Index finger, ring finger and middle finger. The middle finger is in the middle of the three. Thumb and pinky are both outliers.

[–] Arkouda@lemmy.ca 4 points 13 hours ago

I have always known it as the "Pinky Finger" myself.

[–] pacology@lemmy.world 1 points 14 hours ago

Have you ever thought that it's called the middle finger but it's actually the long finger?