You clearly love shaking men's body parts and that's fine. It's just a little weird to me that in 2012 I'd be creating a socially awkward situation if I didn't want to take your bare hand in mine and give it a couple tugs just because you wanted me to.
You're right, because you've evolved beyond its cultural significance and are just waiting for the rest of us to haul our asses out of the primordial ooze.
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You're right, because you've evolved beyond its cultural significance and are just waiting for the rest of us to haul our asses out of the primordial ooze.
Kind of, I guess. Maybe I'm missing something, but jiggling your hand would do nothing for me. What exactly do you get out of it?
They should make it law that all washrooms with doors have paper towel dispensors... and the smart thing would be to put a paper waste basket next to the door or you run the chance of having a huge pile of used paper towels thrown into the corner beside said door.
I was in Red Deer and had to use the washroom to take a leak. While I was washing my hands the toilet flushed, guy came out of the stall and proceeded to open the door and walk out. By this point im just shaking my head because not only has he not washed his hands but he has tainted my only exit out.
Just grab a paper towel and open it with that right? Wrong, all the paper towel was gone so I figured open the door with your foot right? Wrong, it was a round door handle.
I stood there for 5 minutes contemplating how to get out without touching this handle when the door swings open. Relief!
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Hell, I've shaken hands with African tribesmen who likely have never seen soap in their lives. I somehow managed to survive. We just kept our hands away from our face until we had an opportunity to wash/purel our hands well. I think in the western world your chances of getting something from a hand shake are pretty slim.
If you're not feeling well, or someone around you isn't then it's courtesy to say "I'm coming down with something, you don't want to shake my hand." You could use that with someone you think might be an unwashed heathen too. Initiate with a "I'm sick so I won't shake your hand." problem solved.
Bangladesh -- one makes a relaxed salute with the right hand. Benin -- young men often snap fingers when shaking hands Botswana -- people touch hands, like a handshake that doesn't include a grip, just lightly grazing palms and fingers. They ask each other: "How did you wake?" (It's interesting, in our family, we often ask, "How did you sleep?") Cambodia -- here, one would put your hands together like "praying hands" holding them against your chest. The higher you hold your hands, the more respect you show. Bhutan -- they ask, "Is your body well?" Central African Republic -- good friends slap rights hands, then grab each other's middle finger using a thumb and middle finger, then "snap" the other person's finger. Sounds painful, but I'd love to have someone show me how it's done. Gabon -- show respect by shaking a person's hand with both hands
Ghana -- The people from the Twi tribe say "eh-ti-zain", which means "how is your soul perceiving the world". The positive response of "eyeh" means everything. So you are good when your soul is perceiving everything around you. (Emailed by Max Holland) Greece -- back-slapping takes the place of shaking hands in many greetings. Grenada -- sometimes friends might tap clenched fists Guam -- there is a Chammoros tradition on Guam in which the Elder's right hand is clasped over the greeters right hand (like helping someone down a step), then the greeter bows and lifts Elder's hand to the forehead. Usually followed by a "Nyot" for the men and a "Nyorra" for the women. Sent to me by R/Jorge Concepcion Roberto, "born and raised, a proud Chamorro of Guahan." Iceland -- their simple greeting means "Happy". Jamaica -- "Waapun" one might say. It's a squished version of "What's happening?" Mauritania -- some of the Moorish background might greet you with "On you no evil" Mauritius -- they cut right to the chase in some villages here. Their hello literally means, "Speak!" Micronesia -- the Yapese people greet with "It was good." Maldova -- some men might greet a woman by kissing her hand while saying, "I kiss your hand." Why? What else would he be doing? Looking to nibble on ladyfingers? Sorry... gotta keep an open mind. Mongolia -- rural people might exchange a pipe as a greeting Mozambique -- northern people clap hands three times before saying hello Maori -- some press noses together while closing their eyes. I wonder how often noses bump that way.
South Africa -- There is a predominant African way of greeting that goes as follows: Step One – ordinary shake (once), Step Two – single “upside-down” shake (once) – i.e. swivel your fingers towards the top of the other person’s hand until you are encircling his/her thumb, Step Three – back to the single ordinary shake. (Sent to me by Elinor Lowry.) Swaziland -- they say, "I see you!" (What, no "peekaboo"?) Syria -- children sometimes kiss the back of the hands of their parents or granparents Taiwan -- the traditional greeting is, "Have you eaten?" Tuvalu -- this is my favorite. Relatives press a face to a cheek of the other and sniff deeply. Mmmm. Old spice. Zambia -- some greet each other by gently squeezing a thumb.
Niger -- the Kanouri people shake a fist at head level and call "Wooshay! Wooshay!" ("Hello! Hello!") Niue -- here's a nice greeting: "Love be with you." Oman -- after a handshake, men might add a kiss on the nose. (Bet THEY keep their eyes closed!) Singapore -- greeters slide their palms together back toward their own chests, then end with the hand over heart. Smooth.
Georgia (no, not the state) -- their word for hello literally means, "Let you win". I wonder if that works with politicians?
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Hell, I've shaken hands with African tribesmen who likely have never seen soap in their lives. I somehow managed to survive. We just kept our hands away from our face until we had an opportunity to wash/purel our hands well. I think in the western world your chances of getting something from a hand shake are pretty slim.
If you're not feeling well, or someone around you isn't then it's courtesy to say "I'm coming down with something, you don't want to shake my hand." You could use that with someone you think might be an unwashed heathen too. Initiate with a "I'm sick so I won't shake your hand." problem solved.
It's the same people who I don't want to shake hands with that don't subscribe to the notion of common courtesy. It's the worst when you go to a meeting, shake hands with the 5 people you are meeting with and through the course of the meeting, realize that one of those 5 is just recovering from the "Worst flu he's ever had". Eff sakes. I get that germs are unavoidable, and healthy immune systems, blah blah but I'm sorry if don't want to get every frigging cold that some yahoo has.
Elaine - "Jerry, you have tendencies. They're always annoying, but they were just tendencies. But now, if you can't kiss this girl, I'm afraid we're talking disorder."
Jerry - "Disorder?"
Elaine - "And from disorder, you're a quirk or two away from full-on dementia."
Jerry - "That could hurt me"
- Elaine and Jerry Seinfeld, in "The Pothole"
Sometimes a handshake can symbolize a situation of trust.
It used to be that deals in the oilpatch were done with a handshake...back when a man'swordwas his bond. It signified a man was giving his word of honour to abide by the terms of the deal. This went on back in the 50's, before deals became much more complex and the lawyers and landmen got into the act.
An oilman would ask a friend if he wanted a piece of a well on a Friday afternoon, and if he said yes and they shook hands on it, then that was as good as any mounds of paper agreements today. Sometimes the well would come in dry over the weekend, and a cheque for the friend's share of the well was on the oilman's desk Monday morning.
Oh, how times have changed!
Last edited by flamesfever; 09-28-2012 at 03:09 PM.
Do I think we should still have the handshake? Absolutely.
However, I know that with Diversity and Inclusion, it is becoming harder and harder to do this. Have you ever tried to shake hands with a female from a South Asian country? It is embarrassing. You're virtually shaking air.
And in their culture it isn't acceptable to shake hands with Men.
A proper handshake releases oxytocin (like basicly any friendly touch that lasts more than a second), which is a hormone that makes us trust each other more (among other things).
So no, you can't replace it with a no-touch gesture.
Bacterial cells are much smaller than human cells, and there are at least ten times as many bacteria as human cells in the body (approximately 10^14 versus 10^13). The mass of microorganisms are estimated to account for 1-3% total body mass
Picking up a few more via a handshake is inconsequential.
The only reason I wash my hands after using the washroom is out of respect for others. I could give a damn if you didn't wash yours and shake my hand. The germophobes out there are just so frikin' paranoid.... if you really are getting sick from shaking someone's hand then there is definitely something wrong with your immune system. I loved that bit by Carlin... I've shared it with others all the time. Yet, as I said, *I* do wash my hands because if I am going to be shaking YOUR hand, I should respect YOUR wishes. My lack of caring if you wash your hands doesn't change the situation.
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