bonus scotto factoid.

[scottobear]

This might seem weird to a lot of people. It doesn't come up very often, but here it is.

I don't shake hands with strangers. I try my best not to touch them *at all*. I'm happy to hug my hippie friends, let the cat lick my face, deep kiss my girlfriend... but I want no part of touching strangers. I've gone so far in a business meeting to avoid shaking hands by sneezing right as I'm getting ready to leave, so as to avoid having to be put in the situation.

Why? For a couple of reasons.

I don't know those people from Adam. Who knows what sort of gross personal habits they have, or what they might've picked up? Is this guy a nose picker? Did this woman change her baby son before coming to work without washing? Do they have a cold? Is it slimy, clammy, or wet from them just being a sweaty, clammy or moistly sticky person? Yech. I give blood, I don't want hep.

Few people know how to shake hands properly.

I'm a scary, big man. I've got big hands. People's hands vanish in mine... imagine a baseball glove. them's my paws. When I've shaken hands in the past, invariably some wanna-be alpha male tries to play the "crush his bones, show him who's boss" testosterone thing. If I'd been feeling uppity, I'd give the death grip right back, hoping to hear the spintering of bone, and rending of sinews on the wanna be he-man. Other times I just give an impassive look, and returned with a firm, but friendly grip. It's not limited to men, either. I've seen a few "I'm as tough as any man" misguided females try the same thing, and get *nail marks* in my oversized mitt, when they can't fit the dainty meathook of their own around it.

On the flip side, although I'm a gentle giant... sometimes I don't know my own strength. I don't want to do the aforementioned accidental marrow-leaking death grip on a frail person with the bone structure of dried maple leaves.

Then there's the social side of it. The quote below sums it up for me pretty well...
"if you feel compelled to grab part of my body and shake it, before you can even be friendly, you've got far worse problems than you think I have."
http://www.badmovies.org/movies/wosat/wosat3.wav

Why should I have to touch someone I don't know? Can't a friendly smile and a kind voice do the trick without my having to grasp your palm, and have us feel each other out for some bizarre fraternity rite, placing the grip properly so as to let each other know we're fellow masons/ boy scouts / ATO brothers / Illuminatus ?

To heck with that noise. As far as I'm concerned, a handshake is a form of social assault and battery.

I'm thinking that my next way of getting out of it is going to be..."Sorry... I don't shake hands. Not with the ebola and all. Nothing Personal."

Comments

[applelard.livejournal.com]

So, are you saying that if we ever met you'd spray me down with Lysol before coming into contact with me?

Re:

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

nah, I'd give you a hug. you're cool.

[billijean.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm glad you told me, because if I ever met you in person, I'd probably fly across the room and leap at you with a hug and kisses.
Imagine your response! I'll know to keep my distance now :)

Re:

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

that's a different story... I've gotten to know you... you're welcome to a hug.

No tongue-kisses though. :)

Re:

[billijean.livejournal.com]

*adds note to Scotto's info in Palm: "Do NOT slip Scotto the tongue!"*

check!
:D

Re:

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

:)

[sida-al-hurra.livejournal.com]

I agree. I hate it when men don't know that a woman is supposed to extend her hand first. With that rule, I don't have to shake because I don't offer my hand. A friend of mine used to report to me who washed their hands in the men's room and who didn't. Yuck. And I've seen women NOT wash their hands in the ladies room. So I don't think you are all that podish.

Re:

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

thanks! I appreciate it! :)

[saerlaithe.livejournal.com]

:}
I don't like to be touched by strangers either. It gives me the icks thinking of what they might have been doing beforehand. Glad to see I'm not the only one hehe :}

Re:

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

smart girl!

[rejectomorph]

I have long wished that the West had adopted the Asian's simple, and civilized, slight bow. Instead, the customs seem to be spreading in the other direction. Too bad.

Re:

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

I agree... or a simple wave or salute would have been a gentler evolution.

Re:

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

I agree! folk I know well deserve a nice, sweet hug.

[papoose.livejournal.com]

I don't like to touch strangers either - especially with my hands.

[ex-foom23660.livejournal.com]

Me too Scotto. I'm not a big fan of the shaking of the hands, but I often do it to avoid making a situation awkward.

This makes me think of a story. When I lived in my previous house, there was an apartment complex nearby for the physically and mentally handicapped. There was this one man who was mildly retarded, and VERY friendly. His MO was to greet every person whom he saw, and shake their hand. I would often see him at the bus stop, and I always said hello to him, but I always said "no thank you" when he put out his hand. I always felt bad for doing so, but I was also thinking about ALL the people whose hands he shook throughout the day, and that just did not sit well with me. One day a woman at the bus stop scolded me for not shaking his hand, and I decided to tell her why I chose not to. I explained that one of the best ways to catch something was from the hands, and knowing that this guy probably shook hundreds of hands a day, I had decided not to participate. I also pointed out that I wasn't rude about it either. I saw her at the bus stop a week or so later, and the hand-shake guy showed up. She politely declined while looking at me. The guy didn't seem to care either way, and was happy enough with a verbal hello.