In the New York Times
on September 26, 2014, Henry Alford wrote a column about the bro hug, how it’s
becoming pervasive, and how anything less is considered unfriendly. President
Obama, who notoriously keeps a cool distance in personal relationships outside
his immediate circle, is a persistent bro hugger. I count myself among the hug
resistant.
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| BuzzFeedNews May 30, 2014 |
In the column, Aisha Tyler, whom I love on “Whose Line Is It
Anyway?” says she hugs contextually inappropriately. “I’m very slutty. They
should hire me to go to death row to hug inmates because I’ll hug anyone,
regardless of what they’ve done.”
I love Aisha Tyler's comments (I generally love Aisha). Some
years ago, I decided, when I go to early intervention conferences, to hug
anyone I know. It seems to be the accepted thing, because the hand-shake seems too
formal. That means I'm hugging people I see at most once a year and, sometimes,
haven't seen in years. Then, the excuse, if needed, is exactly that. The whole
thing makes me uncomfortable on the one hand (I hate hugging) but comfortable
on the other (I have a default greeting so I don't have to overthink what to
do). Similarly, in Portugal and Spain, every woman gets a double air kiss. I
have to remember that the Latin Americans, on the other hand, do only a single
air kiss; if I forget, there's a whole awkward thing where I'm bobbing around
in the other person's facial space trying to get to the other cheek, when they
think the ritual is over.
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| examiner.com July 30, 2013 |
This article doesn't get right down to the nitty gritty of
the bro-hugs. With some guys, it's a hand shake with the right hand and a sort
of hug with the left, with the unfortunate result of the clasped right hands
being around private-parts level. With others it's a thumb grab, like we used
to do in the 70s, with the right hand and a hug with the left. With others,
it's a full-on two-handed hug, meaning no barrier between our torsos. OK, why
would we want to be doing that?
Anyone remember when the handshake with the left-hand
clasped over the hands was an accepted indication of bro-love? Maybe a grasp of
the person's biceps? The latter had the added advantage of checking out how
strong the other person was, which therefore made me uncomfortable but loved.
