A few years ago, greeting hugs became fashionable among young Anglo-Saxon men. It was a sharp departure from the traditional brisk handshake previously favored by them.
But, like “nouveaux-riches” eager to show their affluence, they didn’t seem to know that hugging is regulated by some etiquette. A hug is like a medal… or a kiss; it is special and not offered to any Tom, Dick, or Harry. It is bestowed upon unique individuals, and if you are a serial hugger, you cheapen the value of this currency.
You would not smooch with everybody, would you? So do not feel that you have to hug everybody because it seems to be fashionable
And besides, everybody is not sold on greeting hugs. Nothing is more painful to watch than the sight of an unwelcome hug. Huggies will respond to an unwanted hug with a limp body and a weak pat on the back of the hugger. But you can tell that their heart is not in it.
I was never extraordinarily fond of hugs anyway… unless it was done by a relative or by a lady intent on carnal gratification. It always reminds me of my aunt Olga who liked to smooch, but who alas had a bad case of halitosis. Besides, you don’t see the hands of the hugger and in these contentious days, it is a little iffy. He/she could easily stick a dagger in your back while swearing eternal love to you. That’s probably what happened to Julius Caesar.
Between men, I far prefer the old-fashioned, reliable handshake. You make eye contact, and you extend your hand. The action is direct, manly, and unlike the hug, you also have a solid grip on the hand that might strike you.
But this matter has become irrelevant anyway. We are now wrestling with Covid-19 and very few people would be willing to hug you, even if you looked like Paul Newman.
The virus has been with us for close to a year, and as an unwelcome guest, it is abusing its stay.
I suspect that this diabolical infective agent is a serial hugger. It sneaks up on you, and before you even know it, it embraces you a lethal hug. A dastardly way of showing affection.
When the virus will be defeated and sent packing, I wonder if men’s greeting hugs will remain as popular as it once was. Maybe it will vanish like the “baisemain” of yore and nobody will miss it. I am sure that very soon the kids will invent a new way of greeting you… Maybe a reverse hug, derrière against derrière… It would be more fun and much safer than the face-to-face squeeze.
But remember, hugs are special. They are not to be used trivially. Save them for special occasions and dispense them sparingly. Otherwise, like an inflated currency, they will lose their status and value.
Alain