World Fist Bump Day ™

http://www.watoday.com.au

In frail health for years and often seen only at formal occasions or when thanking bank managers for loans, the old grip-and-grin seems to be on the way out. So what’s a bloke to do instead? Here are some options.

The manhug In the 1980s, when men started to discover their softer side, they developed the half-hug and back pat.

There’s a lot going on with this simple-yet-awkward move. Those participating in the manhug keep their hands open, indicating they are no threat. The body contact implies a certain level of affection and intimacy, but in a nonsexual way, says Patti Wood, an Atlanta body language expert and author of Success Signals.

The patting is a male way of showing affection through hitting. It says, “I love you, mate, but not in that way.” Women also adopt the back patting when they become uncomfortable in an embrace, Wood says.

How to do it: Approach the huggee and bring one arm around the back of your partner, touching shoulders and part of the chest, but avoiding full frontal contact. Pat vigorously. Manly swearing or a grunt is optional.

Inherent dangers: The inexperienced often panic. Are they holding the embrace for too long? Is someone going to question their masculinity?

The high-five The high-five developed in the US in the 1970s as an extension of the handshake.

While the handshake can be sterile and perfunctory, the high-five symbolises joy, elation and power. But because the palm is open, Wood says, the high-five conveys the feeling that while there is power, there is no threat.

How to do it: Raise your hand above your head and, showing your open palm, slap the hand of your partner. The louder the slap, the better.

Inherent dangers: Novices may need to curb their enthusiasm until they develop a good high-five callous. Red palms are the beginner’s bane.

The chest bump This most likely originated in professional sports and gained popularity in the US in the 1990s.

Wood says the symbolism of the chest bump is one of vulnerability and elation.

The chest bumpers throw their arms back. Their hands are open, revealing they have no weapons. And they expose their chests and hearts, indicating they are vulnerable, joyful and nonthreatening.

Most chest bumpers are male - the move says “I want to be close, but I’m not feminine.”

How to do it: Approach your chest-bumping partner, pull your shoulders back and extend your arms, palms open, to the side. Jump forward and bump the chest of your partner.

Inherent dangers: This move has a huge potential for making you look stupid.

The dap The “dap”, also known as the fist bump, seems to have been born in the muddy battlefields of the Vietnam War. The original version includes lots of other movements, but time has distilled the dap to a vertical or horizontal fist bump.

It’s popularity is mainly confined to the US.

Wood says the dap conveys a sense of determination and power.

After reviewing images of Democratic presidential candidate Barak Obama exchanging a dap with his wife after learning he had enough delegates to claim the nomination, Wood thought their dap conveyed a sense of being ready to conquer, and that they were unified in their quest.

How to do it: Raise your hand as if making a traditional handshake, but curl your fingers into a fist. Keeping the arm parallel to the floor, little finger down, thumb on top, extend your fist from about chest level and gently tap the other person’s fist.

For a horizontal dap, simply rotate your fist 90 degrees so that the curled fingers are facing the ground. Repeat the bump.

Inherent dangers: The participants need to be clear on whether they are doing a dap or a high-five, otherwise a certain awkwardness can arise. You also run the risk of injury from jewellery and overenthusiastic dapping.

The peace sign In much of Europe the “V” sign is an obscene gesture along the lines of giving someone the finger. It may have had its origins in the 1300s, started by archers and symbolising the drawing of a bow.

Winston Churchill first used it to signal “V” for victory, and in the 1960s, the hippies adopted it as a sign for love. It later become associated with a gesture of peace.

Beyond the message of love or peace, Wood says flashing the peace sign tells others of your own personal beliefs and asks in return, “Are you part of my tribe? Are you one of my people?”

It’s popularity today pales in comparison to its use in the
1960s.

How to do it: Hold your hand up, palm facing outward. Curl the thumb, ring and little finger inward, leaving the index and middle finger extended to form a “V” shape.

Inherent dangers: Muscle spasms and the danger of running into someone who isn’t so peaceful.

Greta Wire Blog

“…..It’s a graduation tradition: a congratulatory handshake along with your diploma. But Wednesday night, the H1N1 flu virus has the University of Illinois at Chicago banning the handshakes….“ (quote lifted from local CBS/Chicago)

What do you think? ban handshakes? germ spreaders? (Donald Trump likes the Japanese bow / nod as a greeting….I assume he means the slight nod and not the bow to the waist gesture….) full story

By Donna Wright | Bradenton Herald

BRADENTON — Ban the handshake — that’s Dr. Joe Soler’s advice for avoiding swine flu, which appears to be spreading fast in certain areas of the United States, Mexico, Canada, New Zealand and Europe.

When Soler and his colleagues greet patients at Pinnacle Urgent Care, 315 75th St. W., they look like they are doing a do-si-do as they tap their elbows to say hello.

Soler, the medical director of Pinnacle Urgent Care Center, has been avoiding shaking hands with patients and friends “It’s the only safe way to greet someone,” Soler says. “Flu and cold germs spread when people touch their hands to their mouths, eyes or nose.“ read full story

I haven’t heard authorities specifically issue a moratorium on shaking folks’ hands, but limiting the practice of glad-handing–along with random hugs and cheek-kissing on people you really don’t know–is synonymous with staying healthy in these biblically weird times.

So how, short of standing across a room and waving or donning a bubble suit, are we to physically greet friends and acquaintances?

Say hello to the fist bump.

You’ve seen it. Instead of shaking hands, you take your fist and “bump” someone else’s fist at the knuckles. The fist bump, while a physical connection, doesn’t involve touching the open palm, where most germs collect.

Full story

More and more people are bumping fists as a form of greeting. I think the time has come to make the Fist Bump an acceptable alternative to the handshake.

The main reason I started this movement is not related to politics or any deeper meaning of the Fist Bump or its origin. I’m concerned with the health aspect of a handshake. It’s been proven beyond doubt that germs swapped in a handshake is one of the main ways people contract a wide range of viruses that can lead to colds, influenza, stomach viruses and many unpleasant illnesses.

Honestly, is a normal handshake worth the health risk? Is it that important to grab someones hand a squeeze it? Do you know where the hand you’re about to shake has been? Yes, I admit I sometimes think thoughts like that and I know I’m not alone.

When you shake a hand that feels a bit wet or clammy, maybe even sticky, do you have a sudden urge to wipe of whatever moved into the palm of your hand? I admit I sometimes do. I’m not a germaphone in any sense. I have two dogs and germs have built cities around me. But, for me the act of clasping two hands into a firm “germshake” is not worth the risk of getting thousands of germs that can’t wait to go to war against my immune system with one single objective….. make me sick. I can’t stand being sick, it’s such a waste of time.

If there were no alternatives to a handshake I would live with this risk since I was raised to be a polite person, respect others and the handshake is an important part of this behavior. I fully understand what a handshake means to most people and that it is a fine gesture between two people.

But, so can gentle Fist Bump be! You’re still acknowledging and focusing on giving sole attention to the other person and by timing it right with the proper touch it can still be a special moment.

Think about all the money saved nation wide if people got less sick by not transferring viruses from hand to hand. And it does not stop there. These hands will soon touch other objects which in turn will be touched by other people’s hands… it just goes on and on in a never ending circle of germs.

So, please join me in making the Fist Bump an acceptable way of greeting people we meet. The goal is to make everyone comfortable and not feel disrespected. I think we’re close. We now see presidents, celebrities and many others bumping hands.

I realize that the handshake will always be around, some will never give that up. I don’t mind shaking hands with people I know or when I’m on my way to a restroom knowing I will wash my hands seconds later. I just hope we can get the Fist Bump to a level as an acceptable alternative to the handshake.