Quote:
Originally Posted by michelej1
The social hug and kiss between strangers is, to me, disgusting.
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The wondrous Judith Martin speaks ill of it, too, and I agree with her.
She speaks of an instance years ago when she encountered the grotesquely touchy-feely Leo Buscaglia. He apparently recognized her (they were not acquainted other than with each other's celebrity), reached for her physically, and grappled her in a big hug. She maintained her civility (natch), but was not pleased.
Her view, aired long afterward, is that people are under no etiquette obligation to suffer the hugs and kisses of strangers, and that handshakes are the polite and accepted way to show goodwill.
We've become a hug-and-kiss society, which wouldn't be so bad if it weren't all so phony. Nowadays you see people doing this all the time on the reality TV shows, and it's squirmy. People are introduced to other people for the first time, and they throw their arms around them and squeeze.
Hugs and kisses show tenderness, affection, etc., among loved ones (family or friends). That status of affection requires time to develop. The idea that you should engage in behavior that mimics that degree of intimacy but do so upon first meeting someone is offensive.