Thursday, January 28, 2010

Random Question Thursday

cousinly hugs at the circus

Are you a hugger or a non-hugger?

I'm watching Big Love on HBO last Sunday, (Sadly I don't watch a lot of TV, but I've gotten myself hooked on HBO's Sunday lineup since the creation of The Sopranos.) and there's a scene where Margene is being informed by her boss, a shopping channel executive, that she's going to be appearing live and on prime time. Good news. And that the appearance is a really test for a more lucrative position. Better news.

Margene goes in for a hug and the boss deflects. Twice.

Twists and turns, crazy people doing crazy things by the second throughout the hour-long show and all I can think about is how there were only two kinds of people: The Huggers and the Non-Huggers.

But now I'm thinking about how now the line between them seems less defined. There certainly are huggers and non-huggers, but there are also huggers who hold back, non-huggers who hug reluctantly and those who deflect the potential for physical contact at the risk of bodily harm. And now, thanks to the Internet, there are non-huggers in real life who can be (((huggers))) in their virtual lives.

It's so confusing. Before I had kids I was completely in the no-hug, jump-over-a-cliff-to-avoid-public-displays-of-affection camp. After kids, and with the help of the Internet, however, I'm much less likely to bolt into traffic to avoid one.

6 comments:

saradgoldberg said...

I'm a hugger. Yep, I definitely belong in the hugger category. But I'm very sensitive of non-huggers and frequently deal with how to not hug the non-hugger without coming off as rude in a social situation that involves both groups and sort of socially suggests hugs all around. Do I force the hug, but in a quick and business-like way or do I try to position myself so I can do the across the room wave greeting? It's a tough one.

Sympathypains said...

Hugger. But my parents aren't. I always wondered were I got it from.

Cara said...

I'm with Sympathypains. I'm a hugger from a forced-hug-with back-pat family.

toyfoto said...

I think I mother might have been a hugger surrounded by non-huggers.

She says my hugs were really more like leans.

beecher said...

Wow, I remember about a year ago, there were hardly ever comments ahead of me. I am thrilled that people are saying things here but it makes me feel a little left out (sniffle) like arriving at my favorite summer swimming hole to find it full of people :)
I am a non hugger. I have always been. I loathe hugging, it seems creepy and over-the-top. My mother in law, with who I also loathe (that's not very nice to say, is it? oh well) is a huge hugger and always, always ALWAYS hugs me. I hate it! Why cant we skip it sometimes? Why does it always have to be HER way?
gah!

toyfoto said...

Not to worry, Beecher. There may be huggers here in this end of the swimming hole, but at least there are no sharks.