I haven't been blogging here much lately, partly because Jeff and I are busy with our startup. However, it's also because I started a new blog: AwkwardRules.net, the purpose of which is to figure out the rules for dealing with awkward situations. I'll probably cross post a few rules here, but you can also subscribe to the RSS feed.
And here is the latest post:
The situation:
You’re
meeting a close friend of the opposite sex* at a bar, and when you get
there you see that they’ve brought their friend (also of the opposite
sex) that you’ve met once or twice. You give your close friend a hug,
but then what about the other person? Do they feel left out if you
don’t give them a hug? You can’t really go with a handshake because
you’ve met them already, but you don’t know them that well so does it
really make sense to hug them?
I propose Awkward Rule #2 to prevent this dilemma:
When
greeting or saying goodbye to a person of the opposite sex* who is not
a close friend, it is required to give them a hug if you have no
animosity toward them and:
- You have met them at least 3 times.
- You
have spent more that 3 total hours in their presence. Being at the same
event does not count, you must have been within conversation range for
3 hours.
If the person is not huggable under this rule, simply give them a small “hey” wave. See figure 2 below for further explanation.
Figure 2a.
Here’s a simple phrase to help you remember this rule: Less than 3, let them be. 3 or more, hug their core.
Rule
#2 only applies in the USA and to acquaintances/friends of the opposite
sex. It does not apply to cases like first dates or intra-girl hugging
because the extensive research required to write a rule for these
situations hasn’t been completed yet.
For a discussion of actual hug mechanics go here: http://www.lefthandedtoons.com/73/
* for
the purposes of this rule, opposite sex is defined as the gender you
like to have sex with, be it male, female, both, or miscellaneous
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