Around a year ago, Sarah Kershaw of the New York Times wrote an article on changes in greetings among teenagers in America. Today, just giving a hand shake or a high five comes across as standoff or distant. For our generation it is becoming socially expected to greet each other with hugs (to read the full article click here: For Teenagers, Hello Means 'How About a Hug?').
Kershaw addresses that hugs are no longer strictly romantic, but a greater way of connecting to one another. Parents of today's teenagers are accustomed to handshakes and high fives rather than intimate and physical contact. According to a parent she interviewed, they feel as if they're "tourists in a country where [they] do not know the customs and cannot speak the language". But parents aren't the ones who are uncomfortable with the evolution of saying hello, it's the schools.
Some teachers and staff against public displays of affection loathe the new trend of physical contact. Staff and teachers think it undoes the professional and academic environment in schools. They're also worried that hugging can lead to sexual harassment and inappropriate touching. Other critics think hugs start to lose their meaning and importance as they become more prominent. However, kids disagree; hugging isn't romantic or sexual, but "simply the 'hello' of their generation".
Sociologists are studying the factors that could be behind this evolution. Some have noticed that current teenagers commonly grew up in organized groups (such as after school playgroups) that were closely overseen by parents. Those groups could be the reason behind increased cooperation among teenagers today than in other generations, along with more dedication and loyalty to a group. Another sociologist, Amy L. Best of George Mason University, thinks it is a continuation of the less formal greetings that started in 1970. The evolution of the American greeting is becoming less restrictive on touch boundaries.
The unwritten rules that hugs have to be between a boy and girl or two girls are disappearing. It is becoming more socially acceptable for anyone to hug someone. With new "bromance" hugs, experts are seeing a greater comfort level for boys to express emotions. Not to mention, texting and Facebook have increased physical separation. Hugs may be making up for the lack of human contact in communication between teenagers. In addition, hugs could be a sign of increased acknowledgment of emotions and the need to be cared about in this generation.
Considering I'm apart of the generation this article is on, I can honestly say that it has point. I don't remember the last time I shook one of my friend's hands or just gave them a high five. To me, greeting a friend that way is cold and remote. I think a quick high five or a professional handshake is borderline too formal to do between friends. Hugs have never taken away from the "professional" environment in school. To be blunt, I think it is ridiculous for schools to have rules banning or regulating public displays of affection, especially hugs. Rules against extreme forms of PDA are understandable because it's disgusting and awkward to see people making out in front of hundreds of kids at school; no one wants that.
It's expected for everything to evolve as time goes on. I think people need to accept that our generation isn't an exception. Our lives and the way we do things are going to be different than our parents, and that's something adults are going to have to try to understand.
The point is, hugs are more emotional than shaking a friend's hand for three seconds. They are simply a more sympathetic way of letting a friend know you're happy to see them and that you care.
go go go! Free Hugs Campaign
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