ok the dangerous teenage hug epidemic - another important new york times trend piece

The hipster bandanna and the green waist/fanny-pack take it from mostly lol to kinda sad.

A friend in response to the hug story:

"So this is what happens as the New York Times dies? The travel budget doesn't allow them to go and cover real stories, so the farthest they can go is Montvale, NJ?"

by 'know' i mean that she is an 'active member of the chicago cycling community, so we've maybe met'

i like the existence of this article. i've been noticing something with regard to hugs -- i generally like them a lot but i'm also a fan of knowing when you just don't have to.

Ha, this article totally made my morning, actually. My favorite bit is the mother's complaint:

“I hug people I’m close to. But now you’re hugging people you don’t even know. Hugging used to mean something.”

HUGGING USED TO MEAN SOMETHING

Yah gbx, I was hoping you meant "biblically", but it seemed unlikely, so...

xp lol straight out of the "society is in the gutter" thread

WHEN I WAS YOUNG HUGGING WAS A SPECIAL, PRIVATE THING YOU DID WITH YOUR HUSBAND OR GRANDPARENTS

WHY BUY THE COW WHEN YOU CAN HUG IT FOR FREE

lol too good

http://rlv.zcache.com/cow_hugger_customized_tshirt-p235980188855609446ncgq_210.jpg

yeah, def not laurel, as the lady in question is actually trans-gendered iirc

> “Bromance,” which is now a widely used term for affection between straight male friends.

Easily as widely used as "man-date"!

MOST POPULAR

E-MAILED
1. For Teenagers, Hello Means ‘How About a Hug?’
2. Nicholas D. Kristof: Would You Slap Your Father? If So, You’re a Liberal
3. Texting May Be Taking a Toll
4. The Case for Working With Your Hands
5. To Protect an Ancient City, China Moves to Raze It
6. Preserving Time in a Bottle (or a Jar)
7. Magazine Preview: The Mellowing of William Jefferson Clinton
8. Play With Your Food, Just Don’t Text!
9. AT&T May Have Swayed ‘Idol’ Results
10. Gail Collins: When Sallie Met Barack

poll

#4 was actually kind of good. It trailed off when the auth had to decide what point he was making, but it didn't suck.

I thought the internet was going to put an end to human contact

actually thought this article was interesting. I grew up in jersey, where eye contact with strangers was considered verboten and acquaintances who wanted to hug you were to be eyed with deep distrust and suspicion. the point made about the virtual world causing an unusual overcompensation in the physical world is an interesting one, as is the point about parental overprotection and playgroups encouraging trust among youth. interesting enough that I wish there were more exploration of the implications than the standard "kids say no big d, parents freaked", and maybe some examples from somewhere else besides montclair and manhattan (nyt travel budget haw).

glad you guys are wringing lols out of it tho

edward you sound kinda bummed about this, maybe you need a hug

touch me and I'll shiv you

Hugging - the new "electronica"

thinking about my own social circle, I hang with people ranging from early 20s to early 40s and I have to say hugging is much more predominant among those on the younger end

also more predominant among the drunks

So that's everyone then.

drunks with hugs

I mean everyone I know.

While social mores may shift rapidly in our modern "hookup culture," etiquette dictates that hugging is the preferred method of greeting at a "rainbow party"

At a more formal "pharm party," however, you should simply introduce yourself via text

actually laurel I classify my friends as the drinkies, the drinkers, and the drunks

drunks are a very special and rarefied breed

tbh i find it genuinely disturbing that ANYBODY is getting worked up about hugging

what if yr having a particularly intense hug w/someone you kinda "like"

then they can usually tell, if you're a dude

(boner)

this is why dudes never hugged in jersey

hug-n-tug

lb I find it disturbing that you are disturbed

- teenage hugidemic - give me some space plz

haha yeah, the first thing in my head when reading this story was that there are surely

(a) a group of popular kids whose hugging is most noticed by staff/adults,
(b) a second tier of less-popular kids whose hugging rarely overlaps with the popular huggers, and
(c) a bunch of kids who NEVER GET HUGGED BY ANYONE

http://www.cnn.com/US/9802/13/hugging.ban/

^1998

a good reporter would have pulled a quote from that last group, because I would find it super-informative as a reader to see a news story containing genuine teenage sneering about this issue, and in general about who thinks they're so cool with their stupid hugging but really they're just dumb jerks

aw

: /

maybe you need a hug

― dulce est desipere in loco (Euler), Thursday, May 28, 2009 6:44 PM (37 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

they are all on e

http://www.mystcommunity.com/board/style_emoticons/b/hug.gif

they are all on e

― cool app (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Thursday, May 28, 2009 3:24 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

this happened to me in hs

hug ep-E-demic

someone please update the nyt via comment

If my junior high students represent the next shock troops of the hug-a-bunch offensive, then it will peter out. btw, let's hope there is never a peter-out offensive.

there was a few months during my sophomore year of high school that i was all about hugging people, including acquaintances i wasn't even that close with. of course there was no trend at the time so it was really just inappropriate. :\

it all ended when my older bro yelled at me to stop hugging people in our (same) chemistry class and i was overcome with shame. :( :( :(