Every once in a while we go on a little rant here about something that bugs us. In the past we’ve done hit jobs on email, voicemail and business cards at various times. But there’s one thing that bugs me more than all of those things put together – the ubiquitous hand shake.
I’m not just talking about the sweaty palms handshake, which sends shudders down my back. I even take issue with the firm and dry handshakes that we engage in every day. I’d like to see the ritual ended.
Hand shaking goes back a long, long way. Wikipedia says it was practiced as far back as the 2nd century BC. The story I’ve always heard is that shaking someone’s hand shows that you hold no weapon. Since most people are right handed and would hold a knife in that hand, we shake right hands.
Whatever the reason for hand shaking, it isn’t needed. Like the Qwerty keyboard (which is designed to slow us down so that the typewriter doesn’t jam), it’s a relic of an older time that’s not only no longer needed but actually causes inefficiency. I can live with the keyboard. But I’d rather not have to catch another flu or cold from a hand shake.
The fact is that hand shakes spread germs. You shake someone’s hand and then touch your nose or mouth and you can get sick. I don’t like getting sick. But to turn down a hand shake is such an insult that there’s little choice. The hand is out there, in front of me waiting, so like everyone else I grasp it.
Whenever I do shake a hand I’m completely aware of it, can’t stop thinking about it, until I can wash my hands. Sometimes in a meeting I’ll shake hands all around, then excuse myself to the bathroom to wash my hands, then return. It draws attention, though, and people have pointed it out to me as odd. My response is that it’s nothing personal but I don’t want to get sick. If I get sick I have to take time off and it hurts my business. And there’s a good chance I’ll get other TechCrunchers sick, too, which is doubly bad.
Anyone who pays attention knows that most people don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom, which should be a criminal offense. Probably ten times a week I don’t shake hands with the excuse that I’m “coming down with something,” even though I’m not.
So let’s start a new trend – not shaking hands. You can do a fist touch instead. or a solid, respectful head nod. I’ll even start bowing if I have to. Fox has a couple of other options, but I absolutely refuse to engage in an elbow bump. Other than that I don’t really care. But just like I don’t swap spit with everyone who walks into a room, I’d prefer not to swap germs via the ancient but disgusting habit of shaking hands, either. Deal?
Thanks to Laura Boychenko for researching hand shakes for me. It’s a fascinatingly heathen practice.
And what do you think about French people kissing when they greet, Michael?
I’m fine with French people being French. But I laugh when I see Americans trying to do it. Personally I don’t like kissing people I’m not related to, or, you know. I do engage in the occasional hug though, as long as it doesn’t get creepy.
Shaking someone’s hand isn’t going to make you get sick unless you rub your eyes or pick your nose with it before you have a chance to wash them. Besides you most likely encounter those same germs elsewhere on a daily basis and you don’t even know it (i.e. bathroom, kitchen, keyboards, phones, etc.).
1. Shake hands.
2. Grab water-free hand sanitizer
3. Use it
4. No worries, happy days
Never going to change the handshake -just do 1-4
could be worse – people could be spitting around you – http://socialec...com/topics/1941
Fist touch would be gud option.. but there’s no wiki article on that yet
But with opposite sex kiss hug or even shake hand is better, without doubt.
hmm, not. wiki has article fist bump.
or if you touch something else that holds on to the germs
Have to agree with Tom here. Instead of trying to get rid of an age-old tradition (which will probably never happen) wouldn’t it just be easier to encourage people to take those little portable hand sanitizers with them? It would be an even healthier alternative IMO.
Exactly, you’re gonna open a door, touch money, etc… Sounds like a case of OCD here. Plus germs help us build immunities so we can fight off stronger attacks later on down the road. Sorry, article was pointless.
Hey Mike, would you hold hands if you ever fall in love with a girl?
only if he loves them enough to share their germs
He’s probably one of those people with a weak sweaty handshake that everyone hates. That’s why he wrote this “article”. This place is like a high school newspaper.
How about shaking your head or your body instead. That would not harm anyone and you would never need to touch anyone also (Let’s do this if we are confident of facing the germs that reside on our body).
Michael, would you agree to it?
“mi germ es tu germ”
Not just French ..Italians do it as well..and some others
Yeah, that’s quite common throughout much of Europe.
How about russians who are use to kiss the person they met…on the lips?
There is a word: being afraid of something doesn’t make you get rid of that something.
You are so afraid to get sick…you will get sick eventually.
One of the reasons people that descend from south and central americans tend to pigeonhole themselves into the sub-class called “latinos” is that they greet themselves with handshakes, kisses, hugs, etc.
First Christmas (oh-boy-that-not-to-be-named), now handshakes, next thing you know, women will be wearing those things they wear in Saudi Arabia.
Really?
This from the guy who doesn’t look people in the eye, is difficult from being around, and hasn’t kissed a girl since the 1980s.
Kinda like getting child raising advice from Charles Manson.
Here’s an idea, skinny: Stick with technology. Leave the social customs for those more apt than yourself.
TechCrunch competitor?
You have OCD. I would see a doctor. Perhaps they can give you some anti-anxiety medication or treat you through therapy.
Ha! Tweeted about making this shift in late April after hearing Northeastern canceled handshakes at commencement. Our proposal – in the spirit of Nimoy (who went to Boston College), the Live Long and Prosper spread-finger thing. Just skipped 150 handshakes at end end of my exam for a recipient’s choice of the Vulcan hand & fist-bump
Original tweet: http://twitter....uses/1662585693
o man i hope i meet you someday, i’m so kissing you
lol.. in the mouth!
pics or it didn’t happen
@Michael: funny: I saw you last day on the new video stream from your office. You started to shake the hand of someone and you kept his hand for over 30 seconds. The guy was really embarrased…
Better let that webcam run at midnight, not during the day
…
funny you saw that. we were negotiating over something.
Butt Fucking Is So Medieval. Let’s End It Too.
Are you suggesting (from the analogy) that we should butt-fukk our female colleagues instead of shaking hands?
Man I like this idea! .. as long as I don’t have to do that with guys as well
Do you touch door knobs? Handrails? Levers on public toilets?
It’s actually really pathetic that the only way TC can get people to comment on this tired blog is to make posts like this or the “bcc story” from whatever company a couple wks back.
TC, you’re clearly losing your fastball.
Hi Michael,
I must say that you are right regarding people who don’t wash hands after going to the bathroom. And it is normal to be afraid of getting sick.
The issue here is that you try to fix your problem by creating problems for others. If you don’t feel comfortable with shaking hands – that’s fine, but don’t try to make it look as a problem for us.
Do you cry yourself to sleep at night?
Try the great Indian Namaste then!
seriously, because it sounds like you have issues man….you should NOT have posted this item…
all abit paranoid there I think Michael. Handshakes are a good way to introduce yourself in a respectful manner surely?
Just keep your own hands clean and you should be fine.
As long as handshakes don’t become limp then I will be fine.
Yeah i agree (i’m european)… its kinda like the whole american bubble thing (people have a privacy space that shouldn’t be “invaded” bla bla bla), contact if its respectable or with good intentions is always a good thing, little contact or none is not friendly or social at all, you learn a lot from a handshake or a kiss or a hug or a pat in the back…
also the more you keep away from the germs the more vulnerable you will be when you do get them, that’s why city folk have way more incidence of asma (1 in 4 children) and other vulnerabilities on their immune system, its all the disinfectants and sanitizers and the added pollution… not saying people shouldn’t take a bath, but going overboard with cleanliness is also not the answer ^_^
We do have bubbles and I like our bubbles. Someone’s standing too close to me? They’re “all up in my face”. I don’t like people “all up in my face”. It makes me feel like backing up and/or swinging at them no matter how good I felt before they got too close to me or how innocent their intentions were before, during, or after. It’s nothing personal, either; I just don’t like how it feels. I don’t even know if it’s an American thing or just an instinct to want to be able to see clearly around me at all times without seeing (and sometimes smelling) some well-meaning gal or guy “all up in my face”. If I need you that close to me I’ll let you know; it’s a rare thing if I don’t know you well or at all.
Same for handshaking; I really can’t stand it. Kisses on the cheek? I have one friend who will greet me no other way, even if she sees me all the time. But I find that unpleasant, as well. Hugging is not acceptable among people who have just met, so that’s pretty much out of the question; fist-touches? I don’t know…why can’t people just say “Hello/nice to meet you”, smile, and be done with it?
Marah: You are soooo white.
hear hear…..hand sanitizers??? u kidding me? they are the worst creation in our history….hand sanitizers are gonna wipe out the human race cause we have become so scared of germs and are all developing OCD. and this notion of personal space…it’s all subjective and there is no standard. ppl in the west need to rediscover thier sense of community and not freak out if someone is standing too close….maybe the world would be a better place for it.
French people don’t kiss, they also shake hands.
Stop with your stupid predjudices…
Well, actually…they do, but every person they see. I actually like the french handshake – just an up and down…no two handed or preacherly type…just straight forward businesslike shake.
French office people actually go around and great each other when they first see them in the morning where you might bisous a coworker. Guys can do a handshake. No waving while walking by sort of thing.
EDIT: they do, but NOT every person they see.
Michael: do you notice the faint Howard Hugues undertones in this post ?
lets not forget the hints of a Howie Mandela psychosis.
i would rather see the end of TC articles about any startup or website with “TWIT” in its name. start out with a 30-day detox commitment. i know its not gonna be easy and its gonna take time. it will force writers to focus on real game changing startups.
i think Techgods like big M should hire a greeter for them or just wear surgical gloves. kinda like micheal jackson. pick a color.
SafetyLocator.com – protect yourself
Surgical gloves for handshaking does sound like a potential solution. I’m a bit of germaphobe myself, but haven’t tried the gloves yet.
“Its the way of the future… way of the future, way of the future, way of the future……”
Show me the blueprints?
(one of the greatest movies of all time, I’ve become a little OCD since watching it too lol)
HH w/o the $$$, brains and creativity
French people don’t actually KISS, they feign it. Americans are the goosey ones.
There are germs all over you. Most are actually beneficial, or you’d block up and die from that ham on rye.
You should die from having sex alone, shouldn’t you? I’m not describing the acts nor asking but porn has given you some disgusting manners quite possibly.
Wake up, Mike. Fecal matter and sneezing are the main problems and not washing after you go or sneeze and especially not sneezing into the open or your hands without hygiene the main cause of any flu.
Just to say that in south european countries (such as france), people shake hands and, if at least one of the two people is a women AND if they are friends (or family or whatever) they “kiss” each other on the cheek.
-> actually, it’s not a real kiss, you just touch the other’s cheek with yours making a little noise. Thinking about it, I agree it’s quite weird ^^ (I’m french)
PS: Sorry for my english
Hi guys i know its rather late,,,but i think i should share this,,according to latest,,and latest not medieval; research touching skins create fondness and positive feeling for the other person,stranger or not,even when you brush your skin against someone your mind registers that person as a positive entity,,and that is the point of hand shake inst it??
and i am saying this in hopes that it will help the tech crunch guy that wrote this article,,and maybe will help him get help
Spermatophobia or Spermophobia- Fear of germs.
i think you have a phobia,,if you think about germs when shaking hands,,you really need help,,,once you shakes hands then you will be thinking all the rest of the time about sneaking out of there and into the bathroom to wash hands,
this is a serious problem.
I say this because my father is a doctor and i developed this syndrome when i was a kid,i used to clasp my hands into fists ALLLLLL day long for the fear of germs getting on my hands and i didn’t touch anyone,,my father treated me by just touching my hand on his face and telling me that germs cant cause disease most of the time,the things you eat,,,the air you breath and even any and ALL of the surfaces you touch have germs,,,and our body has defenses against nearly all of them,,you need other pieces of the puzzle to get sick,
just thought hard facts might motivate you more then angry comments i see around here,,,hope it helps,,
I see so many people sneezing into their hands, sometimes right before greeting others with the same hand!
The protocol should be to sneeze into your arm…this is the way it is taught in certified food manufacturing facilities for example to avoid potential contamination.
I think fist bumping may just become the new handshake…it’s way cooler looking too.
Tim ~ pooptheworld.com
Michael;
How did you pay for your coffee this morning? Did you use gloves to open up your office door?
Loose change and door knobs have more germs per square inch than a recently sneezed upon hand.
Look, if you want to keep from getting sick but limited comntacting with germy things you touch, get yourself outfitted with a giant gerbil ball.
Bubbleboy!
- Don Power
The hand shake started as a gesture of trust and mutual respect. I think that it is a shame that there are people out there that are that worried about getting the sniffles that they want to end this. If you are in a business meeting with me and do not want to shake my hand, not only will I be offended, but I probably will not do business with you. There are so many things that are “bad for you” now days that it makes me sick.
Agreed 100%. The fist-bump trend pleases me, hope it catches on mainstream.
Uhh, fist bumps are pretty much a relic of the the ’80s. If you went to high school in the eighties everyone was doing it. Ridiculous how pundits on TV talk about it like Obama invented it. With my longtime friends, this is how we still do it. I think fist bumps are fine for close friends and the dude who just helped you load your truck.
Mike get over yourself – you’re getting WAY to caught up in swine flu hype.
Shaking hands is an important way to form a bond and you can tell a lot about a person by how the conduct themself in that single transaction.
I do remember though you did NOT shake my hand the first time we met, so now at least after all these years, I can let go of all that pain, frustration, and anger. Thank you for the emotional catharsis.
“get over yourself” seems a little harsh.
Its all in the intonation
– I was going to say “I do hope you’d reconsider”, but I thought the 2nd version made for a more sensational blog comment
The published version was better.
I think the small amount of germs we pass via handshaking actually gives our immune system a heads-up before we are introduced the the same germs at a larger scale later on. Remember, the polio outbreak 100 years ago was largely the result of a lack of early exposure. Studies show the same thing with asthma today… kids raised around farm animals have a much lower rate.
My wife grew up on a farm, and her family’s immune systems are all noticeably stronger than what my city eyes have experienced. There is definitely something to being exposed to allergens and an environment that is not overly sanitized.
My city raised family on the other hand is another story. Most of us suffer from spring allergies, and have a front row seat during cold seasons
Seriously though, you do need to get over yourself.
“caught up in swine flu hype”
I request you to visit http://flutrack....rhizalabs.com/ on a daily basis.
You will know for sure if this is hype or not.
Now Media has been instructed not to “say” anything on H1N1, but the way in which this is being progressing is ALARMING.
US now has more confirmed cases than Mexico.
Actually, the map on that page has mexico having more cases than the US. And in any case, we have three times the population of mexico. Per capita, it’s not even close. And both numbers are miniscule.
Shaking hands is only important in cultures that shake hands.
There are many that don’t.
How about we don’t eliminate the hand-shake, or the letter witting, face to face communication, real friends.
Twitter can pretty much replace it all.
Nice. We’ll just stand in front of each other and tweet the greeting.
Just have some auto-id thing that’ll tweet it for you, no need to make technology get in your way and all.
Totally agree. The number of times I’ve walked into a client’s office to capture them with their hand knuckle deep — is one more than I care to remember.
I too hope the knuckle tap, fist bump or even a simple nod takes over this stupid tradition of shaking hands.
And no, I didn’t shake…
I do the nod a lot. But I suppose it’s seen as quite informal.
It’s what 12 year olds do before they grow up.
Yeah, Michael – it can be disgusting.
But think about all the thing you “feel” in those 2 seconds, when you grab the hand, when you stare into the soul of the person.. You don’t want to miss that. No you don’t.
That’s why we keep doing it. It tells us 97 % of everything we need to know about a person. And that’s the same reason we’ve done it for centuries.
And people who don’t want to shake my hand can just walk past me. TYVM!
What scientific proof do you have that a hand shake lets you know 97% who that person is?
I’ll gladly let you keep in walking past me as I have no interest in people who need to touch me to know me. If you close your mouth, let me speak and listen to what I have to say; then you will know who I am.
Well, then he pretty much learned something about you, didn’t he?
Despite our best efforts we sometimes still have to participate in society. Shaking hands is a humanist, egalitarian gesture.
I thought it had been replaced by beaming your vCard to their phone.
While your at it, can you get rid of ties too. There are few pieces of clothing that have less use than a tie. Not sure why a tie is considered so important to presently a good business appearance because if i hang random other pieces of clothing around my neck i guarantee it will not give the same impression!
seriously greg! how outdated tie style is still in play is beyond me. creativity is stifled and men live in yesteryear because of it. i agree with john that “Shaking hands is a humanist, egalitarian gesture” and that is why we continue. MA should come up with a similar but original solution.
Ties are an extremely profitable business.
You have to use this little bit of cloth and you can “fashion it”, style it, brand it and sell it to people with lots of disposable income.
When you give a few of the guys with really huge stashes of disposable income, they make it a rule for the others they work with (employees) to wear ties.
The boss gets a cut or a free set of awesome suits (affiliate marketing / partner program) while the culture that is propagated gets long-term stable business for the tie maker.
Same with short professional business skirts for women. Pity that women in the West do not understand that short/business skirts are both *sexual* and *economic* exploitation.
Ask your company to provide the professional short skirts and they will cut it from your salary.
“Who does not like sexy legs?”
Take a look at women’s clothing a couple hundred years ago in both Europe and the Americas and you will find the shocking difference. The men in today’s West do not care for women in their family. That’s a chronic cultural disorder sustained *only* by clothing corporates.
Sorry for veering off-topic, but this handshake / culture talk reminded me of the cultural anomaly of the western female “professional” attire – too relevant to miss out.
I’m with Jason, nobody is forced to shake hands – it’s not that important – these sort of ‘old fashioned’ niceties smooth the way a bit and keep us all civil but you don’t have to do it.
Hip-hop hugs, FTW!
Well there goes my dream of making out with Mike the first time I meet him. Thanks a lot, asshole.
Haters, who can tell?
the “fist bump”-such a warm, human action-let’s reduce all human contact to that of the animal world-a totally asinine suggestion from a sad paranoidal…
I’m not suggesting we smell eachother’s butts, which is Laguna’s preferred method of greeting.
I’ve seen worse.
seen or smelled?
That was WAY too easy…
I agree with Adon. I think you’re using the germ argument to cover for something else. The hand shake is an important social ritual that is practiced around the world. It serves very important purposes depending on the circumstances. A hand shake gives a tremendous amount of non-verbal information in a very efficient way.
The fist bump is still physical contact, albeit more limited. So, you could still pass germs. It also has a very different (much less formal) message and provides much less non-verbal information.
If germs are your primary concern. Carry a small bottle of germx in your pocket. People might ask why you have it out right after the greeting. Tell them and offer them some. It may still come off as a bit odd, but then you can focus on the purpose of the greeting and worry less about it.
The hand shake is a social ritual that was popularized by certain “powerful” countries and forced upon cultures that greet people in other ways.
This reminds me of Seinfeld’s episode “The Opposite” when Pendant Publishing goes out of business because Mr. Lippman refused to shake the Japanese business man’s hand because he was sick and had just sneezed into his hands.
But as far as the handshake goes, I think it adds a personal touch to our interactions with one another.
Also the episode, “The Kiss Hello.”
A few ideas…
A) Everyone carries around a sticky hand (http://www.nove.../stickyhand.jpg). The new “modern” handshake involves both parties trying to hit each other’s sticky hands with their own. It’s fun, simple, and no germs on our hands. And they can be edible, too, thus defeating the entire purpose three times over!
B) Everyone carries around whips. The new handshake involves mutual whipping. This would allow people to still assert their dominance: previous “knuckle crunchers” would be able to whip their acquaintances to death!
C) Everyone carries around biodegradable bubblegum. To replace handshakes, each party blows a giant bubble until the bubbles touch each other, at which point they both spit out their now-connected double bubble. The double bubble fosters a physical “bond,” and upon being spit out it serves as a reminder to everyone else that those two parties engaged in an interaction.
2 words-waterless handwash-if you continue to obsess…
it seems so much easier to change the world to suit me rather than change myself to fit in.
Kryptonite, ah.
TRANSLATION: “Slow news day”
Well, i was getting ready to sledge you Arrington because i’m an Aussie and to suggest doing away with handshakes is like farting emphatically in a meeting or naming your first born ‘Cecil’. However then i saw your most recent comment and it reminded of a quote:
The reasonable man adapts himself to suit the world. The unreasonable man adapts the world to suit him. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
I’ll forgive you this once because i like this quote. Those germs you get from peoples hands strengthen your immune system and without it you’d die. Think about that or go live in a bubble. The handshake stays.
I totally agree with Michael A. I like the slight bow of the head. Being female, I can get away with that.
wow, great videos on your site. that squirrel one is awesome. and i just twittered the iphone one.
Thanks. That should get some more traffic to my site.
mate mikey, stop trying to pick up female readers. lol.
specially lame on a discussion about further limiting what little physical contact you seem to have with other humans.
can’t be healthy mate, wanting to not touch others. see a shrink or something.
Well-played. And quite funny.
In a non-business setting you (as a woman) have control over the situation. Etiquette dictates that if the woman extends her hand, the male should shake it…the male shouldn’t initiate it. He should follow her lead.
In business, it’s more progressive and women are treated as equals.
Hand shaking etiquette:
http://www.esso...-hands_4886.htm
Yeah, I’m old school – but I still open doors for dates and chew with my mouth closed – elbows off the table!
hey, u’ll like Japan where physical contact (including shaking of hands) is minimized, perhaps because of cultural factors. except for close friends/relatives or maybe businesspeople you work with because u dont want to offend them (much like what u do…)
however for foreigners, japanese people may tend to shake hands instead as a general assumption that foreigners are more used to handshakes than bowing.
im half-japanese, and am not the best person to make a commentary but that’s just my 2 cents’ worth:)
you mean half bowing? people use that if they have their hand full or dity.
100% agreement. My preferred method of greeting is the smirk; I welcome all to smirk right back at me.
I’m more of a sigher, but I hope we can still do business.
Mike! I love this website for revealing new technologies, and i think this kind of article fits a personal Blog.
Now that you succeeded you can afford one.
i get to write whatever i want on friday nights. Heather said so.
Maybe you should buy a bigger fridge.
TechCrunch becomes HandCrunch with today’s ARGH (Arrington’s Reflection Gives Hope).
Weird, weird article.
If you feel the need to air your OCD/phobias publicly then surely a personal blog is the appropriate method. Or join a help group.
hahahahah.. totally agree.. what a freak… you can get germs just touching a chair, a a bottle and whatever! this guy will be jacko jackson in 3 months…
Or surely you could simply not read this blog?
OCD Michael?
I remember reading the same about Donald Trump – He would hate to shake hands and go to pains to avoid it
Michael, people will spit on you anyways, so you’ll get your germs even without handshake.
glad to see europe is awake and bitchy.
They’re usually at least one or the other.
I like them extra bitchy.
Do they come in any other flavor besides bitchy? (hint: no)
OCD much? I agree with Jason Nazar and say, “get over yourself.”
Shaking hands is more than just a greeting, it can be a sign of affection, not as strong as a hug, but more than a wave.
If you’re so scared of germs, carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer, and discreetly use it every so often.
I agree. It is a sign of respect.
If you are that germ phobic then use hand sanitizer.
Haha, @ the McCain-Obama video. What a move by McCain, the old tap on the far side of the shoulder then pretend you didn’t do it. You old rascal you.
Michael…let me just say…this is one of the most hilarious rants I’ve heard in a long time. In that same breath it’s also one of the smartest. I wholeheartedly support this cause and I wish it all the best of luck. No sarcasm intended…Hand shakes are definitely, as you poignantly state, medieval.
And stupid. Please tell me what the point of a handshake is except to make physical contact that both parties normally do *not* feel like making, to expediently exchange germs, and to use the handshake as a symbol for some sort of emotion at meeting that quite frankly, neither party actually can actually feel (after all you’ve just met – you don’t know each other at all – so what’s so great about it?). It’s a waste of time and good health. 110% in agreement with Arrington on this one.
Didn’t read the whole series of replies, but Michael’s objection to hand-shaking on the basis of cleanliness and infection avoidance is based on some misconceptions about the relative risks of hand-shaking when viewed in light of the myriad actions we perform every day which can also infect. Also, for the vast majority, the way in which we take care of ourselves and prepare our bodies to fight everyday infections is more important than how many people you’re shaking hands with. A few years back, in order to quit smoking, I had to quit drinking because having beers was causing me to relapse. I then started to lose weight and work out. I then started to think about what I was eating. I’ve had about two colds since then.
Also, with regard to the idea that nobody is forced to shake hands, whoever believes that clearly isn’t in business. If you refuse to shake hands at a business meeting, it’s a faux pas. It doesn’t matter if you say ‘I have a cold, sorry’. You’ll be off on the wrong foot with a lot of people.
What does this have to do with TechCrunch’s editorial remit? Bizarre article written by a poor sod suffering from a pretty severe case of OCD. I think whoever wrote “get over yourself” said it all really!
come on Michael, get over it, its no big deal & you have just wasted whole webpage for it and the time for me and others who have read it and then replied over…
I issue is not hand-shaking, the virus in the air is actually more than on just hand.
The issue is personal hygiene, if we all consider it our duty to keep ourself (specially hands) clean, no one will get any problem from shaking hand.
so dont create problems out of anything… it is such a nice friendly gesture and we need to keep it alive. what if tomorrow you come up with an idea that with french kiss we get germs so we should stop doing that as well… come on, come back to ground and start living…
You don’t get sick from being exposed to germs…you’re exposed to germs and bacteria 100% of the time. You get sick from having a poor immune system, which happens when you try and over protect yourself by overusing detergents etc.
Your immune system probably sucks…man up and go lick a toilet seat.
I agree—the handshake is probably a net gain for your immune system. More and more evidence is mounting that trying to isolate yourself from germs actually makes you more likely to get sick when you inevitably come into contact with a bad germ/virus.
I think it’s very important to shake hands (or even kiss) as a first contact with someone that you *want* to know and it’s sad to see that many people would like to abort this practice just because they’re scared of germs; I see just another campaign to scare people.
Soon or far you’ll propose me to Skype with my friend instead of talking personally because his breath would likely have some germs that could get me sick?
If you assume that the person you’ve in front is not clean – or even if you *don’t want* to know a person, but you do have to get in contact with him/her – you’ve all the reasons not to shake his hand.
Gotcha! How about just cleaning your hands and try to spread the word? It might be easier than changing the way of greeting people, WDYT?
Micheal, could you tell me what you think about this? http://www.free...gscampaign.org/
How about t-shirt with “let’s end up hand shaking” sign on it
But from energy point of view (which is my profession) more you focus on it and more you are scare of it, it’s more likely you will attract those germs.
Check the movie The Secret and you will understand more how law of attraction works.
Partially I agree with you but you have to be more relaxed about it. Your fear is biggest problem here. Not germs.
haha, the law of attraction – I love that stuff. The more and the more I live, the more I believe that is so true. you think it, you attract it
Medieval is good.
I agree, especially if you are a lord excercising your “primae noctis” right.
The true purpose of this post is to let the Techcrunch team know they had better wash their hands following a number 1 (number 2 is obvious, isn’t is??!?), or Michael puts a CrunchCam in the bathroom.
After all, they share keyboards, mice, food etc.
I really don’t get some of the rants I see. Is there nothing else to write about sometimes? If you don’t want to shake hands then don’t. Simply say you prefer not to. But for the vast majority that appreciate it as a way to meet people, we will continue to do so… as long as their not sweaty… I’ll give you that.
There are also upsides: http://www.huff...e_b_129441.html
Dude
You are getting a bit weird Mike. Maybe in the future we’ll see you hanging around with the other Michael, the Jackson. He’s more avantgarde though, he already uses masks.
Goodness grief, a typical case of obsession with health gone horribly wrong.
An immune system is like anything else in your body, it needs to exercise to be healthy and in good working order. The occasional new germ (I say ‘new’ since germs are an important part of our body’s functions, like digesting and we carry billions of types around with us) is a nice chance for your immune system to build up some resistance.
Without that, when you do meet a real threat, you’d have nothing but a deadbeat, lazy immune system to fight it with.
Now I’m not preaching that you go swallow every type of snake poison to build up resistance, and snack on nuclear waste.. but cmon, a hand shake has less germs then the average food item you’d eat, and plenty of the real nasty’s are air born anyhow.
Embrace the fact that your a human being, and being, well, biological is part of that.. and germs comes with the territory
1. Start a campaign to get the filthy masses to wash their hands (and not to fear the soap – soap is your friend).
2. As to germs; you can pick them up all over the place. Living in a glass bubble will simply destroy your immune system.
3. Destroying thousands of years international cultural heritage is more than a little extreme just to overcome your personal hygiene insecurities.
I’ve got an iPhone app coming called iWipe which should help you out with your phobia, Michael.
well michael, plenty for you to ponder-germs are part of our everyday environment-we need to keep acquiring ongoing immunity!
Oh vey. You must be doing very well Arrington to be worrying about such innocuous customs.
There are actually a few alternatives: fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline…
Oh please, as if the environment didn’t provide any germs for our delight.
Rating for the post:
Originality:1/10
Topical Relevance:3/10
Execution: 7/10
Validity for argument: 1/10
Comments: Could do better
Geyt over it you stupid queer
buy some kind of baby wipes and be done with it. geez.
or maybe since you wanna feel all techno you could videoconference more and go around disgusting germ carriers (so called humans) less..
iWipe sounds pretty useful Kelvin, can I use it in the bog as well.
Mr Trump has got it right, apart from that dodgy barnet.
Just nod your head to someone you meet for the first time, instead of shaking hands.
I mean have you seen the amount of people that leave the public bogs after doing a jimmy riddle, without washing their hands.
I don’t like people pissing on me, if you get my drift.
You nod to people you pass, not to people you meet. That’s just rude and wussy.
And btw, to connect with my previous comment, now I understand why it happened that spitting incident to you. You attract it with your fear. Very obvious.
Please check The Secret movie, it will give you many answers. Researching germs in hand shaking gives you only one dimension of what is really happening here.
johny-you need to make your comments less obscure-what is The Secret Movie? what does it have to do with hygiene?
The Secret is name of the movie, thesecret.tv, and it has everything to do with this topic.
It’s about us attracting things and situations in life with our emotions, way of thinking and behaviour.
Michael obviously have fear in these perticular situations and in this movie it’s explained how fear actually attracts more of it. It’s not some blah blah thing, behind movie are some of the leading world scientists.
My suggestion is that even we are doing things which we believe are wrong we have to be able to control our self for a sake of not making it worse and accept those situations with bit more positive attitude.
Nothing in life is accident and his spitting incident from few months ago is just showing him one of his biggest fears.
But i know that many people are not ready to believe in this.
I just suggest watch the movie and you will observe things on different way. I can even send you direct link for download if you want. Just contact me on Twitter.
That’s just another way to make money of people who want to believe anything.
http://en.wikip...iki/The_Secret_(Book)#Criticism
This is deja-vu, just had a conversation on the same topic earlier in the day where I was telling someone that we should stop hand-shakes to reduce the spreading of germs and instead do the “namaste w/ folded hands” as a greeting.
Bows, smiles, head nods should also work.
If I want namaste I’ll watch the yoga chicks on public TV.
How about this as a new ritual:
First we stand exactly 2 feet apart at which point we do a stylish curtsy, followed by a quick yet elegant waving of the hands towards our noses (much like you would waft a fragrance).
Or, we can up the dosage on our anti-anxiety meds just enough to enable us to stomach the handshake ritual without fear of catching dengue fever and leprosy.
Besides, Purell makes a 1.5 oz ‘travel size’ that fits easily in your pocket. Carry it everywhere you go and you’ll be fine.
It’s all in your head.
Actually, you could invent a product that fires a small mist of purell like substance when you extend your hand. Like spidey’s web wrist thingy.
Between techcrunch tablet and this thing, seems like a toss up!!