Comments on: NYTimes: “For Teenagers, Hello Means ‘How About a Hug?’” http://blog.hunterword.com/2009/06/19/nytimes-for-teenagers-hello-means-%e2%80%98how-about-a-hug%e2%80%99/ News, Commentary, Opinion, Dialogue Mon, 24 Jan 2011 17:03:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Gregg Morris http://blog.hunterword.com/2009/06/19/nytimes-for-teenagers-hello-means-%e2%80%98how-about-a-hug%e2%80%99/comment-page-1/#comment-495 Gregg Morris Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:56:12 +0000 http://blog.hunterword.com/?p=2497#comment-495 The Times publishes stories like this from time to time. That is, a NYT reporter will gather what he or she considers sufficient anecdotal information/research about some form of social interaction and then write a story as if it was some new phenomenon of social behavior discovered by, yep, the Times. These are rarely hard news stories. What I've also noticed is how people use other forms of greetings, such as that by Michelle and Barack Obama fist bumping <object width="400" height="324"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EGBikSDv4nM&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EGBikSDv4nM&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="324"></embed></object> And then, of course, there were people greeting with Hi-5s and Low-5s. But the request for the hug, I think, has more significance than just the hug. Hope that makes sense. The Times publishes stories like this from time to time. That is, a NYT reporter will gather what he or she considers sufficient anecdotal information/research about some form of social interaction and then write a story as if it was some new phenomenon of social behavior discovered by, yep, the Times. These are rarely hard news stories.

What I’ve also noticed is how people use other forms of greetings, such as that by Michelle and Barack Obama fist bumping

And then, of course, there were people greeting with Hi-5s and Low-5s. But the request for the hug, I think, has more significance than just the hug. Hope that makes sense.

]]> By: H.M. http://blog.hunterword.com/2009/06/19/nytimes-for-teenagers-hello-means-%e2%80%98how-about-a-hug%e2%80%99/comment-page-1/#comment-494 H.M. Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:37:14 +0000 http://blog.hunterword.com/?p=2497#comment-494 I read this piece when it came out, and have to admit that I scoffed repeatedly. I agree, if there is a hug epidemic now, then there has been one for quite some time. It didn't just break out at some random middle school. It's a hug, for chrissakes. I hug people sometimes when I meet them for the first time. It's like a handshake. Middle school kids hug each other. Big whoop. I read this piece when it came out, and have to admit that I scoffed repeatedly. I agree, if there is a hug epidemic now, then there has been one for quite some time. It didn’t just break out at some random middle school. It’s a hug, for chrissakes. I hug people sometimes when I meet them for the first time. It’s like a handshake. Middle school kids hug each other. Big whoop.

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