I like to hug. People, animals, trees, you name it and I'll probably give it a squeeze -- well, as long as it's not poisonous, dangerous or a person who's a complete stranger. If you've ever met me, we've probably hugged. I'm a big fan of platonic hugging, and few things in life make me happier.
However, I've come to the realization that Canadians do not hug. I mean, they do occasionally, but you will be hard pressed to find a Canadian willing to hug someone they aren't dating, sleeping with or related to. In the eight months since I've been here, I have hugged exactly two people. One wasn't even born in the country, although I suppose she counts since she's a permanent resident. The other person was definitely Canadian, although the hug was completely awkward and insincere. I think I caught the poor girl by surprise.
I've mentioned this point to quite a few Canadians. I can't mention how many times I've asked, "Why don't you guys like to hug? What is the deal?" People answer me with baffled expressions and a half-hearted reply along the lines of "But we do hug ... sometimes." (Uh yeah, only if you're romantically involved, related, or drunk.)
Apparently I'm not the only person to be confused by the Canuck habit of no touching. After a final exam, a foreign born student of mine ran up to a Canadian and gave the girl a hug. The Canadian froze up, looking completely shocked. She then grimaced, drew in a shuddering breath, and stepped out the hug. After the non-Canadian ran off, the girl turned to me and muttered, "Canadians don't do that."
I have yet to find out why there's an unspoken no hugging rule in Canada. In fact, body space seems to generally be more of an issue here than in the States. People stand as far apart as possible, and rarely make any sort of physical contact. It reminds me of little boys and girls on the playground, afraid of touching each other and getting Cooties. Maybe adult Canadians are secret carriers of that dreaded childhood disease? Who knows.
At any rate, I want to start a hugging revolution here. There's a wonderful YouTube video ('Free Hugs Campaign') in which a young man offers up free hugs to strangers. The video has had over 65 million hits and spawned a Free Hug Movement. It's pretty radical, in my opinion. Not surprisingly, a lot of the Free Hugs videos take place in fairly contact friendly countries, like Spain, Australia and the USA. Canada does have some, but not nearly as many. Part of me is tempted to start a Free Hugs campaign up in the frozen north. The weather might be cold, but I don't think people need to be.
(Oh, and before anyone jumps on my back and comments how warm and friendly Canadians are ... you're welcome to give me a hug and change my mind!)
2 comments:
Nice! We have a similar campain in Norway. Every year a group of people have this campain in Oslo, and the man "behind" this, is also the founder of our blogplatform. Is it ok if I copy this to my blog, and link to your blog?
Yes, of course. Thank you for asking! I would love to hear more about this campaign in Oslo. Does it happen every year? And when? Such a great idea. :)
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