Mason  🏃‍♂️ ✂️

Going forward, a lot more people should be concerned with viral load. Even post-corona vaccine. Handshakes → bows, nods. Going to work or a dinner/party sick should be received like showing up drunk & agitated.https://twitter.com/barneyp/status/1248298842425966592 …

Generally good ideas but you’re not getting rid of handshakes. No need to either if you’re also promoting good hygiene. I probably wash my hands 25 times a day and have since I was a kid. Just a habit I developed many years ago.

I cannot imagine that the typical person is more likely to start washing their hands hourly than to stop shaking hands

Handshakes are very important. It’s not just hello to a lot of people. And you’re arguing for an extreme when it isn’t necessary. You want to change human culture for what is ultimately very low risk. That’s not a fair trade when a more measured response is approp

Do you think handshakes are *human* culture? Are cheek kisses human culture? Are bows human culture? Frankly, I think it's a bit strange that we culturally obligate people to touch strangers. And we make light of it, but it is at times extremely uncomfortable.

Last I checked westerners are humans, yes. You still haven’t justified such a drastic change that connects human animals versus risks that we’ve had for tens of thousands of years and still somehow managed to develop cultures that value contact.

Clearly you are already uncomfortable with human contact. That’s fine, nobody is obligating you to shake hands or hug or kiss cheeks. Demanding others change personal behavior in the face of very low risk seems oddly incongruous for you (I’ve been following you for awhile).

I'm not demanding anyone do anything. You're being disingenuous in a number of ways, including by calling this a "human" norm. Plenty of humans don't practice it and bow or nod instead. I assume if I say "many people are currently pressured to shake hands," you'll deny that.