The 45th President of The United States of America uses handshakes to assert himself and signal his dominance. Did you see the embarrassing way in which he squeezed and held on to Shinzo Abe's hand last week? It was quite disrespectful. Mr Abe was doing his best to pull away but the 45th President held on, beaming triumphantly at the cameras.
Some men are of the opinion that a handshake should be so firm it's almost vice-like. Perhaps they see it as a way of signalling their manliness or their sincerity or like the 45th President - their dominance. Other men have weak and rather gentle handshakes so that the proffered hand feels like a limp lettuce. My own handshake is in between the two - firm but not knuckle-cracking. I don't want to dominate, I just want to say hello - we are equal.
You need to be careful with overly firm handshakes as sometimes they can hurt the recipient. He or she may be slightly arthritic or they may have a ring or two on their fingers. They may have had a recent hand injury. Squeezing too hard could be painful.
Another tactic the 45th President employs is to use his spare hand to grip the receiver's arm as if to say, "We are shaking hands but I'm in charge here buddy! Make no mistake!" What at first appears to be a friendly greeting becomes a non-verbal interactive device, a tool of assertion.
I wonder what your philosophy is when it comes to shaking hands with others?
CAPTION COMPETITION - Canadian PM Justin Trudeau
meeting The 45th President earlier today:-
Trudeau: (thinking) "Come on, self - shake hands, SHAKE HANDS!! ... No, I just can't."
ReplyDeleteI shake hands if someone else offers theirs. I've grown to like hugs from people I know. That came about during my father's illness and passing. I hugged him a lot, and found that hugs given to and received from other people were very comforting. I was never a huggy person except with my immediate family so that kind of surprised me.
I'm not into hugs or greeting kisses upon cheeks. I guess I come from an age when English people just didn't do stuff like that.
DeleteTRUMP Have a look at my pet ladybird Jason. I call him Spotty. Wanna know why?
DeleteHa ha!
DeleteThe hugs I'm talking about are heartfelt ones. You're probably referring to heartless social hugs :)
Trudeau has a natural strength and charm about him....
ReplyDeleteFrom what i know of him he seems like a good man and if I were Canadian I would be happy to have him as my political leader.
DeleteThe handshake is a very important signal in so many ways and your assessment of P45's approach seems very accurate to me. I prefer a very middle of the road approach which lets people know that I'm sincere but not subservient nor wishing to dominate.
ReplyDelete"sincere but not subservient nor wishing to dominate"...Yes! that's how a handshake should be Graham.
DeleteI hate limp,soft handshakes. They make me cringe. I like a good firm handshake...and that's what I give.
ReplyDeleteWe can read a lot into a handshake.
DeleteI try to shake as if I'm alive and to say hello. I really hate those handshakes that make you think you'll end up with a broken hand. As for a caption? I don't want to touch those hands!
ReplyDeleteIs Trump saying that or Justin?
DeleteDid you see the epic eye roll Mr. Abe did as soon as Trump released his hand? It was the best thing ever!!! Haha.
ReplyDeleteI love the photo of Trudeau and Trump and the expression on Trudeau's face.
Yes. I did see that eye roll - it showed relief that he had broken away.
DeleteThe look on Trudeau's face - "No thanks, I won't shake, I don't know where it's been !"
ReplyDeleteHa-ha! No one knows what Trump has been grabbing today.
DeleteJT: 'No JD, that is not my idea of being openhanded....'
ReplyDeleteAlphie
Nice one Alphie. Has Trump changed his name to Jack Daniels?
DeleteI blame the keyboard - it's dyslexic.
DeleteAlphie
I wasn't aware of that scene with Mr Abe until reading about it here on your blog, but it fits everything else I have seen or heard about Trump so far.
ReplyDeleteCaption for the Trudeau picture:
Trump: Mine is thaaat big!
Trudeau: Umm... too much information. (Thinks: When can I get out of this? Should I signal my personal assistant to come up with the excuse of a sudden crisis having broken out in my country?)
As for handshakes, I agree with your approach - firm enough without hurting, definitely not limp.
As with everything else, Trump doesn't follow normal protocol. He may have used those selfish, domineering handshakes in business but they are inappropriate in international relations.
DeleteI hate limp handshakes - they make me shudder. I prefer a nice firm handshake and make sure I give one too, although I try not to squeeze the life out of people. As for the caption, Trudeau looks like he's thinking "No thanks, I don't know where it's been".
ReplyDeleteGreat minds think alike. See what Coppa's Girl wrote above.
DeleteCops and Addy got there before me, but Trudeau's look plainly says, "I don't want to touch that hand. I don't know where it's been."
ReplyDeleteIt strikes me that Trudeau, Trump, Obama, and the Duke of Edinburgh are all very tall. Maybe you can address in a future post why tall people often end up in positions of leadership.
See Coppa Girl's response below!
DeleteBy the way I am the same height as The Duke of Edinburgh. Also, James Madison was only 5 feet 4 inches tall - the shortest US president of all.
They don't need to carry round a pair of stepladders???
ReplyDeleteApparently Trump's thing is also to pull the person toward him, as an exercise in dominance. He's really not shaking their hand in any kind of friendly or collegial way. He's showing them who's boss.
ReplyDeleteTrudeau is definitely wondering where that hand's been, or what will happen to him if he touches it.
I don't blame Monsieur Trudeau. All that ***** grabbing must unhygienic.
DeleteTRUMP Wanna know what that is Justin?
ReplyDeleteTRUDEAU Err..okay.
TRUMP That's spermatozoa my friend. Wanna know how I made it?
TRUDEAU Ugh! No way! Beam me up Scottie!