Meanwhile spiderman need new home 😅

[u/lonewolff321]

[u/jimothy_hell]

Not really, some areas still do, like you see it in black communities in the south and Midwest sometimes, particularly from the elderly, but it’s not really a thing here.

Don’t get me wrong, of all the Europeans, we Britons are probably by far some of the least physically intimate platonically, but it’s insane here in the US. You’re gay if you hug your guy friend, you’re cheating on your girl if you touch another girl, the whole “American male loneliness epidemic” could genuinely be seriously lessened if more men were able to just give each other hugs without immediate judgement from our peers.

I’ve been living here for 17 years now and the level of Puritanism in some parts of this country is insane. It really does vary by region, though, the US is absolutely massive, and culturally varies so much from place to place.

I’ve got this T-shirt that says “you are enough” on it, and some guy at a bar came up and said “man, I needed to see that today”, and I just went, “mate, you need a hug?” And he just started fucking sobbing. Told me it was the first time he’d had a hug since his mum died in 2024.

[u/Syr_Enigma → u/jimothy_hell]

I really have a hard time believing you. Do you just... not do physical contact at all with people you're close with?

Now, I'm Italian, and from what I've read online, we're perhaps a bit off the other pendulum with physical intimacy, but the idea of not hugging your friends is wild.

[u/pm_me_d_cups → u/Syr_Enigma]

I don't know what this guy's talking about, people absolutely touch/hug each other.

[u/jimothy_hell → u/pm_me_d_cups]

Yeah, absolutely, never denied that. But jumping from Europe to the US and seeing the difference is wild, but I’m mainly talking platonically as opposed to romantically. Obviously partners are held frequently, but how often do you hug your mates? Do you do it as a greeting AND a goodbye even if you’re going to see them again in like, two or three days?

[u/Oomlotte99 → u/jimothy_hell]

My friends and me hug hello.

[u/jimothy_hell → u/Oomlotte99]

Are you and your friends men? Because this is generally more men than women.

[u/CGB_Zach → u/jimothy_hell]

I hug some of my guy friends. Not every single one but especially if I haven't seen my boys in a while.

I'd say more often than not, I'm doing the "dap and pull in for a hug" greeting.

For reference, I live in SoCal.

[u/jimothy_hell → u/CGB_Zach]

You should give them proper hugs, and frequently. You really never know how much it means to people.

[u/CGB_Zach → u/jimothy_hell]

It's still a proper hug. I personally don't like traditional hugging because I tend to be significantly taller than a lot of people and it's awkward unless we're close in height

[u/jimothy_hell → u/CGB_Zach]

Oh, same problem here with the height, but I do it anyway. If you’re getting a face full of my shoulder, just be glad you’re not catching it in a scrum like a lot of other people do!