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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Huckleberries: Uneasiness between sexes extends to handshakes

Huckleberries Wednesday:

A long discussion on Huckleberries social media began with a tweet in the form of a question from KXLY’s Melissa Luck: “Do you shake hands with women?” The answer isn’t as simple as you may think.

Some, like John Austin of Medimont, said that shaking hands is “the professional thing to do, whether men or women. A firm handshake sends a message of confidence, and, I think, helps women to feel included in many professions that previously were dominated by men.”

Councilwoman Kerri Thoreson of Post Falls agreed more or less: “I’m a hand shaker but often in business settings I put out my hand and the man (if we know each other) will ignore my hand and move in for a hug. I guess I’m just huggable. I occasionally feel my credibility diminished when a man in a position of authority chooses to hug me but not a man.

Several, including Kim Cooper of Coeur d’Alene, Joe Butler of Post Falls and Matthew Root of Pullman, said they shake hands with women, if they initiate the handshakes. Florine Dooley of Coeur d’Alene says it may be a generational thing: “I’m old and from the southern mountains. During my training, handshaking was to be initiated by the woman.”

Then, there are the huggers.

Katrina Wright Swaim of Coeur d’Alene: “I love hugs, but I hate making people uncomfortable. So I don’t hug people as often as I’d like to.” And Becky McIntire Boifeuillet of Hayden: “I shake hands or hug with a ‘tap tap tap’ on their back.” And Keith Allen of Coeur d’Alene gets the last word with: “I just risk (upsetting) everybody and hug everyone.”

There’s always one. More here.



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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