Only White Men Could Turn Greeting One Another into a Contest of Power

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the ol’ ‘look him in the eye with a firm, dry handshake’

Photo by Rock Staar on Unsplash

Women hug. In western Asia men kiss each other’s cheeks. In eastern Asia men bow to one another. Among men of (more recent) African heritage in the West a handshake is an embracing of hands. Among white men, at least in the U.S., greeting one another is a test of ‘manhood’, a contest of power.

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Stephen Yearwood
Stephen Yearwood

Written by Stephen Yearwood

M.A. in political economy (money/distributive justice) "Please don't confront me with my failures/ I'm aware of them" from "These Days," as sung by Gregg Allman

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