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Since my husband @VoxPopAutist got his #autism diagnosis 3 yrs ago, I& #39;ve learned lots of things about him I never knew before. One of the more surprising ones is how much he hates to shake hands. In the rise of #COVID19, his wish to eliminate handshakes makes perfect sense. 1/
Handshakes are invasive & painful for him. But it& #39;s hard to stop a bad habit unless you replace it with a better habit.
He wants to bring back bowing.
Bowing hasn& #39;t been a Western habit for years, but maybe we should revive it! Besides being a classy gesture, it& #39;s logical. 2/
He wants to bring back bowing.
Bowing hasn& #39;t been a Western habit for years, but maybe we should revive it! Besides being a classy gesture, it& #39;s logical. 2/
I wrote a lengthy blog post about it: about the disadvantages of shaking hands vs. the advantages of bowing instead. You can read it here: https://wp.me/p3aWrN-5U ">https://wp.me/p3aWrN-5U... But I& #39;ll put just the highlights into this thread, cuz it& #39;s a really long post! 
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Handshaking can be painful for #Autistic people, or ppl with hand or wrist #disabilities. But refusing a handshake is seen as rude and can provoke unwelcome questions about one& #39;s medical history. Shaking hands is unsanitary because of both germ transfer and proximity. 4/
Bowing is safe and sanitary: first because there& #39;s no physical contact and second because it requires more distance if you don& #39;t want to knock heads with the other person! Bowing is egalitarian, regardless of disability or gender, because... 5/
You use only the large muscles to bow; it requires little physical dexterity or strength. Bowing is inclusive and non-gendered, as when actors in a play all line up and bow together. It& #39;s multi-functional--hello or goodbye, spoken greeting or silent, or simple acknowledgment. 6/
Bowing will encourage consent, if we use it to create a culture of increased physical space around ourselves. People will get used to asking before getting close enough to touch, hug, or kiss. Bowing is appropriate for ppl of any height without forcing them to reach up or down.7/
Shaking hands is unsanitary, can be painful or awkward, has gendered social rules, excludes many disabled ppl, forces unwanted closeness and contact for those who prefer more distance and no touching. It also spreads disease. It& #39;s time to replace the handshake with a bow. 8/
Bowing is easy, egalitarian, safe, sanitary, respectful, painless, and requires no obligation or participation from the other person. Unlike a refused handshake, you can bow to someone and not feel insulted or awkward if they don& #39;t reciprocate. Maybe they& #39;d rather wave. 9/
The new western bowing doesn& #39;t have to be elaborate, fancy, or hierarchical. We& #39;re not talking Texas debutante dip, or fancy Shakespearean bow and scrape with spiraling hand gestures. A head-nod would suffice, or a quick shoulder-bend. So who agrees we should #BringBackBowing?
