<< First < Previous | Next > Current >>

Serious question


Can somebody explain to me the Wonder Twin Powers, closed fist, high-5 replacement hand gesture? Like where did it come from? And is it supposed to be like a bruised knuckle kind of thing? Are you supposed to hit the other person's hand really hard, or a light touch? Are you supposed to say something when you knock another guy's fist?

I'm assuming this cultural artifact emerged from one of the two things I will eternally fail to understand: sports or hip hop culture. I'm guessing high fives were considered lame at some point and people decided on a slightly subtler alternative. As a hopelessly nerdy white boy, I'd hoped I'd be exempt from these sorts of social bonding exercises. I'm utterly hopeless with them. But I figure if I know more, maybe I can fake them out into thinking maybe I'm more like one of them.

I didn't like high fives, either.

comments:

tinkerer writes:

*shrug*

Beats me...but, I will say I see my daughter do both (the high five and the fist-to-fist touch), as well as the fingertip brush (arm out, level with body, fingers brush as the athletes change places and/or pass each other). As far as the Wonder Twin fist-to-fist thing, it appears to be meant to be a friendly connection, not a knuckle-bruiser.

.....

So, I just asked my daughter (the Jock) about it. She says it isn't just a sports thing, and it's really just a greeting, or a way to say "congratulations", or maybe a sign of friendly encouragement. She also reports that which gesture is used depends on who initiates it, and that there isn't any particular rule about any of them--you just follow whatever was initiated. And there are others that kids just make up on their own and start using, too. Like, the popular kids at her school have a variation they use and it's simply their way of acknowledging each other in the hallways. Kinda like saying "hi".

So I suppose you could sum it up by calling it just another popular culture trend, and some crowds adopt it while others don't. Like, y'know, skater shoes...or beanies...or saying "like, y'know" in every sentence. ;>

Submitted 2007-02-02 00:55:41

flying squirrel writes:

Apparently it's "out" now anyway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxC8zycxa4g

So I guess I don't have to worry about it. :P

Submitted 2007-02-07 23:50:18

This post is archived. Comments are disabled. Feel free to send me email if you have something to say.

back to main