http://neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=493673This thread at neogaf reminded me of something extremely weird I kept seeing in american shows.West wing actors playing daughter and dad kissing on the lips.You see, in my country its traditional to kiss cheeks with people you are closest with ( blood related ) and in non family situations kiss cheeks to greet women and shake hands to greet men.Apparently there are people that peck their kids, their moms, their dads, their grans in the mouth. Some people say its natural, some say its creepy. Ive seen several say a lot of people in America do it, and others say that only a few would ever do it. Tell me of your experience, what do you consider normal in your country/state ( cuz america is a big place )?
Well the UK is essentially a better US (GIVE ME UR SHOTS) and I can say we don't really do it there.I'm actually in college in the States right now and I've literally never seen it.
my family was never really huggy or kissy so that never happened. you'd be lucky to get a hug out of my middle sister.
I mean, in my country is the same as in op's; but some families do the kiss on the lips thing, but it's generally seen as disgusting, once it was a famous family of singers, the fernandez, I remember a psychlogist saying that it's bad because it sexualizes the family.
I live in the states, and i've witnessed it on a few occasions(customers, family members,friend's family members).Majority of the times its usually a mother with a baby or a young kid and a baby. I know there's no ill intentions but its still weird to me.
I think it's kinda bizarre to even peck any member of your family on the lips. That's just.... yeah, no. I'd rather do the cheek.Reminds me of Ferris Beuler's Day Off "so that's how it is in their family" line Principle Rooney says.
I dont believe so Jesuszilla, or at least it was specifically addressed on the episodes I watched.Ive googled a bit and turns out this is a divisive thing with american states, Dc and southern states having a lot of people that do it and several other states mocking them for it.
I think it's normal and don't really have a problem with it, as long as it's not with me. I never really kissed my grandma on the lips and I don't think I want to. I don't know, feels weird to me.
I live where family bonds are super strong and where it's normal to kiss total strangers you've just been introduced to (although it's usually just on the cheek and it usually only happens guy/girl or girl/girl, never guy/guy), and even then kissing on the lips between family members is considered icky.
Jesuszilla said, October 22, 2014, 07:37:20 amSerious question, @Iced: is the family from the show in your screenshot Italian-American?My family is Italian-American and we don't do that. Hell, we hardly make physical contact for stuff that is not hitting each other.
Iced said, October 22, 2014, 10:32:42 amIve googled a bit and turns out this is a divisive thing with american states, Dc and southern states having a lot of people that do it and several other states mocking them for it.Yeah, uh, no. That is not in any way considered normal here.Definitely doesn't seem to be a regional thing, it looks to be a thing some families do, distributed randomly, and the overall reception to it is that it's weird and kinda creepy. Everyone advocating it is doing so from a defensive position, and shit, it's even fodder for a recurring SNL sketch (dunno if that works for anyone but Americans but the basic jist is: person is taken to meet significant other's family, family starts off greeting each other by kissing each other one the mouth, and things soon devolve into full-on makeout and dry humping), and I know I've seen it mocked several times in various media. I definitely can't recall it being used non-comedically, so that West Wing pic is pretty surprising!
That family kissing sketch reminds me of Sherri O'Terri and Chris Kattan's passionate and intense arguing/make out sketches.I suppose this whole kissing on the lips is a generational (as in their great grandparents used to do it and whatnot), cultural thing that would seem normal to them. But to outsiders who look at kissing on the lips as an intimate and passionate thing, yeah... its wierd. I felt strange when my mother would lick a napkin and then wipe my chin and jaw off when I was 5 and made a mess with ice cream. I told her to stop!!
I'm Italian and we don't do that. A kiss on the cheek and that's that.Also this:Iced said, October 22, 2014, 02:27:46 amYou see, in my country it's traditional to kiss cheeks with people you are closest with (blood related) and in non family situations kiss cheeks to greet women and shake hands to greet men.
The "some areas of southern US" sounds reasonable to me because I traveled to Atlanta last year, and I attended a party where there was a lot of kissing on the mouth among friends (not me though). So either they're all very close, or I was in the prelude to an orgy.
walt said, October 22, 2014, 09:59:24 pmSo either they're all very close, or I was in the prelude to an orgy.Was there any repetition of a weird phrase, like "fidelio", and/or people wearing weird masks for some reason???
Jmorphman said, October 22, 2014, 08:36:02 pmIced said, October 22, 2014, 10:32:42 amIve googled a bit and turns out this is a divisive thing with american states, Dc and southern states having a lot of people that do it and several other states mocking them for it.Yeah, uh, no. That is not in any way considered normal here.http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/90/194855.pageexcept for those that do ! D:
I saw that page when you showed it to me yesterday and I don't fucking care, I live here and it's not normal, I've never seen that shit anywhere. >:[ >:[ >:[
Er, forgot to add a rather lenghty disclaimer: you see, in my country its traditional to kiss cheeks with people you are closest with ( blood related ) and in non family situations kiss cheeks to greet women (even complete strangers) and shake hands to greet men. Shaking hands with women (outside of specific - mostly formal - contexts, like business meetings) looks awkward. I'd like to hear what you think, American or not.
Everyone pretty much just shakes hands if it's non-relatives/loved ones/close friends/etc., with cheek kisses reserved for either relatives/loved ones and occasionally really close friends, though the friend one seems more of a lady to lady thing, I guess?
shaking hands seems like the only way to greet a new person (as far as contact goes) so i dont see why you wouldnt do it for women
It's just the way it is 'round here. I wanted to know how other people would look at it from the outside. I s'pose I must add yet another disclaimer: you wouldn't kiss a stranger the same way your mother would kiss you, it's a watered down kiss...that actually doesn't involve the lips too much.
walt said, October 23, 2014, 03:15:05 am^ that sounds pretty reasonable and standard. That's how we do around here too.as long as at least one female is involved cheek kiss is not weird.
Gaza Haganer said, October 23, 2014, 03:35:33 amshaking hands seems like the only way to greet a new person (as far as contact goes) so i dont see why you wouldnt do it for womenFriendly situation, cheek kiss, professional situation let the woman take initiative but usually go for the handshake.
if i met a completely new person on friendly terms and it was a girl i dont think id go for the cheek kiss unless it was like at a club or somethin
Iced said, October 23, 2014, 04:01:40 amlet the woman take initiative but usually go for the handshake.that pretty much it, regardless of situation.
There's no rule of thumb for this. Working on a Bank we constantly work with contractors from other countries and I have to deal with situations where neither me or the girl knows what to do... it's like "do I have to kiss her? I'm going for it... WAIT, she looks scared, here goes the handshake... Why the fuck are you giving me your cheek?"
Iced said, October 22, 2014, 02:27:46 amYou see, in my country it's traditional to kiss cheeks with people you are closest with (blood related) and in non family situations kiss cheeks to greet women and shake hands to greet men.for me.Yes, I know I've already posted before.
