http://www.annalisagross.com/?p=357 Sharing in the Midst of Scarcity Fri, 07 May 2010 17:44:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://www.annalisagross.com/?p=357&cpage=1#comment-542 Travis Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:08:36 +0000 http://www.annalisagross.com/?p=357#comment-542 Touch is one of the strongest forms of communication. Nonverbal cues communicate more than words, and maybe touching is like yelling, since it's much more intense then waving or glancing. And we can physically harm when we touch, so if someone has been harmed before, they may be more nervous about being touched. But it is also pervasive in American culture that touch is generally bad unless there is some trust and intimacy (not necessarily romantic) between two people. It might also be about physical space, and Americans--especially white American men--like to have as much space around them as possible. I'm sure part of it's related to power as well. Either we don't want others to have power over us, or we don't want to exercise power over others, and touching others' bodies can be a very real expression of power. Touch is one of the strongest forms of communication. Nonverbal cues communicate more than words, and maybe touching is like yelling, since it’s much more intense then waving or glancing. And we can physically harm when we touch, so if someone has been harmed before, they may be more nervous about being touched. But it is also pervasive in American culture that touch is generally bad unless there is some trust and intimacy (not necessarily romantic) between two people. It might also be about physical space, and Americans–especially white American men–like to have as much space around them as possible. I’m sure part of it’s related to power as well. Either we don’t want others to have power over us, or we don’t want to exercise power over others, and touching others’ bodies can be a very real expression of power.

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