Handshake Rebels. Remeberings from Covid Era.

We were going through a time when shaking hands could be considered an act of rebellion.

When we met after a long time, after the cloister, before greeting each other worthily, we would stammer something like: "You?", making simultaneously a wink gesture that could mean very different things in a normal context, as: "are you a swapping couple?" or "are you still communists?" or " are you afraid of immigrants?" or, again " what is your opinion about same-sex couples?”, but, in this context, in this era we were all going through, meant only "can we shake hands or you’re afraid of infection?".

 No one could have known beforehand if the interlocutors would have preferred to avoid any physical contact, and I met, at least in some chats, several people who were really afraid of getting sick after a single handshake. Maybe there was also someone who was genuinely afraid of infecting someone else, maybe.

For sure, by now there were all the variants of a perfect social schizophrenia, predicted by Gilles Deleuze, that now reached its complete maturity. So I was hoping this would get old soon. For sure this new way of "greeting" recalled limpidly other abnormal situations, situations that had occurred in the past during totalitarianisms, to go straight to the point. And that a very well-chosen and discussed film had brought to light.

Don’t misunderstand me: I’m not one of those conspiracy theorists. Even Though I love flat-earthers. And their romantic and pioneering view of the relationship between God and science. And I am a free vax. Of course. I’d always been, since I was 4. That will never change.

I can say though, that are totalitarianisms that always tried to change the little details of daily life, and we have been abundantly instructed that one of the first things a totalitarian regime changes is the kind of greeting people can or should exchange. From the outstretched hand to the closed fist to the wave of the film to the flat-hearted arm.

Don’t misunderstand me: I’m not one of those conspiracy theorists. Even Though I love flat-earthers. And their romantic and pioneering view of the relationship between God and science. And I am a free vax. Of course. I’d always been, since I was 4. That will never change.

I can say though, that is in totalitarianisms that they always try to change the little details of daily life, and we have been abundantly instructed that one of the first things a totalitarian regime changes is the kind of greeting that people can or should exchange. From the outstretched hand to the closed fist to the wave of the film to the flat-hearted arm.

 The way we greet is one of the cornerstones of our way of living, as a community, Star Trek's authors have well understood this by inventing one of the most popular greetings among nerds. Captain Kirk's salute had also become one of the possible playful and rebellious alternatives to the horrible touch of the elbows.

Elbows touch. Mi gosh! Who invented it? I wonder what could be in that creative mind. What kind of psychological profile does this person have? Is he a copyrighter? Is she a copyrighter? A doctor? A retired politician? Did he, or she thought that the elbows would be less susceptible to viruses, bacteria and dirt particles in general?

Sure, it's very difficult to put your elbow in one of your eyes, I tried to, but I wouldn't completely rule out the possibility, we should forbid even this in the circus community, but touching elbows is a kind of greeting no one would ever have imagined, for its ridiculousness and consequent dance. Touching the elbows is the extreme act in which we communicate a last desire for real contact with the other before the advent of an era in which we will no longer have anything physical to interact with, except some digital devices.

Many, even if fearful of taking some ailment from others, refused to submit to the new greeting, and shook hands fiercely, imagining themselves heroic fighters making a sacrifice for the good of society, now in the process of complete digitization. "I don't care", it’s the brave thought. We must die sooner or later, let's at least give ourselves this last handshake. Martyrs of a lost greeting. Handshake rebels.

 At the opposite side, there was the category of true heroines and heroes, the martyrs of healthcare. Among the first to swab, long after the useful time, and almost all miraculously negative despite the very high statistical chances of contracting the virus.

With them one should better not manifest his or her hidden skepticism, one should instead show the right respect due to people who have given all their time to save lives. It mattered little that most of the human lives saved were at the end of their days and well beyond the life limit allowed to humanity in pre-industrial conditions. That’s an horrible thing to say and think. It mattered little that, all in all, compared to the pandemics that had preceded this one in history, this one had made fewer victims overall. Obviously less than the Plague and the Spanish but also fewer victims of the disease of the century, cancer, and fewer victims of one of the icons of modernity still revered, the automobile and what about wars? God bless road accidents, for the prevention of which infinitely less resources were being invested than was happening for this new social disease, God bless insurance companies, God bless wars. Those who raised doubts and criticisms about what was happening had to keep quiet and respect the group of health workers that was saving everyone's ass.

It was therefore clear that in such a context it was very difficult to debate and understand something more, and certainly the media did not help, so I will not dedicate a single line to it.

I will just note that another totalitarian motto is “divide et impera” use this at your will.

The rebellious gesture of greeting with an handshake, therefore remained. At least to avoid the ridiculous ballet of elbow to elbow. Ballet that was downsized in its ridiculousness by waving the bugbear of the next level: “the contactless greeting”.

"Somebody says we should greet each other like this" someone said in fact, and immediately touched his heart with his hand. “Touch your heart with your hand and the next step in this suggestive dance will be the Roman salute”. I suggest. And everyone nodded. While the disinfectant gel came out copiously from the small makeshift container at the entrance to the shopping center and a thermometer measured our temperature. We had already forgotten everything. We got used to it quickly. And without even the contact of a baton. Pleased to meet you, can I shake your hand?