ick! well, there's one CO the girls won't need to be worried about... Personally, I don't like to be hugged by strangers. These people don't even know my first name, and I haven't bothered to learn theirs, I hold my hand out to shake and they insist on hugging.... maybe what was said above about cults invading personal space could be a factor? Can't be sure, but women especially have to deal with that fake stuff all the time.
touched by a circuit overseer
by in a new york bethel minute 23 Replies latest social humour
-
-
undercover
Yup, I had that. I had an elder come up to me, squeeze my arm, and tell me that I should be working out more. I found that to be incredibly rude, making a comment like that.
Last brother that I heard of doing that got arrested and DF'd for molesting young boys.
I went to an assembly with a goattee a couple of years ago and an elder that I knew made a snide comment about it and reached up to try to touch it or tug at it or something. Instinctively, I threw my arm up and blocked his reach. It knocked his arm back and he just looked at me with a quizical look on his face. Conversation ended there.
I remember as a youngster back in the 60s (oh how it was tough being a male JW in the late 60s/early 70s with short hair) a certain elder always tugged at the young brothers hair. If it was long enough to get a good hold of, he told the brother that it was time to get a haircut. I have never forgotten that. It was humiliating to some of the young ones. It just pissed me off.
-
Insomniac
Ugh, I can't stand when people touch me. There's one woman in my town who is always drunk when I see her. She is always trying to hug me and run her hands through my hair! I tried telling her nicely that it made me uncomfortable, to no avail. Then I progressed to telling her quite bluntly to not touch me, and finally to physically pushing her away from me. It's awful because she keeps trying to hang on, as I'm untangling her hand (with all it's chunky, cheap rings) from my hair with one hand, and pushing her off me with the other. Strange, too, because she's a hairdresser; I guess I thought that people who deal with customers in such an intimate fashion would have developed a bit more tact, but as I said, she drinks too much.
To their credit, though, I think the guy that handled your goatee, and the hairdresser, are probably benign. These types of people, while infuriating, do seem to be mostly socially awkward individuals who just can't see why we are uncomfortable with their actions; we puzzle them as much as they bother us. If this happens again, try taking hold of the person's wrist (gently) and pulling their hand off you, while saying in a very civil voice "please don't touch me." Then keep chatting as though nothing has happened. You may need to do this a couple of times, but it works, with all but the densest of individuals.
-
seeitallclearlynow
I can look back and cringe at a couple of things that I remember saying to people. (Men) I can only say that I meant it kindly at the time, but it sure sounds bad in hindsight. Put it down to Institutional thinking and training ... Sorry!
Blues Brother,
You are very definitely forgiven. We know that many of you elders meant well.