Hugs. Much like the diaper brand, I can see how they benefit society but would very much prefer to not find myself in one. In general, I find hugs to be a little uncomfortable in most situations. This hot take is brought to you by National Hugging Day which was on Jan. 21, otherwise known as the first day of spring classes here at Madison College.

Meaning, if you wanted to, greeting all of your teachers with a hug the first day of class would have been perfectly within celebration guidelines as per the national holiday. Not in the mood to celebrate this unnecessary holiday? I’m with you there, reader. 

Hugging seems to be in this weird limbo of socially acceptable behavior. Some people find it to be a perfectly suitable greeting and graciously throw their arms around anybody they say hi to. Others, including myself, would much rather prefer a simple wave hello, a friendly handshake of welcome, or even a warm head nod of acknowledgement. The less physical contact with others the better.

As I see it, the world can be split in to two categories: huggers and non-huggers (or as I like to call them, pro-personal spacers). There’s nothing wrong with either way, but people should definitely be labeled in some way so huggers don’t accidentally intrude on pro-personal spacers personal space. Believe me, once this happens world peace is soon to follow. 

To all the huggers reading this wondering who hurt me to make me this cold wretch of a woman, I assure you I am just as lovable as anyone else, I’d just prefer expressing my love in a well thought out note or an admirable gaze. I don’t need to awkwardly wrap my arms around another person and lightly squeeze to get that point across.

In fact, hugging etiquette is a whole monster in itself. There’s arm placement to think about. Whether a pat on the back is OK and if so, how many pats on the back? Or is a gentle rub more appropriate? How long should the hug last? All of these factors depend on who the person is, where the hug is taking place, and what the hug means. It’s all very unpredictable. 

I do understand a huggers point of view. Every hugger I’ve met has been an optimist and romantic. They think the world could use a hug and, by golly, they’re going to be the ones to satisfy that need. In their minds, hugging is a nice action that puts a little more good into the world, and as much as I condemn hugging, I can’t condemn that mindset. So, to all the huggers out there, Happy National Hugging Day. Us pro-personal spacers will just have to look forward to National Handshake Day on June 28.