Roger Tuckerman

Why You Shouldn’t Shake Anyone’s Hand

Christopher Lindsayby
10 Comments on Why You Shouldn’t Shake Anyone’s Hand
Roger Tuckerman wants to ban handshaking.

handshake-free

From: tuckermanroger@gmail.com
To: editor@kamloopsthisweek.com
Subject: Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

I have a dream that one day people in our city will no longer shake each other’s hands. To see this dream become a reality, I am announcing my candidacy for Kamloops City Council.

As a councillor, I promise to do three things:

  • Introduce a bylaw to fine people $100 if they force someone to shake their hand.
  • Introduce a bylaw to make government offices handshake-free zones.
  • Proclaim a “Don’t shake anyone’s hand” day.

Handshaking is harmful for the following reasons:

You can catch a cold or the flu, resulting in lost work time. If you get the flu, and your immune system is weak, you might even die!

Handshaking can cause pain that lasts for days when a man who wants to prove his manliness shakes your hand with an iron grip. Last week, a wrestler shook my hand (against my will), and my fingers still hurt really bad!

Handshaking is dangerous because many people don’t wash their hands after they go to the bathroom!

Case in point: I recently watched two men using the urinals in a men’s room, and then they shook each other’s hands without washing them.

This inspired me to write a jingle for my election campaign, which will soon air on local radio stations. I recorded it with my own voice, and it is set to tuba and flute:

When you shake someone’s hand,
do you know where their hand has been?
There’s a disturbing possibility
their hand isn’t clean.
To stop this monstrosity,
vote for Roger Tuckerman in 2018!
I’m the anti-handshaking man,
and I have a plan!

During my election campaign, I will knock on thousands of doors and introduce people to a cultural practice that is superior to handshaking. With a smile, I will say, “This way!” then clench my hand and bump their fist.

If elected on October 20, 2018, I will make fist-bumping a normative cultural practice in our city.

Yours truly,

Roger Tuckerman

If you liked this letter, it was published in my second eBook.

10 comments

  2. Dear Christopher,

    I was reading some of your Roger Tuckerman emails, and they are hilarious! What a great character. I had to leave a comment on this one because I found it particularly amusing in the current situation. Roger was practically psychic with this paranoia of hand-shaking. As I read this “madman’s” letter, I felt like I was reading one of the latest reports on why you should be terrified of other human beings because of COVID-19!

    Yours Hopefully,

    Tiffany Brannan

    Liked by 1 person

  4. This is really good, more reason why I won’t be shaking any more hands!
    Thanks for sharing..
    This is helpful👏✋

    Liked by 1 person

  7. If you want to avoid all contact with the potentially germ-infested hands of acquaintances, you could also just smile and wave. That’s all the penguins in “Madagascar” did, and look how many guests they attracted to their exhibit.

    Liked by 2 people

  8. “Handshaking can cause pain that lasts for days when a man who wants to prove his manliness, shakes your hand with an iron grip.” – such a weird practice just to prove that you have a dominant personality. I once had a colleague who refused to shake hands with people to prevent getting germs.
    Fist-bumping is a great alternative.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Great post. Irv Homer was ahead of his time and refused to shake anyone’s hand. Instead he would bow or salute. Given the recent flu epidemic I plan on doing the same!

    Liked by 1 person

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