It's called Swine Flu Etiquette...BUT some say it's rude behavior under any name. Do you think it's rude to not shake someone's hand because of concerns about swine flu?
Okay, who came up with these new etiquette rules pertaining to the swine flu pandemic? I can understand not shaking hands, but why can't I just say that I'm not shaking your hands because of my swine flu concerns? Why do I have to touch your elbow if I'm a man or rub my butt to yours if I'm a woman? (watch my story on swine flu etiquette) Hello! I think it's perfectly okay to say I'm not shaking your hand because of my flu concerns. If they don't understand, you probably didn't want to do business with them anyway. Plus, look at all the other ways we can get swine flu--touching money, passing our credit cards, pressing our cell phones to our faces and the list goes on and on.
Still, Anna Post, great-great grandaughter of Emily Post (Ms Manners herself) says with everyone "pinging" around the globe, exchanging germs--this could be the beginning of a huge social shift. What was once considered rude is now considered somewhat acceptable. Maybe...or maybe we've all gone anti-bacterial crazy. But until they can get the swine flu vaccine to the right people in a fashion that doesn't require folks to stand in line for 3 to 4 hours, we'll probably continue to lose our minds about swine '09!
