WHY HANDSHAKES SHOULD BE BANNED

If practices that are considered acceptable social norms become the means by which societies are harmed then such practices should be de-emphasised or taken down, as it were. The seemingly harmless custom of handshaking is actually the route by which microbes are transferred from one person to another in Nigeria because of the prevailing near-zero personal hygiene profile of especially the Nigerian male: folks sneeze into their clasp hands rather than into handkerchiefs if they care to stifle the sneeze at all, folks do not care to wash their hands with soap or detergent after using the toilet or doing open-air defecation because they cannot afford to buy these items; folks handle putrid and vermin-infested stuffs too easily with bare hands and then do not bother to wash up afterwards because they are not “white men” who are too obsessed with antiseptic surroundings, etc. With a right-hand palm full of microbes these folks would consider it a snub or disrespect or social faux pas if the other party does not accept their offer for handshake in a rather hearty, African-style that most often involves rubbing of palms together and holding on to sweaty palms for long periods of time. It is no wonder that the common cold is the plight of many a Nigerian male. Thus, for the long-term protection of the health of the wider population, handshakes should be banned as a matter of national hygiene. Sunday Adole Jonah, Department of Physics, Federal University of Technology, Minna