<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/28/style/28hugs.html">This article </a>made me laugh out loud. And yet, the sight of teenagers protesting for their right to hug gave me the warm fuzzies. The kids, they are all right, after all. </p><p>I mean, really? Are people really concerned about this newfangled hugging craze? Maybe it&#39;s a cultural thing, but to me, a hug is really no big deal. Then again, in Miami you kiss everyone hello when you enter a room. And no, I&#39;m not talking the infamous Hollywood air-kiss, and no, it&#39;s not a soulful peck on the cheek either. It&#39;s hard to explain, but it&#39;s perfectly appropriate and slobber-free. It&#39;s a good thing, because acknowledging the existence and humanity of everyone you meet is always good. Yes, it is. Don&#39;t even try to argue with me on this, or I&#39;ll hug you.</p><p>I know, I know. What about the kids who don&#39;t want to hug? They don&#39;t have to. So what if they&#39;re known as non-huggers? It&#39;s what they are -- and a way to express their individuality. If you don&#39;t like it, don&#39;t do it - and own up to it. There are people<a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/09/hand-shaking-is-so-medieval-lets-end-it/"> who don&#39;t like to shake hands </a>-- because of germs, or religious reasons or whatever. They have to figure out how to be outside the norm. That&#39;s not a bad thing either. It&#39;s good practice for the rest of your life.&#0160; </p><p>I say let the kids hug. It sure beats the alternative.</p><p></p><p><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vr3x_RRJdd4&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vr3x_RRJdd4&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" /></object></p>
