Clearly, this story came about as an attempt to make reading the news a little more lighthearted. You know, hugs not drugs, hugs not powerful nuclear weapons being developed by our country's enemies, hugs not thousands of people dying everyday from HIV/AIDS. Yay hugs! What an excellent distraction!
Enter irony. With all the violence the media bombards us with everyday, the most nonviolent of acts is being challenged. Watching poverty-stricken illegal aliens being deported is an action I accept as a necessary evil, but I'll be damned if I ever have to watch two middle school-aged girls publicly hug.
Seeing hugs labeled as a trend is absurd enough. Seeing hugs banned from schools is a travesty. In these times, in any times, it's so important to have the support of friends as well as of family. Hugs are just tangible evidence of love--you know, the Bill Withers' "Lean on Me" mentality. I don't remember hearing about anyone having freak-out attacks about the form of human contact addressed in that song. Leaning leads to hugging, undoubtedly.
Perhaps we could first identify the purpose of school: for students to gain the knowledge that will transform them into thoughtful, informed adults. The purpose of a hug, obviously, is to express positive feelings, to provide comfort. Is that expression not part of creating thoughtful adults? I happen to believe that hugging, that affection in general, is crucial in our development as humans. And I can cite endless experiments to back me up.
So I have to wonder as this topic gains prevalence, are we moving so fast that we'll never have time to stop and embrace? Or are we regressing back to the Puritan era? Well, either way, go ahead and condemn me as a Hugger with a capital "H." I'll proudly bear the scarlet letter. (That unnecessary "H" in my name is my pride and joy, after all.)
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