Job Skills - was Re: Tech-support Hall of Shame

[Marvin GodfatherofSoul Bellamy]

Good post.  As ridiculous as it might seem when you try to psychoanalyze 
it, the handshake has important cultural significance for us.  Important 
enough for someone to bear true physical discomfort to honor it.  You 
can argue that a lot of cultural traditions are either obsolete or just 
don't make any sense, but that doesn't stop them from being important.

Aaron wrote:

>>Nothing personal, but you think too much. Stop reading all that
>>psycho-babble. Could be a person has a limp handshake because they have
>>parkinson's disease or ALS or CTS or any of a number of other
>>perfectly valid musculoskeletal/nervous system disorders or just
>>recovered from a broken hand. Not for any lack of confidence.
>>    
>>
>
>I have severe Rheumatoid Arthritis in both my hands.  The tendons in them
>are hard and the muscles are weak.  I can barely cut my own food sometimes.
>When I shake it feels like I just dipped my hand into a vat of acid.
>
>You know what I do?  On a good day I grab the other persons hand squeeze as
>hard as I can, look them in the eye, smile, grit my teeth through the pain
>and go on.  Sometimes I have to use both hands to get a good grip.  On a bad
>day.  I'm forced into a weak shake but I apologize to the other person and
>briefly mention that I've had an injurry to my hand.  This way they know I
>understand the importance of a good handshake, I'm just physically unable to
>give them one.
>
>In situation like those mentioned above, I think this is the correct way to
>handle it.
>
>Aaron
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