UK Government Scientist Suggests Vulcan Salute As Replacement For Shaking Hands

The novel coronavirus has caused a major disruption in how people live all around the globe. Some are now considering how society may change for the long term as a result and one lesson may come from Star Trek.

The Vulcan salute solution

With social distancing becoming the new normal, people are wondering how to greet each other without contact. Health professionals and social scientists have been considering life without handshakes. William Hanage of Harvard’s School of Public Health thinks handshakes will return in the “distant future,” but  Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, suggests that handshakes should end as a form of greeting, even after the coronavirus pandemic is over.

In a world without handshakes, how will people greet each other? London’s University College Professor Robert West University, who advises UK Government ministers on behavioral science, thinks Star Trek can provide the solution. Speaking to the Sun, West suggests the Vulcan salute could work as a new form of universal greeting. “It means live long and prosper — so in the current situation it is particularly apt,” West says.

Professor West shows off a Vulcan salute (Photo: The Sun)

The greeting which involves parting your hand between the middle and index fingers, with the thumb extended could prove a bit tricky. The British professor and sci-fi fan admitted that even though he can do it as he has “had practice,” the gesture may prove “too hard” for some, and therefore it might not catch on.

Spock tries to teach Dr. McCoy the Vulcan salute in “Journey to Babel”

Nimoy’s legacy

The Vulcan salute has become synonymous with Star Trek. It was first introduced in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Amok Time.” The original script for the episode called for Spock to meet with Vulcan elder T’Pau and exchange greetings. Spock actor Leonard Nimoy suggested creating the salute as a form of greeting to introduce something unique to Vulcan culture. He based the gesture on one used in some Jewish ceremonies.

Leonard Nimoy demonstrating the Vulcan salute (Photo: Beth Madison)

While the gesture might prove difficult for some, it could be worth the practice. Professor West is right that the Vulcan salute and traditional greeting of “live long and prosper,” and response “peace and long life” are something everyone should be able to embrace. It is a message we need now, more than ever.

Professor West isn’t the first to suggest the Vulcan salute as the new universal greeting. Star Trek’s George Takei was already on board just as social distancing joined the vernacular in March.


Keep up with all the fun Great Links here at TrekMovie.com.

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Maybe they should suggest Vulcan nerve pinches for the police instead of rubber bullets and tear gas

I like the sound of that.

Maybe the police should show some peace and love instead of murdering innocent people.

Yes because all cops love to murder innocent people. Everyone knows that.

No, because most good cops protect bad ones. That’s why.

Not going to lie. There is some truth there. But I also see evidence that such archaic fraternal attitudes are being chipped away. The 99.99999% of good cops out there are not going to tolerate the bad apples. In fact, all such groups need to be doing that.

Yeah right, explain that to the examiners who tried to blame Floyd’s death on “underlying conditions” when he was strangled on camera for 8 minutes. “Good” cops protect bad cops ALL the time. If there are 10 bad cops and a thousand “good” cops that protect the bad cops, you have 1,010 bad cops, period. What you’re witnessing is a people fed up with this slaughter from a corrupt institution charged with protecting people.

You forgot to add “a TRUE fan of Star Trek would know that.”

You are wrong. It is very foolish to deal in absolutes. 100% of cops to not “protect the bad ones”. That’s just a complete lack of understanding of reality. It is difficult to speak on issues with someone who sees only absolutes. Good day.

I dunno why you’re trying to reason away a very obvious problem with a police force by speaking of hypothetical good cops. Maybe if you and your friends were having their masks pulled down and being pepper sprayed by NYPD and shot at with rubber bullets at point blank range, you’d see things differently. Have you not personally experienced police brutality? Lucky you, man. But don’t try to talk to me like I don’t know what I know.

I don’t see an obvious problem with police. I respect them greatly. They have a VERY difficult job. One that could get them killed at any moment of any shift. Can you say that about your job? I doubt it. They do it for you and me and all of us. If someone is getting pulled down and pepper sprayed it is most likely because that person is doing something that warrants that sort of response. What I see is police showing herculean restraint when dealing with the riotous thugs these days. People throwing things at them. And they stand still. People yelling at them. And they stand still. People shove them. And they stand still. I’ve seen many an officer, of all races and both genders, try and talk people down. That is their first course of action. And someone like you who has no idea what they do on a daily basis just rips them apart because of a terrible incident perpetrated by a few bad officers. It’s not good to judge an entire group of people based on the actions of a tiny few. What do you think would happen if people did that after seeing a few riotous thugs in action the last few nights? Maybe you might think differently if you ran into a situation where you needed police help and they were not there to give it to you. The way you speak in absolutes it really sounds like you really don’t know what you think you know.

LOL. Just so naive.

ML31 — Their job is what we say it is. We are the people who decided 200 years ago when we made this a free country. OH, not really. We decided this when lawyers took our police to court and won these rights from judges and lawmakers. Cops who don’t like being yelled at? They should quit. Cops who don’t like being called out for their special privileges? Fired or jailed.

Guess what is never going to change? Look around the world – what is the number one reason dictatorships fail? Because they need armed forces to defend their corruption. Whether they are regular police, secret police or the military, nationalistic armed forces used by dictatorships know from the highest level to newest recruit that they are basically sent to prey on their own families. They are all part of it. Some are just really, distinctively murderous. We have the highest incarceration rate in the world.

You say what you want, but in my city, NYC, the largest police force in the country, the head of the union is a racist windbag who has done nothing to promote peaceful relations in our city and then he’s held this power to get his cops to stand against every mayor who didn’t kiss his ring at every moment. What does he use this power for? Mostly to prevent any change in methods. Is he elected by his fellow cops? Yes he is. And most people who run against him are intimidated. Think about how many of the good cops are scared right now they have no where to go.

Trek in Cafe… And we say their job is to protect people and property. I must say you seem to have a cavalier attitude towards our law enforcement personnel. Most of whom face the possibility of death on a daily basis. And I’m sure the vast majority of police would rather not get yelled or spit at. Yet many put up with it. Pretty great that there are people who will, don’t you think?

When you start getting into dictatorships failing I feel like you are going pretty far off topic. But the number one reason why they fall is because the people they rule over revolt. But again, that really doesn’t seem relevant here.

Regarding your NYC head of the police union… I am not familiar with how much power the police union has in that city. If it has grown to the point where the union essentially runs the cops, then it has obviously become corrupt to the point where change as become exceedingly difficult and I do sympathize there. That said I find it difficult to believe that corruption has tickled down to the point where all the cops are bad apples. That just doesn’t seem realistic. So I would urge those who really want it to change to keep at at. Find a way. Moving on, despite what the NY based media tend to present, NYC is not a microcosm of the entire country. Just because their police union may have grown corrupt doesn’t mean that is the case in ever jurisdiction in the USA. That is most certainly NOT the case. I say this even as someone who has had both good and bad experiences with police, sheriffs and the CHP. It is just unreasonable to lump ALL cops into the same boat as the turds who abuse the authority we have granted them. Just as it is unreasonable to lump together any group in with the lawless looters just because they might share one or two similar characteristics. The fact is these men and women have one of the most dangerous jobs on Earth. Sadly it seems there are a lot of people who fail to grasp that.

I do, however, appreciate being able to discuss it on an adult level. Thank you for that.

What I am saying is that cops in the US have been marching around protecting corporate and “white” interests from the 1960s on, despite attempted reforms during the 1970s and 1980s. The people’s voices have not been heard in this regard because the politicians are bought. Now they are being heard.

And you should really think again about not understanding how this relates to dictatorship. The President spent Monday – two days ago – yelling at governors to “dominate” (listen to the Joker-like released audio) and the gassed peaceful protesters to walk across the street so he could get a picture with a bible – a PR project directed by the Attorney General. They have their intentions displayed for all who wish to consider them.

No, they have been protecting EVERYONE’S life and property. That’s what they do. They put their lives on the line for you and me. People have been heard for years and years. This current situation has nothing to do with corrupt politicians. Only corrupt cops. Of which, if how this is playing out is any indication, should be quite obvious are VERY few in number and there has always been an effort to sniff them out and remove them. Unfortunately not all of them are easy to spot. It’s a process.

You misunderstood what was being said. He was NOT “yelling” at governors to “dominate”. He was saying that the Governors and Mayors who let the thugs run rampant that they need to control that harmful element. He made them aware the National Guard is available should they ask for it. I’m not going to defend the obvious photo op (except to say that ALL presidents do such things) but that is nothing compared to others failing to ask for needed help to protect the citizens and their property only because they fear they will look bad if they ask for help from Trump. They would rather their communities burn than LOOK like they are working with the President? You have got to be kidding me. Those are the ones whose intentions have the spotlight on them for all to see. Not once has any officer done anything to the peaceful protests nor has the President suggested they be shut down. In fact, all have repeated their right to do so and have agreed with why they are doing it.

Even the Secretary of Defense just walked back the BS, and probably saved our country. It’s delusional to think the President is even barely capable doing anything positive in this situation. And I might add – it’s also both tragic and liberating for our country to have so many peaceful protesters who know what’s right. We owe every Millennial a huge hug when we can actually do that again. If they even want want one.

Trump’s former Secretary of Defense just called him out too:

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/06/james-mattis-denounces-trump-protests-militarization/612640/

“Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us,” Mattis writes. “We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children.”

“When I joined the military, some 50 years ago,” he writes, “I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens—much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside.”

WHAT DOES IT SAY when his own former Secretary of Defense says he’s a danger to the Constitution and doesn’t care about any of the people he’s President of? Trump is not only a HORRIBLE and corrupt President, he’s just a horrible human being in general. I never thought I would say that about any President. But the people who work under him clearly knows it. This debacle church photo op summed it up best.

Every week just proves Trump should have NEVER been President.

Trek in a Cafe

You can’t force someone who doesn’t want to take off their blinders to open their eyes.

How well I know that, Methusalah.

So you have nothing to add to what I said then. I was just defending police in general. Saying they are not 100% racist a-holes. Not going to get dragged into the President talk.

ML31 – what you don’t understand is that police departments are not trustworthy if they protect the bad cops and The President has been encouraging this behavior. The worst departments are acting emboldened. And even if departments come out now in favor of the protesters – that can’t simply erase the horrors that they have exacted on generations of innocent people.

What you don’t understand is that the majority are NOT protecting the bad cops. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen. It still does. But that way of thinking is waning. The President has certainly NOT been encouraging cops to support and ignore the bad ones. Leave the President out of this. That office is far too high to be affecting how local police departments are run. Your final sentence is exactly what I am addressing. You are acting like cops are not there to protect, but inflict damage of all kinds. If you really believe all cops are merely the arms of some invisible evil racist overlord then we have nothing more to discuss here and I am very sorry for you.

You’re just not seeing the truth that most police are unaccountable to anyone. In liberal and lawless NYC, the financial engine of our country, 400 staff members of the Mayor of New York just signed this letter decrying the tactics of their own police. They call it a Wall of Blue for a reason. You can’t have it both ways.

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-bill-de-blasio-staff-letter-protests-20200603-yfwudsckozazrl7bugqefchmge-story.html

Again, making the mistake that many New Yorkers make, including the media. That New York is the center of the universe and what happens there is reflective of everywhere in the country. It’s an over inflated opinion of themselves and it is perpetuated by the media that is based there.

I included this story about how government workers are coming out to show you evidence that even in a “liberal” city – within a very large and somewhat more purple state than people assume — political manipulation of policing affairs is happening.

Indeed, since my last post, our Deputy Mayor -who is elected separately as a check on the Mayor – was out in the streets last night protecting people and de-escalating physical confrontations with the police. My friends have been beaten and seen others beaten. Clearly confrontations are happening all over the country – and in fact the world – and police get away with physical abuse almost every time. That is why, going back to my first comment – all cops allow bad cops in their midst and any President is responsible for setting the mood.

And this goes back to my original reason for posting. ALL cops do NOT allow bad cops to exist. Period. The President has nothing to do with it as well.

You know ML31, there was a very disturbing video last night of police in Buffalo shoving a 75 year old man [who was trying to return one of their helmets] onto the pavement, shattering his skull and leading to massive bleeding. He is now in critical condition.

The Buffalo PD officially reported that a protester tripped and fell. That is, until the video of the cops assaulting the man spread on social media. Now they admit the police instigated the violence against a peaceful man.

THIS IS WHAT WE MEAN when we say good cops protect bad cops. In this case, an entire institution will LIE to the American people until irrefutable evidence surfaces. They are BUTCHERS, they are MURDERERS, and they PROTECT EVIL MEN as long as they can get away with it. The sooner you learn this lesson, the sooner we can actually do something to change it.

albatrosity,

Your Buffalo cite is actually an excellent counter to the “few bad apples” trope. That police unit was a 50+ member elite unit, the creme de la creme, the supposedly few GREAT apples. And yet when one of their own bent down to do a truly good deed and tend to the injured old man, a third member of the unit pulls him up and pushes him off from performing any such act.

Worse, when the two officers responsible for the fall were arrested for the felony crime that it was under the local elder abuse laws, the entire unit handed in their resignations and defended them with what became known from the Nuremberg trials as The Good Nazi Defense: “They were following orders.”

Also ML31 in response to your 6/2 10:31 comment, first of all, I work in law. I listen to false arrest cases ALL THE DAMN TIME. I hear the stories of young men and women, in nearly every case a person of color, getting ASSAULTED by cops, for doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. And I don’t know how to tell you this any clearer: the people whose masks are being torn off their faces and tear gassed, they’re my FRIENDS, and they’re STANDING. They aren’t doing ANYTHING illegal. The only laws being broken are by the cops, taking the freedom of speech away from law abiding citizens. And you cannot argue away this simple fact, so don’t even try, because I actually know very well what a cop’s life is like, and what a peaceful protester’s experience with them can be.

Sorry. I realize that is how you see it and I’m sure you mean it. But I tend to look at things a little more realistically. Even if I see something with my own eyes I think to myself, ‘there must be more to this than I am seeing so don’t be too quick to judge.’ Sometimes what we see is dead on. Others, it isn’t. Most people just react without thinking. It happens quite a bit. And yes, I find myself even reacting without thinking sometimes. It’s human nature. But I try to curb it.

And for the record, I my job requires me to work with the CHP and the Sheriff. It’s not like I’m a complete outsider here.

Well good, I hope you continue to keep an open mind about things. Please understand that this injustice is very deep, very old, and you should prioritize first and foremost winning rights — your rights, their rights. Don’t worry about the police right now. Worry about ppl like Cariol Horne, who lost her police officer job and her pension after stopping a fellow officer from choking an unarmed black man in his own home. Worry about Sarah Grossman, who was peacefully protesting when she got tear gassed, triggering her asthma. She died at a hospital in Columbus. These are the lives at stake, not the butchers in riot gear.

TRUTH.

Does anybody have the impression that Star Trek predicted this and we are not far away from the Bell riots in 2024? It sounds so familiar.

I actually see elements of The Drumhead playing out here more so than the Bell riots. Which still seems absurd even today.

The Drumhead? I’m not following? How is that in relation to George Floyd’s death?

The Bell riots was about both inequality and injustice dealing with a subset of people who were basically ignored or shunned in society until an incident happened that casted a light on their plight. The circumstances were different but it still fits with the issues being discussed today.

I just saw that episode this week and totally saw that type of situation playing out here. People are quick to judge everything. Seeing things that just aren’t there. No one wants to sit back and think things through. Like assuming all cops are racists, for example. That’s just as idiotic as making a general comment about the riotous thugs doing the looting. I thought it was obvious. I fail to see anything resembling the Bell riots playing out. Those were the results of the supremely unbelievable concept of herding unemployed and homeless people into special districts. Has anyone involved in the looting and rioting been forced to live in districts created just for their circumstance? I think not. I really wasn’t a fan of those episodes as it just didn’t feel like Star Trek at all. And the concept was just too absurd to accept. And I have been accepting faster than light travel and transporters! Now it has been a while since I saw the episode so perhaps I was wrong in the goal of the districts. But it didn’t seem to be about race to me. That was left for the Benny the writer episode. Which was much better.

Dude, none of this makes sense. The Drumhead was putting people on trial and judging them simply BASED on suspicion, no evidence and nothing more. How much more evidence do you need with those cops????? There is literally a video of them holding a man down as he pleads for his life for 9 minutes. Who else is being charged here? Who else is being accused of the crime? Who else is under suspicion for it? All people are asking for is for the four officers caught killing someone to be charged for it, that’s it. You saw the episode, but you obviously didn’t understand the point of it. These men will actually GET a fair trial. Even the main Attorney General who charged them said they may still get off as MANY police have gotten off in these cases, right? So we are very very from far the Drumhead.

And no one is saying ALL cops are racist but yes MANY are. The problem is the code of silence within police departments and even the good cops stay quiet to report the bad ones because they are afraid of reprisals or losing their jobs. But to others to stay silent is just much as being an accomplice. I’m from L.A., we had this problem more than most big cities. It was so bad they based the TV show The Shield on happened here. But no, not all cops are bad either.

The Bell riots ISN’T just about homelessness. It was also about people in society completely forgotten and no longer treated like real citizens anymore. The districts originally STARTED out trying to find a way to help homeless people but then they started shoving everyone in there who was deemed undesirable and the problems started to mount. People died in those districts and NO ONE CARED! People were being abused and crime was happening all over the place just like today because they were happening in areas everyone else saw as bad. You don’t see an analogy with what is going on today???

That’s the other irony, we don’t NEED sanctuary districts to still to be treated like they were. Most poor areas of America still have these problems as the sanctuary districts did. That’s the point, we might as WELL be living in those districts because for many people, especially for the minority and the poor, they are ignored and victimized until something like this happens and suddenly people pay attention again.

And just like the Bell riots, NO ONE would be rioting or protesting in America right now if everyone simply had the same opportunities and rights. Right? But we’re not and this is what happens.

You don’t think all police across the country are being judged by a handful of people? Not sure what you have been watching. I’m not talking about the ones who have been charged. I’m talking about ALL the rest of them. A lot of people seem to be getting judged here based on association and nothing more. Also in that episode there was one crewman (there is a crewman in TNG!) who had his career destroyed by suspicion. Now the mob doesn’t have that kind of power or authority but if they did their way it seems to be exactly what we would have. Those responsible for the HAVE been charged. As they rightly should. There is no reason for others to go after ALL police just because they wear the uniform.

Many ARE saying all cops are bad. That is what prompted me to respond to begin with. Many in the crowds are saying that. Their signs are saying that.

Regarding the districts in the DS9 episodes… Even what you say isn’t even close to what is going on out here now. People aren’t being forced into districts. People aren’t throwing out the “undesirable”. And I cannot imagine that actually happening in reality any more than I can see a real Hunger Games in the future.

I disagree about the concept that no one would be out there if everyone had the same opportunities. Not saying those feelings are not a part of it. They most certainly are. It also seems to be stemmed from the obvious outrage at the event combined with already being antsy from the SIP that has been imposed on people. And worse, you get the thug opportunist element who obviously don’t care about any social justice and just want any excuse to wreck havoc and loot for free stuff. Those folks aren’t doing the “Justice for Floyd” crowd any favors. The opportunities are there for all. The thing is in some circumstances it is more difficult to achieve them than in others. Just as some people it’s harder to lose weight than others. Circumstance isn’t always fair. Things can be done to help and I’m not saying society should not continue to strive to even out then inequities of circumstance. They absolutely should. But I still don’t see comparisons to the Bell riots here. I just saw The Drumhead this week. And I saw some strong connections.

Yep, people have been pointing this out in a few places. I even put out a link that wrote up an article dealing directly with George Floyd and Gabriel Bell in the fighting injustice thread.

All I know is STAR TREK, early on, gave us the character of John Gill to teach us the folly of waving off inherent systemic problems with “the few bad apples” trope. He thought most people signed up for 19th century German fascism with the intent to do good, and it would have worked, except for a few bad apples…

People should do the Vulcan salute more often. The proper and respectful way to greet people.

Shaking hands is disgusting and old fashioned practice that needs to stop.

Handshakes should continue when the pandemic is over!

Don’t worry, they will. This is nonsense.

An exclamation point? You must be a “young Spock.” 😉

I agree. Handshakes will return in the “distant future”? Oh please! I’m growing tired of “the new normal” and all this stuff. This is a once in a generation event. It’s not like people stopped shaking hands after the 1918 flu pandemic. People crave physical connection and tradition. Handshakes aren’t going anywhere (even if I’d personally prefer a classic Vulcan salute).

Well said

I agree, handshakes are dumb. People only like them for tradition… Handshakes literally make people sick.

I’m guessing you’re on the spectrum as it would explain a lot. You seem to be firmly entrenched in the path to becoming a miserable liberal. At least you’ll have tons of company here.

I’m glad they mentioned the Jewish origin. Honestly, widespread use if the Vulcan salute is what helps me understand cultural appropriation. The gesture is one of Judaism’s oldest and most sacred, used by few select people at select times. The idea of it becoming universal, even with the best of intentions, hurts.

I suggest the Minbari bow instead. Unless that also comes from an ancient culture, in which case the leaders of that culture who practice it authentically should be consulted with.

Just the two cents of a religious Jewish Trekkie.

Simply take something from Earth and use the namaste or wai greeting.

I always thought it was cool when my rabbi did the hand thing, because it was in Star Trek. And, my rabbi was a big Trek fan, who never failed to remind us that the gesture was used in Trek. In general, I like the idea of Jewish things becoming main stream. Still, we’re not exactly a homogenous group, and life would be no fun if we all had the same opinions.

@Legate Damar

Your rabbi reminded me of Mr Nimoy’s rabbi, who sent Nimoy to Germany.
I don’t know if I’m allowed to link articles here, but I try because I think it is a very fitting and touching story:

https://reformjudaism.org/so-human

Well, I don’t think it’s an exact copy of the Jewish gesture, is it?

It is. Although it’ts done with both hands in ceremonial circumstances.

Hmm yeah then I can see it being offensive. Does Nimoy being Jewish make it less appropriation? Can a fictional race appropriate customs and iconography from a real Earth culture?

I don’t think it makes it less offensive. I don’t blame him, he wasn’t religious, and didn’t have the sensitivity towards it that someone who is might have. Not his fault at all. I do think that in the current climate of at least promoting higher levels of sensitivity, other options that do the job just as well would be looked at.

I didn’t know the Vulcan salute had Jewish origins. I’m not Jewish but my family practices more than one religion.

My grandfather is a Muslim and my mom was a Catholic. Most of my family is Lutheran form of Christianity.

that is whee nimoy had developed his character, his jewish ancestory. shatner is also jewish too, although i think he looks more like what would be described as the rest of us gentile people.

I’m an Orthodox Jewish trekkie and I thought Nimoy’s idea was cool decades before some liberal invented this concept of ‘cultural appropriation’. It’s a hand gesture similar (not the same) to how descendants of the Jewish priestly caste (descendants of Moses’s brother Aaron, the original “Cohen”) customarily hold their hands while transferring God’s blessing to the people during daily prayers (daily in Israel, less frequently elsewhere). Borrowing from a hand gesture used for spreading God’s blessing for a greeting of peace is hardly misappropriation. And besides — Can anyone prove that the Vulcans are not descended from the ten lost tribes?

How’s it different? It’s one hand instead of two, but other than that?

Hi Fred – Besides using only one hand, Vulcans hold their hands with their palms out, towards each other. In the ‘priestly blessing’, Cohanim hold their hands palm-down, or at most about 45° between downward-facing and outwards-facing. Definitely not straight outwards-facing. Even 45° would be odd and probably rude for a Vulcan.

Fred the First,

Isn’t the blessibg administered palm down roughly parallel to the ground?

Thanks for the explanation, makes sense, can totally agree with you.

I lived in Asia for years where many just bow to others. I think that’s better in many ways and it took me about a year to finally stop bowing when I moved back to America lol.

In Japan, people there bow a lot more than in America.

I never lived in Asia before. I’ve been to Africa because I’m from there. Tanzania to be exact.

Japan, China, India, or South Korea are countries in Asia I would love to go visit later in my life.

Where in Asia did you go to? Just curious

Hi Faze Ninja!

I actually lived in South Korea and Japan. I taught English in both countries but got another job in Japan as well. Been to China multiple times and visited a friend who grew up in Shanghai about a year ago now. Never been to India but yes one of the countries I want to get to. I love Asia though, been about a dozen countries over the years. You should definitely go when you get the chance. Cool you are from Tanzania. Never been there but went to college with a good friend at the time who was from there. Where do you live now?

Yeah… The bow is found in East Asia. Mrs. ML31 is from Cambodia and I’ve been there. Bowing is quite common particularly when meeting people and out of respect for elders. Although it was considered pretty formal and when dealing in informal situations it’s less common.

Cambodia is an interesting place… My dream is to be in Japan. I love all things Japanese and everything about Japan. Their culture and history is fascinating.

That’s a nice way to put it. I found it to be a bit of a hell hole. The temples are impressive. Of course the famous one, Ankor Wat, is huge and was crowded when I went. But impressive and beautiful none the less. There is a genocide museum that is pretty harsh. But the weather is amazingly oppressive, there still exists a lot of petty street crime and bribes are fairly common and even an accepted practice. And let’s not even delve into their Prime Minister, who has managed to become the longest serving chief executive of a State on Earth. (He even has ties to the Khmer Rouge for god sakes!) The country is is both beautiful and hideous. My wife bailed because she couldn’t stand it anymore and became a US citizen. (For the record she was a naturalized citizen BEFORE we married) She still has family there and we have gone from time to time. Sometimes she goes and I stay. Next time we both go I’d like to change planes in Japan and stay a bit. The US State Department has decreed that there be no direct flights from the US to Cambodia. It’s a bit of a slap on the wrist to them.

I’ve only been to Cambodia once and it was to see Angkor Wat. I learned my lesson when it comes to SouthEast Asia and when I go I try go in the ‘winter’ lol. And Ankor Wat is amazing but you’re right, Cambodia overall is very impoverished. A lot of beautiful country side though but its not a place I can see myself living for any long period of time.

And when I went to Cambodia, I had to go to Thailand first and physically cross the border.

We make connections to Penom Penh through either Taipei, Hong Kong or Singapore. I hate those long flights. That and the cost is why I don’t go as often as the Mrs does. The Tokyo plan we made for early this year crashed and burned for obvious reasons.

I’ve been to the Thai border in Krong Poi Pet. Didn’t cross but thought it fun how you go from driving on one side of the road in Thailand to the other in Cambodia.

Enough with this bull squeeze, already. Every time someone gets a pimple on their butt, there’s always a contingent who think it’s acceptible to instantly redefine Western culture and social behavior by mob rule or fiat. Do you like being operantly conditioned like lab rats? I, for one, will not spend the rest of my life wearing a mask and nitrile gloves because someone might give me a case of the cooties. Nor am I going to stand on some silly ‘X marks the spot’ social distancing square in public spaces, like it’s a game of elementary school hopscotch supervised by border collies. (Well, not unless the person in front of me smells really bad. Then I’ll determine my own olfactory social distancing.) Wake up and live your lives, people. Quit being a Borg and expecting the rest of the hive to comply.

What a childish tantrum. By that logic, you’re not required to follow any law or social norm — like bathing for example. So perhaps you’re smelling yourself, not the other person.

Chill out bro he’s just having some fun.

Please, unless Trekmovie is paying you, you don’t have to respond to every single comment.

“…like it’s a game of elementary school hopscotch supervised by border collies.”

lol

Spoken like a true gun totin flag worshippin conservative. You know if you were in Starfleet you’d be thrown in the brig for being a threat to the health of your fellow shipmates. But you don’t sound like Starfleet material honestly, I dunno if you even know what “science” means…

I would be a Klingon but they would airlock him for his comments. I wouldn’t go too extreme.

The police and their brutality won’t stop us. Long live George Floyd. Rubber bullets and tear gas is not the answer. The criminal justice system and law enforcement needs to change.

Thanks for sharing your 18 years of worldly experience.

You sound like a troll but thank you.

Uh, you realize young black people are usually who gets targeted the most by police right? And you also realize the majority of people protesting for George Floyd are in fact YOUNG people too, right? This is such an ignorant statement. And when it comes to racism, sadly there is no age discrimination.

With you all the way.

Cultural appropriation. :-)

What?

Maybe we’ve been reading Star Trek wrong all along. It takes place thousands of years in the future and we are the Vulcans. Look what climate change will do to our planet!

Maybe you’re right. We are Vulcans thousands of years from now. Climate change is a very threat to human existence.

Climate change will likely change our planet quite a lot but it is not going to take away the Moon. Also, last I checked Earth isn’t part of a triple star system.

Been doing this for years, not looking so ‘nerdy’ now….

Really dumb idea along with pretty much every other “new normal” idea that’s been put forth. This isn’t the plague people. Get over it.