The first rule of Hug Club…

Greta Christina

Over on Twitter, Sasha Pixlee (@sashapixlee) tweeted this:

Lets make something like fight club but for hugging.

(Here is the original that this is satirizing, for those who aren’t familiar with it.)

So I immediately came up with these:

1st rule of Hug Club: Let’s talk about Hug Club a lot!

2nd rule of Hug Club: Let’s talk about Hug Club some more!

3rd rule of Hug Club: If someone says “stop” or goes rigid, the hugging is over.

4th rule of Hug Club: As many people can hug at a time as they want!

5th rule of Hug Club: All the hugs at a time!

6th rule of HugClub: Shirts and shoes are fine if that makes you more comfortable. If everyone agrees, you can take them off.

7th rule of Hug Club: Hugs will go on as long as we want them to!

8th rule of HugClub: If this is your first night at Hug Club, you can hug if you want, and you don’t have to if you don’t.

BTW, if you want to follow me on Twitter, I’m @gretachristina .

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The first rule of Hug Club…

About the author

Greta Christina has been writing professionally since 1989, on topics including atheism, sexuality and sex-positivity, LGBT issues, politics, culture, and whatever crosses her mind. She is author of The Way of the Heathen: Practicing Atheism in Everyday Life, of Comforting Thoughts About Death That Have Nothing to Do with God, of Coming Out Atheist: How to Do It, How to Help Each Other, and Why, of Why Are You Atheists So Angry? 99 Things That Piss Off the Godless, and of Bending: Dirty Kinky Stories About Pain, Power, Religion, Unicorns, & More, and is editor of Paying For It: A Guide by Sex Workers for Their Clients. She has been a public speaker for many years, and many of her talks can be seen on YouTube. Her writing has appeared in multiple magazines and newspapers, including Ms., Penthouse, Chicago Sun-Times, On Our Backs, and Skeptical Inquirer, and numerous anthologies, including Everything You Know About God Is Wrong and three volumes of Best American Erotica. (Any views she expresses in this blog are solely hers, and do not necessarily represent this organizations.) She lives in San Francisco with her wife, Ingrid. You can email her at gretachristina (at) gmail (dot) com, or follow her on Facebook.
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22 thoughts on “The first rule of Hug Club…”

  1. moulton
    1

    Great List. If you had two more then you could carve then on foam tablets. Foam tablets would make great couch pillows. Seriously though it really is a great list.

  9. opposablethumbs
    9

    DaughterSpawn came home for the holidays yesterday – hadn’t seen her for almost five months. There have been A LOT of hugs in the last 24 hours. It’s like we have a backlog to catch up on, I’ve missed hugging her so much.

    Hug club: – yup, I’m in 🙂

  13. Rene Horn
    13

    We can hug if we want to.
    We can’t leave our friends behind.
    Cause if your friends don’t hug
    And if they don’t hug.
    Well, they can still be friends of mine.

  14. Crudely Wrott
    14

    Well, then, shucks (twirls toe in sand). Hugs Christina. Hugs for you and for those who need some or just like ’em. =)

    (reflects on feeling fundamentally better overall)

  15. kaboobie
    15

    Sasha’s tweet and Greta’s responses reminded me of a time long ago, when I was at a party feeling down (IIRC a guy I liked was hooking up with someone else). A friend noticed, and said, “Here comes the Hug Patrol.” Another friend chimed in with, “Call 1-800-NEED-A-HUG.” And then they hugged me.

    I am definitely all for Hug Club!

  16. usingreason
    16

    @9

    Second daughter spawn is due in 4.5 hours; I am warming up the hugging muscles to avoid injury. It’s been about 4 months. Last time as her and her mother ran to each other and hugged it elicited a chorus of ‘awwws’ from the crowd at the airport. A ‘Love Actually’ moment.

  17. No Light
    17

    #There’s a little rainbow sign at the side of the road,
    It says “Fifteen miles to the Hug Shack”,
    Hug Shack yeah yeah.

    I’ve got me a catbus it’s as big as a whale,
    And it’s heading on down to the Hug Shack,
    I’ve got me a catbus it seats about twenty,
    So come on! And bring your juke box money.

    The Hug Shack is a little old place where we can get together,
    Hug Shack baby, Hug Shack baby!

    Everybody’s smiling, everybody’s schmoozing,
    Folks lining up outside, for our hug-round

    Everybody’s smiling, everybody’s schmoozing baby,
    Fluffy little shack, Fluffy little shack! #

    *shimmies*

    Fabulous, I’m in!

    I miss hugs, proper hugs. I cannot wait till I’m a bit better, because I have sooo many hugs to catch up on.

  22. Suggestion Saturday: December 29, 2012 | On The Other Hand
    22

    […] The First Rule of Hug Club. I like this idea but I have complicated feelings about hugging. I’m cuddly with my spouse and love hugs from family members and friends but social situations in which one is expected to give physical affection make me quite uncomfortable. Hugs should always be given and accepted freely. They should never be an obligation. […]

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