Keanu in Book Six: Trying to Hold On 2019

Random thing I am sharing here because sharing it on Facebook would somehow make it “more of a controversy”.

Element: Keanu Reeves recently has been on social media being applauded for photos where he does The Hand Hover… essentially, he doesn’t touch women in photo ops and it is being seen as a sign of respect towards women. NOTE: The photos and assumptions are being shared/made by others on social media and not by Mr. Reeves himself.

Social Media Controversy: Of course, the reactions from social media are divisive and contrary. While one side says that he is doing this all as a sign of respect towards women, the other side says that he is doing it out of self-preservation since “in these days, any touch at all would be called sexual assault!” And so the debate surrounding is almost exclusively around whether to perceive the lack of contact HONORABLE or ANTI-SJW #METOO PROTECTION.

Personal Statement: I take exception with the whole thing. I certainly take exception to the anti-#metoo votriol… but I also take umbrage with the people applauding Mr. Reeves. Why?

Because my memory is not deficient. A LONG RUNNING slam (particularly regarding convention goers) is that if you see a man taking a photo with a woman and he is NOT touching the woman… that is “The Instant Virgin Detector.” Truly, even now, Google “Hover Hand” and you will get Memes and Virgin Shaming and all sorts of very mean “Virgin Loser” type of humor. Which leads me to conclude the following:

Statement of Observation: Keanu Reeves is famous, attractive, and wealthy. He doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone. THEREFORE, when he is in pictures with women… they aren’t going to mock him, or say derisive things about his sexual history. They are going to say, “Oh, he’s so sexy. Look at him respecting me.” And yet when it is a man of less attractive qualities, particularly when being photographed with a “conventionally attractive” woman… they say “Hover Hand Level: Virgin.” Frankly, it is JUST as likely that Convention Goers’ reasons are the same as those being debated by Social Media right now! A convention goer that knows how harrassed some women are for being in revealing CosPlay may intentionally be attempting to show respect by not touching all over the woman. OR considering the CosPlay Is Not Consent movement… it could be stated that “hover hand” is self-preservation to keep from being accused of sexual assault.

Summary: This is just one more area of “nerd culture” where… when it was done initially… it is something to mock and criticize and taunt “the virgin.” But now that a cool sexy studly hot guy has done it… now we argue over whether it is respect or lawsuit protection. It bothers me, you know. Like when, for example, Goths and Metrosexuals, and LGBTQA men were wearing eyeliner and we were called FAGS but Johnny Depp does it in a period piece summer blockbusterand Guy Liner is suddenly hip for three months.