Pound hug

A stylized greeting, exclusively performed between two people, the pound hug (also referred to as a "pound shake," "one-armed hug," "dude hug," "homie hug," "shug," "hetero hug," "bro-grab," "bro hug," "thug hug," "man-hug" or a "hip-hop hug") consists of a combination of a handshake and one-armed hug. Unlike the traditional hug, which symbolically and effectively removes interpersonal barriers and unites the two persons embracing, the male hug—performed by keeping the right hand locked in handshake while the left arm wraps around the other's shoulder—interposes the obstacle of the two right arms to the joining of the two bodies. The origin of this hug is not clear.

Cultural aspects

Greetings will vary from culture to culture. Certain cultures, such as in East Asia, are seen as low-touch cultures, in which men are more likely to bow to each other. Other cultures, such as the Central Asian, the Middle Eastern, and the Mediterranean, are characterized by a marked physical intimacy between men. Still other cultures, such as the American, are an amalgam between the two, and the male hug is seen as reflective of those values.

Mark Anthony Neal, Duke University professor of Black popular culture, states that when with men, he'll use a certain kind of hug - as long as the other guy also is Black. "If I was greeting a White guy, I would probably never go for the...
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