When men's lips meet
By kissing Paul Scholes, Gary Neville declared war on homophobia. And Francophobia, tooPaul MacInnes
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 18 April 2010
Of the gestures exchanged between males, there are two common types. First, the handshake, which has over recent years exploded into a veritable rainbow of variations, from the traditional polite handshake through to the terrorist fist bump, taking in all manner of slaps and tickles along the way. The other is the hug, which has gone in the opposite direction, distilling itself into one uniform act; a brief squeeze, followed by two strong slaps across the shoulders.
In terms of actual physical contact, that's about it. A rogue uncle might rub his knuckles up and down your scalp, but that's a rarity. Kissing, meanwhile, just doesn't happen. Keep that in mind when you consider the reaction to an already famous meeting of lips yesterday afternoon.
As if losing the derby to a last-minute headed goal from a 35-year-old wasn't bad enough, what followed next must have proved mortifying for Manchester City fans. As they sat in the stands contemplating yet another year in the shadows of their illustrious rivals, there on the pitch was Gary Neville, club captain and Manchester United archetype, planting a full, passionate kiss on the lips of his teammate and goalscorer Paul Scholes. As the self-parodying pundit Alan Hansen might put it, talk about passion and commitment.
The kiss exchanged by Neville and Scholes, or rather the one foisted upon Scholes by Neville, was broadcast around the world. It said a lot about what victory, the crucial three points as they say, meant to Manchester United. It also said a lot about Gary Neville. He is, after all, more commonly associated with the passionate expression of emotions other than love; as exemplified by his apparently unassuaged loathing of scousers and a general antipathy towards footballing officialdom. ..........(more)
The complete piece is at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/apr/18/men-kiss-scholes-neville-homphobia
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