Free Hugs

Yesterday I was leaving class when I spotted a man standing outside of the Thomas Building  holding a sign that said “Free Hugs”.

This man had chosen a good spot; in between classes, thousands of students walk by this area of campus. His sign was simple enough to read. The words were short and the font was large and bold. There he stood, arms up in the air with a sign calling upon others to give or receive hugs (exigence!). I did not stop to give this man a hug, here’s why:

1.     His failure to consider his audience’s background: I was raised with the phrase “don’t talk to strangers.” One was not to get too close to strange people, not to mention hug them. Assuming others were brought up like me, it is likely that his message is doomed to be ignored because it does not coincide with his audience’s background. The audience, like me, will not respond to the exigence and leave him with empty arms.

2.     Lack of ethos: Who is this man? Why is he offering free hugs? Why should I give him a hug? Is he an exceptional hugger? 

      Perhaps he is conducting a sociology experiment, in which case he can count out any hug from me – I’m not a lab rat and my hugs are worth more than experimental results. Or perhaps he is just a good-natured man wanting to make others’ days better with free hugs. But how would I know? The man neither identifies himself nor his objective, leaving his audience confused as to his ethos. As a result, I was unresponsive to his call for free hugs. A little ethos could have gone a long way.

3.     Lack of pathos: ‘Free’ and ‘hugs’ – I think that these two words are great and together they sound like a nice concept (though I’ve never heard of anyone charging money for hugs). My trouble with the concept is the man giving the hugs. I’ve never seen him before and, absent of personal connection, hence felt no desire to hug him.

      There are other things I’d much rather hug than this man: my pillow, my mom, my dog etc. By hugging these I’d get comfort and love unlike from this stranger where I’d feel clueless and uncomfortable among the passersby. His hugs mean nothing to me. Perhaps if he had explained that it would make him feel better, his offer of a free hug would have tugged at my emotions and prompted me to actually hug him, but such was not the case. 

Although I did not embrace this man, perhaps other students, stressed about exams, breakups and life, might have been desperate enough to get some comfort from the stranger’s hugs. But in my opinion, this man failed rhetorically.