Mystifying Superfluous Social Taboo #2,000,744

[mrda]

Following events earlier at work, I wonder what makes sticking one's hands in one's pockets such a grave faux-pas punishable by death.....

Anyone got a light?

(And no answers related to playing "pocket pool" either, please! K, thnx!)

~MRDA~

Comments

[phyrbyrd]

I can give you a couple of guesses - number one is that it closes up your silhouette, makes you look defensive - even hostile. It's practically the exact opposite of welcoming someone with open arms and it sends the signal to the other person that they're unwanted.
Number two, if the other person can't see your hands, that's another hostile signal because you could theoretically produce a weapon/punch them at any moment. An open, empty hand is a friendly thing, something you can trust.
Number three is to do with the handshake greeting - if your hands are in your pockets then you can't shake hands or hug someone. Do you maybe not want to touch them? Why not? Do you think they're dirty? Subconscious insults all round.
Hm, the more I think of this the more I come up with. I think possibly the reinforcement of the 'this is my personal space and you can't come in because I don't trust you' signal is possibly the strongest argument, though.

[ubermensch]

does your workplace carry any of physically small but high-demand or expensive items, such that it from far away could very plausibly be mistaken for employee pocketing ?

[mrda]

I- pods and their ilk always get locked away in a cabinet....

It has some plausibility, but I think that this was far from the intent of the person doing the dictating.

[fortis]

The CEO where I work hates it too. Our (the IT department) best guess is that he thinks the only people who would walk around with their hands in their pockets are good for nothings, loafers, and hippies.

[aliasjack]

A light? No, but you can have a match. Not a huge fan of the butane taste, myself.