Does the hi-five seem particularly egotistical? It’s a way for two people to somehow share in a self-congratulatory moment and also turn that moment into a big public display. "Hey lookit us, we did something great!" And yet, when done unselfconsciously, or in the true joy of a moment, it is somehow, fantastic. A pure form of "Yesss!"
I love the idea of the hi-five unironically (I think), though it should be reserved only for the best occasions.
This is one of those occasions.
[flv:/video/hi_five.flv 320 240]
from Will Ferrel’s picks at funnyordie.com…I saw this almost a month ago and it won’t leave my head!
Awesome.
I wasn’t raised with the high five and find myself exceedingly uncomfortable and incompetent where it’s concerned. My bocce teammates have always been great about it though. We have a series of other whatnots that we do to celebrate (ask us how to park the car).
Yes, the key to the hi-five is in doing it unselfconsciously…as soon as you are aware of what you’re doing, it becomes as you say, uncomfortable, and embarrassing. I know it’s a metaphor, but I love imaging that to celebrate you actually run out and park a car.