History Main / GreetingGestureConfusion

* PlayedForDrama in the {{backstory}} of ''Series/BabylonFive''. At FirstContact between the Earth Alliance and the Minbari Federation, a Minbari force approached an Earthforce flotilla with their ships' gunports open, which the Minbari warrior caste considers a gesture of respect.[[note]]By having their weapons visible but not powered, the intention is to approach the other party open-handed with nothing to hide. They didn't realize their ships' scanners were interfering with the Earth Alliance ships' own scanners, so the humans couldn't tell the Minbari weapons weren't prepared to fire.[[/note]] Dukhat, the Minbari head of state, realized what this could look like to someone unfamiliar with the gesture and ordered the gunports closed, mere seconds before the human ships opened fire in (they thought) self-defense. The result was the Earth-Minbari War.

* In ''Film/TommyBoy'', when the titular character (played by Chris Farley) meets [[spoiler: someone he believes to be]] his future stepbrother (played by Rob Lowe), Lowe holds out his hand to shake.

* In 2012, Creator/DavidLetterman took to fist bumping some of his guests, specifically the "exploding" variety. Most of the time his guests are confused - often thinking he's going for a traditional handshake - but every once in a while someone (who has probably been prepped beforehand, or is a regular viewer) joins in on both the bump and the explosion, at which point Dave is both impressed and amused.

* [[http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/webdr03/2013/3/1/6/anigif_enhanced-buzz-21457-1362138882-1.gif This gif]] of John Mayer meeting Music/KanyeWest (which is actually a deliberate joke about [[WhiteDudeBlackDude white guys awkwardly meeting black guys]]).

* In the "Malombo" scene of ''Film/{{Airplane!}}'', Striker shows the Malombo chief at least two handshake variations. The chief then holds out his hands, seemingly for a "low ten," and when Striker delivers, the chief promptly hauls off and decks him.

* ''Fanfic/TheBoltChronicles'': When first meeting, Mindy Parker and Penny twice offer each other a simultaneous hug and handshake before finally settling on a mutual hug, in "The Cameo".

* ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'': Queen Henrietta offered her hand for Saito [[IKissYourHand to kiss]], but he gets confused and has no idea what she is doing. Annoyed, Louise tells him to kiss her, but instead of kissing her hand, he grabs her and kisses her on the lips. Though Henrietta enjoys it, Saito has no idea why everybody else is mad at him.
* ''LightNovel/FateApocrypha'': Kairi Sisigou offers Mordred a handshake, but she cheerfully hi-fives his hand instead, causing Kairi to look slightly annoyed.

* In ''Literature/MyEnemyMyAlly'', James T. Kirk tries to shake Ael t'Rllaillieu's hand on their first meeting and is informed that among the Romulans, holding hands is considered a display of affection on the level of TheBigDamnKiss. [[spoiler:Given a CallBack at the end of ''The Empty Chair'' when, before parting for the last time, Kirk and Ael first hold hands, then kiss.]]

* PlayedForDrama in the {{backstory}} of ''Series/BabylonFive''. At FirstContact between the Earth Alliance and the Minbari Federation, a Minbari force approached an [=EarthForce=] flotilla with their ships' gunports open, which the Minbari warrior caste considers a gesture of respect.[[note]]By having their weapons visible but not powered, the intention is to approach the other party open-handed with nothing to hide. They didn't realize their ships' scanners were interfering with the Earth Alliance ships' own scanners, so the humans couldn't tell the Minbari weapons weren't prepared to fire.[[/note]] Dukhat, the Minbari head of state, realized what this could look like to someone unfamiliar with the gesture and ordered the gunports closed, mere seconds before the human ships opened fire in (they thought) self-defense. The result was the Earth-Minbari War.

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* In ''Webcomic/ScandinaviaAndTheWorld'', Turkey [[http://satwcomic.com/society-will-crumble is embarrassed]] when he tries to talk to France after she's kissed him on both cheeks, not realizing that a French greeting has three kisses, unlike a Turkish one. The Scandinavians don't see what the big deal is until Turkey compares it to one person attempting a handshake and the other a fist-bump, at which they're suitably horrified.
* Downplayed in ''Webcomic/LeftoverSoup'': when Jamie meets Wallace, he goes for a fistbump when Wallace initiates a handshake. Wallace points out that Jamie doesn't have to fistbump just because Wallace is black, but as Jamie points out, Wallace was trying to shake his ''right'' hand, which was still in a cast at the time.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Outsider}}'', the Loroi are natural telepaths whose telepathy significantly intensifies through touch, and as such consider most physical contact a cultural taboo. Not (yet) knowing this, the human Jardin offers a handshake to a pilot, only for her to express confusion and ask what he's doing.

** "[[GrandFinale All Good Things...]]" shows Picard and Crusher as [[AmicableExes divorcees]] in the future. When reuniting, they have difficulty deciding whether to hug or shake hands, with Picard saying "Let's just pick one...", and they hug.

* ''Fanfic/TheBoltChronicles'': When first meeting, Mindy Parker and Penny twice offer each other a simultaneous hug and handshake before finally settling on a mutual hug, in “The Cameo.”
* In the ParodyFic ''Plan 7 of 9 from Outer Space'', Captain Proton messes up a FirstContact by offering to shake hands with the elder statesman of an ancient alien civilisation. As men HoldingHands is a sign of homosexuality, the statesman decides that [[MistakenForGay Proton must be gay]].
* In the ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' fic "Examination", Hoshi Sato offers her hand in greeting to Rajiin because she knows that Captain Archer always shakes hands, so she'd already be familiar with the gesture. Hoshi does however keep the palm angled to make it clear her hand is empty and therefore non-threatening.
* In the ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyro'' fic ''FanFic/ThePortal'', Blizzard, who is actually a human turned into a dragon, holds his right front paw out to Storm the Wind dragoness to offer her a handshake, but when he sees her looking at his paw with a confused look, he lowers it thinking she's unfamiliar with the concept of handshakes.

The hug-handshake confusion is the most overt form of this gag, but it can be done with other confusions of the appropriate gesture to use (one character goes for a handshake and the other for a fist-bump or other HandshakeSubstitute; Bob kisses Alice on the cheek, to Alice's surprise; a French character goes to kiss an American character on each cheek; an American character goes for a handshake while an East Asian character bows; and so on and so forth). It's even possible to do this in sci-fi or fantasy works via the CrossCulturalHandshake.

* ''Series/{{Community}}'' has a {{UST}}-filled moment where Jeff and [[{{Adorkable}} Annie]] alternate trying to hug while the other goes for a handshake, until Jeff decides to [[AffectionateGestureToTheHead pat her head]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/FernGullyTheLastRainforest'', Zac offers a handshake to Crysta. Unfamiliar with the concept of shaking hands, she just sticks her hand out at Zac's face.

* ''Fanfic/TheBoltChronicles'': When first meeting, Mindy Parker and Penny twice offer each other a hug and handshake before finally settling on a mutual hug, in “The Cameo.”

* ''Fanfic/TheBoltChronicles'': Occurs in “The Cameo” between Mindy Parker and Penny. They finally settle on a mutual hug after simultaneously offering a hug and handshake twice when first meeting.

--->[[NeverLiveItDown I almost got myself shipped back to the academy for remedial training.]]