Cuddle Parties sooth some, worry others

[The Straight Story]

Cuddle Parties sooth some, worry others

MURFREESBORO, Tenn., Oct. 13 (UPI) -- Organizers of Cuddle Parties in Tennessee say the events are aimed at giving adults the chance to experience nurturing, non-sexual touching with strangers.

Anna Grupke, a Cuddle Party hostess in Murfreesboro, said the four parties she has thrown at her house since May have drawn all types of people, including doctors, construction workers and mothers, The (Nashville) Tennessean reported.

Grupke and other advocates said the events have very strict rules about participants keeping their pajamas on at all times and keeping touching non-sexual. She said no one at the parties is touched without permission.

"It leaves you high as a kite," she said of the hugging sessions, which can last for hours.

Ralph Childs, a Nashville licensed professional counselor, and some other behavior experts said Cuddle Parties could be magnets for sexual predators. Childs said hugging and cuddling should be reserved for non-strangers.

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2009/10/13/Watercooler-Stories/UPI-35721255429800/

[Skidmore]

1. The very idea that people in this nation feel the need for such

events is downright sad.

[The Straight Story]

2. Wonder if they wear snuggies

[Skidmore]

3. Whether they do nor not, this nation needs to collectively

grow up.

[The Straight Story]

4. You need a hug

:hug: :rofl:

[Skidmore]

5. ......

:)

[KittyWampus]

26. we need to "grow up"? What the f*ck? You mean Man-Up and stop desiring sissy things

like compassionate touch?

[Skidmore]

35. Whoa!

No I mean be have maturely. We have a whole culture that trains people to be permanently stuck in adolescence. Rampant consumerism doesn't work when people aren't constantly looking for fulfillment or comfort upon demand.

BTW, forget the adolescent snark. I am a woman on the downhill slope of life.

[Happyhippychick]

13. *snort*

[Hannah Bell]

6. pitiful. & creepy.

[handmade34]

10. yup, my word for it too, creepy

[LWolf]

15. It is sad.

Perhaps some reasons for the isolation that leads to something like this can be found reading further down this very thread.

:(

[Hubert Flottz]

7. The evolution of the Cuddle Parties

Picture a bunch of well to do republicans hugging your checkbook and your cash money.

[The Straight Story]

36. Banks have cuddle parties all the time with taxpayer funds

and invisible money. And look how much good it has done them :) Wonder what happens if I cuddle my bills?

[peace frog]

8. Pathetic

Thanks but no thanks, I'll cuddle up with my cats and dog when I need some non-sexual touching.

[Mari333]

9. why not just throw a potluck party for the girls?

My friends (women) and I just have dinners together. potlucks.
we wouldnt think of inviting strangers (!) and if we do invite men its safe ones we know. we hug each other and all know each other. but to formally call it a cuddle party..well, no one would show up if we did that...

[Hannah Bell]

11. that's what was once known as "having friends". it's anachronistic.

the market wants isolated monads.

[Stevenmarc]

12. Jeeez, a pajama party for the emotionally inept

[LWolf]

14. "emotionally inept?"

I'm not sure that's accurate. Isolation from others occurs for many reasons.

[Lochloosa]

16. Yeah, I can see saying to some of the Bubbas around here....

let's go to the "snuggle party" tonight.

:rofl:

[get the red out]

17. Personal space?

It's none of my business what works for other people, but I am not into my personal space being violated by strangers. I just don't touch people I don't know, it just doesn't seem natural to me. But that is just my own instinct at work. When I think of wanting to "cuddle" someone it is either my husband, my 2 year old niece, or some cute, furry kitty or pup.

[ElboRuum]

18. His name was Robert Paulson?

:shrug:

[Berry Cool]

19. I remember going to a few "platonic orgies" back in college.

They were with friends. Male and female. The idea was, we'd throw a few mattresses together on the floor, cover them with sheets, buy a lot of wine and self-indulgent foods from candy to fruit (like strawberries and grapes), then hang out for the night on the mattresses in a group, listening to music, drinking wine and eating (sometimes feeding each other grapes or strawberries). Sometimes somebody would be lying in somebody's arms, but no sex was involved. We didn't even have any weed.

What can I say, we were kids. Goody-goody kids, compared to some.

[KittyWampus]

27. In University, the Vegetarian Co-op I was in would sit around in a circle and give each other

backrubs.

[PVnRT]

20. Oh no! The scandal!

Adults engaging in consensual non-sexual acts that harm no one? The horror.....the horror.....

[Mist]

21. I don't get all the negative reaction on this thread. We live in a culture that

teaches us to mistrust and even dislike touch. Non-sexual touching can be very healing for some people.

[TwilightGardener]

22. Wow. How pathetic are you that you have to join an organized gathering

just to get someone (a stranger, no less) to touch you? Creepy, weird and sad, all at once.

[KittyWampus]

28. I think it's pathetic so many DU'ers are apparently so uptight and anal about touching others

[WorseBeforeBetter]

42. Maybe we're not uptight or anal, we just think it's dopey.

But, cuddle away, people...and don't forget your swine flu shots.

[moriah]

23. I remember puppy piles in high school.

Sometimes it was co-ed.

But damnit, I knew all of them! I would NOT feel comfortable with strangers touching me, even in a non-sexual manner. (Ask my poor coworker who tried to pat me on the back when I had only known him a few months -- I hissed "Don't TOUCH me!" reflexively.)

[raccoon]

24. Non-sexual for how long? nt

[TexasObserver]

25. If it makes them happy, it tickles the shit outta me.

Certainly more people could use more hugs, and these are self selecting adults. I don't care if they're getting freaky, muchless simply hugging each other.

[muriel_volestrangler]

29. If they *can* last for hours, why the pyjamas?

You don't need pyjamas for a hug or a cuddle. You use them for sleeping in.

[conscious evolution]

30. cuddle puddles

Thats what my rainbow family calls them.
Sometimes,they are just what the doctor ordered.

[kjackson227]

31. "keeping their pajamas on"... Bwahahahhaha!

I'm sure at least one pervert or homicidal maniac will find their way amongst the group someday. This is a clusterf*ck waiting to happen. I'd rather have a cuddle party on the internet... it's safer. Here's my cuddle hug to all of the DUer's:hug:

[Romulox]

32. There's really no such thing as a "non-sexual" cuddle between an adult male and woman...

:shrug:

[TwilightGardener]

34. That is true. Brief friendly hugs, yes. "Cuddling"--no.

[Javaman]

33. As segments of society lose touch with what makes us human...

via image, information and sound overload, our ability for social relationships falls by the waste-side.

How many little bizarre stories to you hear on the news regarding relationships; "he broke up with me on twitter, IM, email", these days?

My wife's son is obsessed with texting. He thought us crazy when we told him he should be less accessible and to take a break from texting for a while. His response, "are you kidding? How will they know where I am?"

"How will the know where I am". What a truly sad statement. The self absorbed belief that they are indispensable.

We stated, "if someone needs to find you or contact you, they will. However, if they give up, then it wasn't important or they really didn't need to find you that badly. See how it works? They will survive and figure it out". He still texts no stop.

As society becomes more and more plugged in and tuned out, social morays fall by the side in favor of on line socializing.

We can easily refuse to text back someone if we feel confronted with an issue we don't want to deal with and may never want to deal with.

In the past, we had to deal with issues, because we knew as right as rain that, "I will bump into him/her and I will have to deal with it".

The constant stream of information, the "need to know now" mentality, fails on many fronts but mostly in the ability of allowing one to "think about things" to "think them over" before reacting. Everything is reaction now. No thought, no reflection.

The "unfriending" of our society becomes the new cold social norm. Where physical contact and confrontation becomes socially awkward in favor of, "I'll just text you". The removal of consideration of the other persons feelings becomes the cut and dry method of dealing with life. Everyone is their own CEO. Personal confrontation requires people to have empathy and a level of compassion. Texting removes the ones conscious from the equations.

One can text someone that they are a schmuck, but in person, how many people would actually call someone that to their face?

These "cuddle parties" are a direct reaction to the disassociation of our society. People, regardless of what is now socially acceptable, still need/want that physical contact. Certainly, they require it on some unconscious level.

The next step in the right direction would be to have parties where all cell phones are checked at the door.

Forcing people to actually communicate and exercise their social skills would serve them better in the long run.

But frankly, since I'm middle aged and am on the verge of turning into that old man on the block that tells kids to, "Get off my lawn!!", I find it a truly disturbing trend that people feel they are on 24/7 call for inanity.

[JVS]

37. That is the lamest recreational activity ever.

[datasuspect]

38. whatever happened to good old circle jerks?

[JVS]

40. What happened to whiskey/drugs and hookers/massage parlors?

[Lisa0825]

39. I first heard about these several years ago. Not sure where I first read about it, but

it still sounds creepy to me!

[WorseBeforeBetter]

41. I can't wait for the L&O:SVU episode of a Cuddle Party gone wrong. (n/t)

[proteus_lives]

44. Hah.

You know it's coming.

[proteus_lives]

43. I'd rather poke my own eyes out then go to one of those.

I couldn't handle strangers touching me.

[KillCapitalism]

45. They sound OK to me.

If people like these, let 'em go and have their fun. It would be better than just sitting at home lonely.

You never know, you might just meet someone that you'd love to cuddle with in private. lol