Socks for the hands
Who doesn't know this. The socks have slipped and cause the feeling around the ankles that something needs to be changed. So a quiet place is sought where one can position one's upper body closer to the lower end of the extremities, in other words: sit down.
If the bending down can be done without any noise from the compressed chest, the worst is already done, but then comes the inevitable thought:
If I'm already down here, what else can I do on this occasion?
So the lacing of the shoes is checked, and preferably redone, so that the passers-by, who are already looking irritated, don't start whispering. Readjusting the hem of the trousers and a quick wipe of the lint on the loafers is of course also part of the job.
Rusting due to collagen deficiency
Biologically, ears, nose and feet grow throughout life. But since the feet are in proportion to the height of the body, suddenly a 41 1/2 instead of a 43 is enough again, as in younger years. And the lady is happy because the unloved 40/41 has become a 39 again.
The other side of the coin of the fact that fluid balance and collagen deficiency make us shrink is that the shoe size 39 wearer no longer dyes her hair out of vanity, but out of shame.
Fortunately, the majority of people move in an upright manner. This elevates him above the animals he has subdued. Even other primates that are capable of walking upright don't use it because they don't want the back problems.
It has already had absurd excesses with the upright gait. The free hands and thumbs opposite the fingers for holding objects and making weapons have resulted in the insane habit of shaking hands in greeting to show that one is not armed.
This has now gone completely out of fashion
One proponent of the not-giving-the-hand thesis is the comedian Steve Martin. In 'The Man with Two Brains', he describes the process of a doctor friend having his brain transferred to a gorilla. When the main character - played by himself - meets the primate for the first time and wants to shake his hand in greeting, the gorilla looks down; Dr. Hfuhruhurr recognises him from this and says: 'he never liked shaking hands'.
In 'Ticket for Two' with the unforgotten John Candy, the two main characters also experience the difficulties of shaking hands in one scene: on a cold evening, the two are stranded after a train journey full of obstacles and hope for the help of a local countryman. While the character John Candys spontaneously shakes hands with him with his mittens on, Steve Martin meanwhile politely removes his glove. The stranger spits out and wipes his mouth with his hand before offering it to the second man.
As far as disgust for physical proximity is concerned, the descendants from Neandertal near Düsseldorf are way ahead in the land of the Germanic, Alemannic and Teutonic peoples. The world, which still calls us German, allemand, duits, tysk, الألمانية (älmeni), ドイツ (deutse jin) after long-extinct peoples, envies us for being so happy to do without handshakes. It's actually very easy to protect yourself with socks over your hands or to walk on your hands. Then you don't get into the situation described above where your socks slip and - depending on your age - it's difficult to reach them.