Sometimes, the only way to go viral is to say something absurd.
Such is the case for Twitter user RAMZPAUL, who Monday penned a heavily criticized tweet. “Shaking hands with a woman is like shaking hands with a child,” the DIY YouTuber wrote. “The handshake was designed as a greeting between men to show that your sword hand was empty. Almost all women now greet with a quick hug in informal situations.”
Oh, honey.
Almost all women now greet with a quick hug in informal situations.
— RAMZPAUL (@ramzpaul) April 1, 2019
People have been discussing hugging women versus shaking hands with women this week in light of the misconduct allegations against Joe Biden, accused on Friday of inappropriately touching a female colleague, and RAMZPAUL seems to have offered a baffling defense of the former vice president’s alleged actions. RAMZPAUL does not explain why it is OK in his book to shake hands with a man if the gesture is so antiquated.
As of this writing, RAMZPAUL, who offers frequent racist tweets about immigration, sexist tweets, and retweets conspiracy theorists, remains “verified” on Twitter.
In no time, the tweet was getting roasted by people from every corner of the internet. Many of them made jokes about women handling swords.
That's because women are often ambidextrous sword-users and need to show that both hands are free.
— Joshua Libling (@JJLibling) April 2, 2019
my sword hand is occupied and ready, Paul pic.twitter.com/JzN0Xsl6GQ
— Dolly Carton (@stumblebee) April 3, 2019
https://twitter.com/FDouglassLives/status/1113153591483789313
That's why in Europe there is still the tradition of symbolically kissing a woman's hand as a greeting – to beg for mercy and one's life as European women's sword hand is never empty.
— EspressoCupcake (@EspressoCupcake) April 2, 2019
We're always armed.
A lot of people, mostly women, explained exactly what would happen if a stranger tried to give them a “quick hug.”
That's not true with the women in my company. We greet each other with handshakes before discussing how we're going to fire guys who say things like you do.
— Kt is trying, you guys (@rowdy_katie) April 2, 2019
https://twitter.com/OhMyItsAlly/status/1113145823418830849
If you try to initiate unwanted physical contact with me you're getting an informal punch to the gut.
— The_🅁🄱🄵 (@the_rbf) April 2, 2019
https://twitter.com/HelloooKittyH3/status/1113119046797418497
There were quite a few people who were concerned.
I don't think that he thinks women can read.
— Michael Kenny (@MichaelJKenny) April 2, 2019
Women reading is like children reading. It seems artificial and vaguely patronizing. Reading was designed as a way for decoding information transmited between men to show that the penis of the man who writes is bigger than anyone else's.
— Baudelaire dos Olivais (@BoniPrinceFacio) April 3, 2019
https://twitter.com/greggc1000/status/1113183352717238272
Other people just took the opportunity to soundly roast RAMZPAUL and his injudicious tweet.
https://twitter.com/sbarolo/status/1113234005648912384
Why the fist bump is so strategic – could be a tiny sword hidden in there, who knows
— evosketches (@evosketches) April 2, 2019
Spoken like a man looking to get stabbed by a woman with a sword
— Jimmy Wholebody, MPH (@GumbyAnne) April 2, 2019
https://twitter.com/jordanstrater/status/1113159070821822465
https://twitter.com/TiredTater/status/1113159052337573890
A few people theorized that the original tweet was an April Fools’ joke, but based on his past tweets it seems unlikely. A quick perusal through his Twitter page shows that RAMZPAUL is no stranger to fringe behavioral theories.
Yes, it is proper that men should explain things to women ("mansplain") just as women should explain things to children. That is the natural hierarchy.
— RAMZPAUL (@ramzpaul) April 2, 2019
I am glad I was able to help you! https://t.co/vl2U6RWusW
White people are not allowed to have ethnic solidarity. Hell, we are not even allowed to exist. https://t.co/t8vDOVMuXv
— RAMZPAUL (@ramzpaul) March 31, 2019
Yes, sweetie. Read and learn. https://t.co/o37wYXgodh
— RAMZPAUL (@ramzpaul) April 2, 2019
As of press time, RAMZPAUL had taken to criticizing a woman for being romantically involved with an “immigrant.”
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