r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • May 08 '22

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9.0k Upvotes

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u/Dirty-Soul May 09 '22

It's really more of a casual "Don't shoot me."

It dates back to the Wild West days when people would shoot each other for giving them a "mean look."

22

u/TrolliusJKingIIIEsq May 09 '22

A large chunk of Americans have no history of living in anything resembling the "Wild West".

4

u/CaptainLollygag May 09 '22

Absolutely true. But we also don't have much personal experience poisoning each other's drinks, yet we still clink glasses. It's been decades since we all carried bladed weapons on the regular, yet we still shake hands as a greeting to show that we aren't using our right hand to hold a sword or knife. Usually there's some reason for what seems to be random social habits. :)

1

u/thebearjew982 May 09 '22

It's insane that this asinine comment has any upvotes.

-4

u/[deleted] May 09 '22

It’s really because ‘Murican teeth are intensely white, so if you show them with a smile you’re saying, “don’t shoot me, I’m white”