White Guy Gets to the Bottom of that Fist Bump Thing
When two black guys make fists and then bump their fists together and then say to one another, "Respec," with no "t" on the end: what is that all about? Middle-aged white Republican male Jay Nordlinger knows.
Jay Nordlinger is an editor for conservative magazine National Review, currently on a National Review-sponsored cruise to Jamaica, with a bunch of fellow National Review types. He is, in other words, in touch with the streets. And whilst mingling with the Jamaican locals, Nordlinger observed a bizarre and unexplained phenomenon: "Many, many offer knuckles - you know that kind of handshake, a "fist bump" - and say, "Respect" (often with the "t" dropped off)."
What an odd local custom. What exactly are these consonant-disregarding bohemians doing? Fortunately, Jay Nordlinger received a letter from a friend who "once worked as a bouncer in L.A." (streetwise, tough guy, no need to get into all the unsavory details, heheh). And lo, the mystery is solved. His friend writes:
Knuckles and "Respect." Now I know where that came from. We used to do it all the time in the clubs in L.A. I didn't think much of it. But now that I am, I remember it was one of my buds, a dude from the South Bronx, of Jamaican heritage, who started it.
There you have it: if you have ever given someone a pound and said "respect," you have Jay Nordlinger's bouncer friend's bud to thank. Send him some of that old wacky weed as a tribute, he'd probably enjoy that heheheh.
Jay Nordlinger adds, "By the way, the first time I saw the fist bump, it was on the PGA Tour." Real quote.
