The internet is a weird place sometimes. The above six-second video has more than 100,000 loops at the time of this posting, and all it shows is meme inspiration and one-time NBA player Michael Jordan not hugging Spencer Hawes of the Charlotte Hornets.
What this video claims to prove is Hawes wanted a hug from a guy who cried one time but was rebuffed in cold and hilarious fashion.
But is that what happened? Or is that what we, a ravenous society that can only be satiated by endless memes and Vines, wants to see?
Here’s what Hawes tweeted about this video.
— Spence Needle (@spencerhawes00) February 4, 2016
Is he sad because he didn’t get the hug he craved from that guy he saw crying after that sporting event that one time? Or is he sad because that tweet reflects a chasm in our society between the real and imagined, our perceptions and our subconscious acknowledgement of the truth?
If Hawes truly wanted a hug, why did he take such a wide angle toward the crying guy’s body? He’s clearly in solid position for the bro handshake/shoulder bump, a staple of male interaction in sports since olden times, and that’s what was exchanged. Is it possible that their level of friendship does not rise to hugs and bro contact is all they want?
The Vine and Hawes’ emoji leave us with more questions than answers. Only when Hawes and Jordan open up about this landmark incident and Hawes becomes a Crying Jordan meme himself will we reach the inevitable end of this story.
