so many times as a kid when i asked why things are the way they are i was given the useless explanation "that's just the rules" and not the actually-correct and not much more complicated explanation "it's political"
why is that weird social ritual a thing? well, you see, it's politics. it's about making people in power comfortable. it's about soothing the feelings of your rulers, be they your parents or your boss or the cops
unfortunately, an accurate analysis of power is antithetical to capitalist ideology and propaganda, so nobody ever says this, even well-meaning left-leaning centrists
learning that handshakes initially arose as a social proof that you’re both unarmed was eye-opening for me