Tim: You know, Wilson... Brad's going through this thing where he doesn't want me to hug him anymore.
Wilson: Mm-hm, mm-hm, mm-hm, mm-hm. He's finally reached that age.
Tim: It's a funny thing, you know. He doesn't want me to touch him, but he'll still wrestle and roughhouse with me.
Wilson: Well, that's because throughout history men have been more comfortable expressing affection through combative gestures. Such as the salute.
Tim: The salute?
Wilson: Oh, yes, Tim. In the Middle Ages, when knights on horseback would pass by each other, they would raise the visors of their helmets to expose their face, and show each other that they were friends. And that became...
Tim: A salute.
Wilson: A sign of friendship and respect. In the same vein, the handshake evolved when men would extend their weapon hand to show that they were unarmed. [shakes Tim's hand through the fence]
Tim: Or to show they didn't have a little joke buzzer in there.
Wilson: There you go, neighbor. Men's gestures of friendship, and respect, grow out of competition and combat.