T.A.D.S.

One of Rob's videos is called T.A.D.S. or Touching Another Dude Softly. It's funny and features the handycam skills of Carter Jenkins, his costar from Aliens in the Attic.

My husband had to actually leave the room because the video made him so uncomfortable, but I made him sit through it. Which got me thinking...

What is it about guys touching other guys that makes guys squirm? I hug all my girlfriends, and guy friends, and I say "I love you" to all my female friends. I've only heard my husband say "I love you" only a handful of times to someone outside of family, and that was when he was a pledge in a fraternity and going through hell week. And he always said it in a manly way: "I love you, man" and always with something like "thanks, bro" thrown in afterwards. (And incidentally, the purpose of hazing is to force guys to bond with each other - it's the same strategy used in the military by drill sargeants to get the guys to want to die for each other). He has only hugged a few guys, and always with the obligatory three pats on the back (which stands for I'm. Not. Gay.)

Now, since I know that it was filmed last year, and since I know they're using a green screen during filming, and since I know Carter Jenkins was the camera man, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this was filmed in New Zealand (plus he's wearing the same Michigan shirt he was wearing in the Boogizone NZ video). Which is very important to note here (not the shirt - go Wolverines - but the fact that he's in New Zealand).

Because guys in the states are typically more squeamish about touching other guys, even the ones who go out and demonstrate for Prop 8 and tout the positive attributes of gay marriage. But guys in other cultures have no qualms whatsoever about holding hands with their friends (in some Asian countries), or kissing other guys on the cheek (in some European countries) or just embracing them to show their support or to celebrate, or to just say, "you're my friend."

And if this video was shot on the set of Aliens in the Attic, then the psychology of human nature tells us that they're not going to call him out because they know him, and in the hierarchy of a movie set, the actors rank pretty high. If this happened in an office setting, and a supervisor started touching one of the peons in the mail room, the mail guy would not punch out the supervisor. He'd probably sue for sexual harassment, but in the moment, he wouldn't do anything about it for fear of losing his job, or getting arrested, or creating a scene or whatever.

Also, all these guys know Rob, but not really well. They all probably went home and told their wives or girlfriends about this weird guy Rob. If it was a complete stranger, then I can picture fists flying.

But still, it's a hilarious video: