The grey nomad tradition of waving to fellow travellers on remote highways is alive and well … and so is the sense of on-road camaraderie it represents.
A few year ago, a study by a leading anthropologist even concluded that the ubiquitous gesture was an acknowledgement of our common humanity which shows our innate desire to interact with those on a similar adventure.
But the ‘phatic finger’, as Dr Adrian Peace from the University of Queensland has labelled the high-speed greeting, is not as simple as it might first appear.
He identified a complex pecking order within the ‘waving’ community, and says the gesture has many subtle nuances.
Are you a 'phatic' finger waver? PIC: Cizza
“Perhaps because of their age, some grey nomads see themselves as informal guardians of morality,” Dr Peace told the Grey Nomads website. “Australians often bemoan what we consider to be poor manners in public places … but this cordial and friendly gesture between strangers proves it is not always like this.”
His study cited the example of a pair of grey nomads from Victoria who ‘never failed’ to greet others out on the open road and had a low opinion of those who didn’t.
‘It’s just the right thing to do, it’s not as if there’s much effort involved, is there?’ they said. “Being decent and polite to people costs nothing, it really gets our goat that some people can’t be bothered.”
Dr Peace said travellers may also wave to relieve boredom; because they feel it is the right way to behave; as a way of building a sense of camaraderie; or simply because they feel obligated to reciprocate gestures.
While waving is commonplace on the open road, Dr Peace says there are ‘deviants’ who often refuse to participate … like road train drivers.
“These men are lords of the highway, and they’re arrogant with it,” he said. “They have no truck with travellers of lesser standing … they communicate exclusively between themselves.”
He said the type of vehicle that people drive gives them an identity and shapes who they wave at … and who waves at them. Apparently, those driving rental vehicles are at the bottom of the pecking order, while grey nomads commonly ‘prioritise’ other grey nomads.
Dr Peace said the wave itself is also critical. A small twitching of the finger might be construed in the oncoming vehicle as a ‘mean gesture’, while raising the hand entirely from the wheel may be considered ‘over the top’.
In terms of timing, raising a finger too early can mean the impromptu quality of the gesture is lost, but leaving it too late can result in the wave being missed altogether.
Oh, the stresses of the grey nomad lifestyle!
