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When did "how are you" become the new word for Hello? Every where I go the first thing people say is HOW ARE YOU(??). I would usually say, "fine" or "good" and leave it at that but finally I got tired of it. So now I say, "do you really want to know"? Or, "not so good" just to see if I get a response. Usually I just get a stare or a dirty look. Then I say, "why did you ask me how I was if you really did not want to know?" I got another dirty look.
If people do not want to know how I am why do they ask?
I used to think like that but really its not that complicated......i think you are in a phase just thinking about this....."How are you" is just a simple greeting...so what if they dont mean it......its not like any one of us has said every single word out of our mouths and actually meant it.....it's alot better than "hello" ..."hello" sounds out of place in a real life situation......tell us something better that we can all say when seeing someone at work when you first see them .....and sometimes "how are you" might actually make someone say something that would get the other person to help them or it might start a conversation too......i always ask "how you doin?" as a greeting and i have actually had someone tell me that they werent so good because they had a small car accident...and that started a convorsation and since i have been in an accident too i kinda let them know what to expect and we traded stories....so its not always that bad to hear "how are you?" as a greeting..
If you dont like that greeting then maybe you should just start saying, "your zipper's down" as your introduction and then look at thier privates or something....LOL
I would happily take a "How are you"....."What's happening"......"Wass up" over "You Allright"?
The 1st time someone asked me that it really made me think.....How does this person know what I've been going through? I had to pretend I didn't understand them and said, Pardon me? And they asked it again!
"You Allright??" Uh, yes?...fine? And you? "Yes, fine.....I'll be with you in a minute." It took me quite a while before I got used to that way of saying "hi, how are you", because when someone asks if "you are all right" you automatically think there was something wrong before, for them to be asking you if you are all right! Right?
Isn't "How are you?" better than being ignored? Or slugged?
And how is greeting a friend or a stranger -- short of a boot to the head -- considered "mindless chit-chat"?
My #1 pet peeve is people who ask 'How are you?' and my #2 pet peeve is people who are afraid to be themselves and use their own creativity to greet someone but - want/need to be accepted - so they do what everybody else does. Are you so ignorant that you cannot think of something original or personal other than 'How are you?' Four friends walk up to you and, one at a time, each one asks, 'how are you?' Is this not ignorance? Is this not redundant? You might call my pet peeve childish but I'm a thinker and children can't think so it is you who say 'how are you' that are childish.
Mature adults think for themselves. Taking the liberty to ask someone a personal question shows intolerance toward others so you should expect the other person to take the liberty and lack of tolerance to do as they please, also. Politeness is asking someone if you may ask them a question. And you cannot demand an answer to your question. Walking up to someone and asking 'how are you' without permission is intolerant and impolite.
I greet people with a greeting like, 'It's nice to see you" or 'I'm glad to see you' or 'whatsup?' but certainly NOT something intolerant or impolite in the form of a redundant question dictated by pop culture/society.
As many people here have said, "How are you" is a simple pleasantry. Yes, it's bland and banal, but there's no reason to be sarcastic and surly to someone who is just trying to be pleasant. You know all the rude people you encounter? Don't you think a lot of them are that way because they got tired of people being rude to them? Being pleasant to strangers is one of the easiest things you can do to make the world a nicer place to live in. It just takes a tiny bit of patience and compassion.
I'll admit, though, that the one that trips me up is when someone says "thank you" to me and he or she is NOT welcome! Like the person who waited until the last minute to give me something, causing me to work late while that person went home. The next morning: "Here's your report." "Thank you!" I know "you're welcome" doesn't actually mean, "Anytime, no problem, feel free to dump that on me whenever it suits you," but I admit to fighting not to hesitate before saying it.
When did "how are you" become the new word for Hello? Every where I go the first thing people say is HOW ARE YOU(??). I would usually say, "fine" or "good" and leave it at that but finally I got tired of it. So now I say, "do you really want to know"? Or, "not so good" just to see if I get a response. Usually I just get a stare or a dirty look. Then I say, "why did you ask me how I was if you really did not want to know?" I got another dirty look.
If people do not want to know how I am why do they ask?
Are you German? Because the only person that I have ever heard make this same complaint was a friend of mine from Germany. lol
But yes, "how are you" is just a variation of the greeting "hello". And unless a close friend or family member is asking, they really don't care to hear how you really are in depth.
This winter I had the CRUD. I went to the doctor. I had a sore throat, hard time breathing, well you know the rest. He came in the little room and said, "how are you"?? I am sure I said, "fine"....now that I read this I wonder why I said that. I sure was not fine.
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my 2c
