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Old 11-08-2007, 12:24 AM
 
Location: Fairfax
2,904 posts, read 6,904,751 times
Reputation: 1282

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Quote:
Originally Posted by SaveMtns View Post
This has always annoyed me...my #1 pet peeve is mindless chit-chat, and this so-called 'greeting' seems to invite it.

When I'm in a public place, and people say "how are you?", I just say 'hi' and keep on going. If you say anything more, it seems rude not to ask how THEY'RE doing...and I don't want to know how strangers are doing!

The only thing more annoying is 'have a nice day'...GR-R-R-R-RRRRR!!!
good lord, how does "have a nice day" bother you? All you have to say is "you too". I'm just thankfull I live in a place now where I don't get dirty looks for saying hi or have a nice day.

And phrases like "how are ya"? or "how ya doing" are just simple greetings, no need to become frustrated or worry about coming up with an answer.
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Old 11-08-2007, 04:53 AM
 
Location: St Thomas, US Virgin Islands
24,665 posts, read 69,567,744 times
Reputation: 26727
As other posters have mentioned in different ways, simple etiquette has been passed down through the ages and every language has its own polite forms of address from, "How do you do" which I was raised with to "Como esta" and all else. To become annoyed about a traditional greeting and then follow up by deliberately being rude and sarcastic to the person who has greeted you is just, in my opinion, crass and childish.

In the part of the world in which I live, the common greeting before ANY conversation is exchanged is (depending on time of day) "Good Morning," "Good Afternoon," "Good Evening," or "Good Night," whether you know the person or not. People will walk into a bank or Post Office line and call out the general greeting to everyone.

If someone asks you how you are, what on earth is the big deal about responding politely, "I'm well, thankyou, how are you?" without getting your knickers in a twist.
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Old 11-08-2007, 11:59 AM
 
Location: Fairfax
2,904 posts, read 6,904,751 times
Reputation: 1282
Quote:
Originally Posted by STT Resident View Post
As other posters have mentioned in different ways, simple etiquette has been passed down through the ages and every language has its own polite forms of address from, "How do you do" which I was raised with to "Como esta" and all else. To become annoyed about a traditional greeting and then follow up by deliberately being rude and sarcastic to the person who has greeted you is just, in my opinion, crass and childish.

In the part of the world in which I live, the common greeting before ANY conversation is exchanged is (depending on time of day) "Good Morning," "Good Afternoon," "Good Evening," or "Good Night," whether you know the person or not. People will walk into a bank or Post Office line and call out the general greeting to everyone.

If someone asks you how you are, what on earth is the big deal about responding politely, "I'm well, thankyou, how are you?" without getting your knickers in a twist.
I agree. And if these simple customary greetings is "your #1 pet peeve" as someone posted you must either be a child or have an absurdly easy life.
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Old 11-08-2007, 12:25 PM
 
Location: Tucson
42,831 posts, read 88,042,435 times
Reputation: 22814
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2goldens View Post
I normally say "How's everything going with you?" and I stand still waiting and watching for an answer because I do care and I do mean what I'm asking.

What would be the right thing to say when greeting someone? Any suggestions?
Line openers?
You say "hello." Nobody should feel obligated to tell you how things are going with him/her unless you're friends.

I have this annoying coworker I can't stand... "how's it gooooin'" with this irritating nasal voice (think Fran on the Nanny)... she looks at everybody expecting an answer, too! I just say "hi" and ignore her for the most part. Most of the people in the office can't stand it either. She gets plenty of responses in the ballpark of "it's going, but it hasn't gotten there yet", "it's going somewhere, but don't know where", etc. and still doesn't get it... Working in the same office is not a good enough reason for me to spill the beans about my personal life to you. It's as simple as that.
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Old 11-08-2007, 01:02 PM
 
Location: Tucson
42,831 posts, read 88,042,435 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by decafdave View Post
good lord, how does "have a nice day" bother you?
The funniest thing happened to me a few days ago. A clerk at a gas station told me "have a day!" I thought a buddy of mine and I had a patent on it. At a time when both of our lives were in a pretty bad shape, we used to say "have an evening" when leaving work.
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Old 11-08-2007, 01:33 PM
 
261 posts, read 952,972 times
Reputation: 122
My mother in law calls and starts to talk, I ask how she is. There is concern there believe it or not. Her reply is " Miserable than ever, and you?" Okay, how do you respond to that?
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Old 11-08-2007, 01:34 PM
 
Location: Philaburbia
41,878 posts, read 74,938,731 times
Reputation: 66805
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"?
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Old 11-08-2007, 01:35 PM
 
356 posts, read 1,127,762 times
Reputation: 233
Quote:
Originally Posted by aomething View Post
My mother in law calls and starts to talk, I ask how she is. There is concern there believe it or not. Her reply is " Miserable than ever, and you?" Okay, how do you respond to that?
"Better than most, worse than others"
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Old 11-08-2007, 01:36 PM
 
261 posts, read 952,972 times
Reputation: 122
Quote:
Originally Posted by MTbound View Post
"Better than most, worse than others"
I like that!! mind if I use that the next time she calls??
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Old 11-08-2007, 01:46 PM
 
Location: In a tiny, noisy, frigid cube
200 posts, read 887,147 times
Reputation: 142
Quote:
Originally Posted by STT Resident View Post
As other posters have mentioned in different ways, simple etiquette has been passed down through the ages and every language has its own polite forms of address from, "How do you do" which I was raised with to "Como esta" and all else. To become annoyed about a traditional greeting and then follow up by deliberately being rude and sarcastic to the person who has greeted you is just, in my opinion, crass and childish.

In the part of the world in which I live, the common greeting before ANY conversation is exchanged is (depending on time of day) "Good Morning," "Good Afternoon," "Good Evening," or "Good Night," whether you know the person or not. People will walk into a bank or Post Office line and call out the general greeting to everyone.

If someone asks you how you are, what on earth is the big deal about responding politely, "I'm well, thankyou, how are you?" without getting your knickers in a twist.
I want to live where you live. That sounds positively wonderful to me.

I hadn't really thought about this, but the part of the "How are you?" greeting that grates my nerves a little are the people who don't even take a breath after their "how are you?" to wait for a response, they simply launch into whatever it is they're speaking to you about.
For example: we have many people walk into the lobby where I work needing different things. I occasionally will answer the window at the lobby afterhours, and 9 times out of 10, the person at the window will run everything together in their greeting:

"Hi, how are you, I need to get a release."

Now, in this instance, it would seem that the "how are you" part is redundant because the "hi" was previously stated.
I will often interrupt and reply with, "I'm doing well, how can I help you this evening?"

It may be petty, but in this instance, I'm not so much aggravated by the greeting, but by the fact that people are in so much of a hurry these days that no one really cares to stop and wait for a response to a question they've asked (because they don't really care anyway!).

And what happened to saying "thank you?"

Ah...but I digress.
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