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I'm fine thanks. How are you?

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sha76

Programmer
Sep 2, 2002
5,085
GB
I seem to be getting this more & more in response to a simple "Hi". It tends to throw me, as it kind of makes my next line of "How are you?" somewhat redundant!
Is this becoming generally common, or is it just me that the world's stopped listening to?

"Your rock is eroding wrong." -Dogbert
 
Bob,

With many people, especially in retail situations, they are responding to what they think you mean. For instance, when you greeted them, they (some of them at least) were anticipating that it would lead to further conversation, and they were choosing to let you know their intentions rather than waste your or their time.

(Oh, and the answer to your signature is that you would be 25% alive.)

I know somebody who likes mess with people's heads. Walking by people on a crowded street, or in a mall, etc., he says "You dropped your pockets." or "You're missing a buttonhole." It's funny to see them stop and start searching the ground for pockets or a buttonhole until they realize what was said. By then, he's already walked away.
 
I thinks we read far to much into our daily lives chaps and chappesses.

It costs nothing to respond politely and to politely enquire as to others whether we are really interested or not.

I reckon it is a need in us to communicate with another of our kind in a similar way to other animals say dogs perhaps having a good ole sniff, lions bumping heads. That kind of stuff.

If you think too deeply about that kind of stuff you just get your brain fried.

Its nice to be nice!!

[blue] A perspective from the other side!![/blue]

Cheers
Scott
 
Or - as one of my mentors was so fond of saying:

"Screw (PG version) 'em all; let God sort 'em out."

Yeah, he was ex-US Marine.

< M!ke >
 
I don't know, ascotta..

Honestly, if I don't really care, I'd rather just say "Hello" or "Hi". Why ask a question if I don't care about the answer, may not stick around to hear the answer, or won't be around them long enough to give my answer to the necessary comeback "And how are you?" ?

There's a limit to politeness.. This fear of not being polite is weird.

Tao Te Ching Discussions : Chapter 7(includes links to previous chapters)
 
I don't think it's a fear of not being polite, but rather, a desire to be polite. I completely agree with ascotta,

"It's nice to be nice".

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As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein
 
It is nice to be nice, but if people wait until my next sentence they'd most likely be asked how they were anyway! It's not that I don't ask, I just don't usually tag it on to the "Hi". I care enough to give it it's own sentence!

"Your rock is eroding wrong." -Dogbert
 
It isn't about being logical, it's about being polite.

I'm reminded of a girl with whom I used to work who would burp belch in the office.

I once asked her to at least try to muffle her belches.

She replied, "It's perfectly natural. Everyone does it. There's no reason to hide it."

I replied, "Taking a s#&% is also something that everyone does that is perfectly natural. Would you want someone to do that next to you at the office?"

Of course, one could argue that burping isn't unsanitary. So why not do it in public?

The fact is that there are several things we do to be polite that are not based in logic.

Greeting others when you see them is simply polite. Granted, it is also polite to answer the question they ask rather than the one you think they might ask. But, hey, at least I'm trying.

[tt]_____
[blue]-John[/blue][/tt]
[tab][red]The plural of anecdote is not data[/red]

Help us help you. Please read FAQ181-2886 before posting.
 
==> Have you tried -not- saying hello? You're instantly looked at strangely.
No, I haven't, nor do I want to.
I prefer to try to be polite.


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Good Luck
To get the most from your Tek-Tips experience, please read
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As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein
 
Well, if you'll allow me to play Socrates..

Why do you prefer to try to be polite? By going further into the depth of your own behavior, you may understand it, and others', better.

Tao Te Ching Discussions : Chapter 8 (includes links to previous chapters)
 
->Why do you prefer to try to be polite?

The golden rule, baby. The world would be a wonderful place if everyone always observed it.

[tt]_____
[blue]-John[/blue][/tt]
[tab][red]The plural of anecdote is not data[/red]

Help us help you. Please read FAQ181-2886 before posting.
 
==> Why do you prefer to try to be polite?
Very simple. I've found that being polite is far more effective in establishing meaningful and positive relationships than is not being polite.

<Putting the moderator hat on>
If you wish to continue the Socratic method on this line of enquiry, then by all means please do so, but STC is better suited for such an exercise. I welcome the opportunity for the discussion.



--------------
Good Luck
To get the most from your Tek-Tips experience, please read
FAQ181-2886
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein
 
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