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longwayhome -> RE: Does anybody else hate..... (7/14/2017 3:38:47 AM)
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I understand the potential annoyance but I have to say that I just can't be bothered getting upset about it.
When I ask how someone is doing I mean it, and if they want to tell me how shit things are that is fine. I specifically do care when I ask at work because how my staff or fellow workers are doing is important to me. Otherwise I try to say something else like "Nice to see you".
When someone asks me how I am as a greeting, and I want to say anything other than a standard polite response such as "Good - and you?", I just have to judge whether I am close enough to the person to share my issues or unburden myself. It's a fairly basic social skill that you need to have whether or not someone says "how are you"?
There are lots of other linguistic and social conventions in English that don't always mean literally what they say. I'm not sure that every time I say "bye" to someone that I really always mean "God be with you", although it's a nice thought. "Take care/take it easy" when leaving can equally be pleasant but not really heartfelt.
Being very careful about what you say in greeting someone or saying goodbye is great but I'd rather someone said something pleasant (but potentially insincere) than someone being rude or impolite.
Life's too short to get hung up on things people say as social niceties just to be pleasant. At least they are trying to be pleasant.
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