Hell Hath No Fury Like ...........

[Guest]

Sorry JJ...i didn't see this until just now. Good thing you bubbled it up again.

 

What makes me upset inevitably is people that say "How are you?" They don't want to HEAR how you are..they just want you to say "Fine" and move on. I mean if you're going to ask how I am then I'll tell you but don't ask me if you want the standard "Fine" answer.

 

When you do tell them, "Well I have this pain in my back and my car just died and I'm unemployed and have no money to speak of!", THEN they just say "That's nice" and walk away!

 

It gets really bad if you have to go through a LARGE office in the morning and endure the "How are you?" gauntlet. This is a torture worse than the Inquisition. As you walk in the door, multiple people start saying "how are you?" and you quickly think "How can I get to my desk in the fastest way possible?"

 

Maybe this little tid-bit of information will help you preserve your sanity. In most cases, the phrase "How are you?" is simply a quicker/less formal way of saying "How do you do?". Although it's not apparent if one were to take these questions literally, these questions are simply, in fact, standard greetings. They are seldom intended as requests for you to delve into your medical, social, and financial history. Occasionally, they are, but this will usually be clear from the context. For example, if someone calls you and says "Kevin told me you were in a pretty bad accident. How are you doing?", then the caller probably really is seeking an answer to the question (if you feel up to answering it).

Most of the time, however, if someone greets you with "How are you?" (or variations thereof, such as "How do you do?", "How goes it?", "What's up?", or "How's it hanging?"), the appropriate responses are "Fine thanks. And you?", "OK. And you?", or, if things are tough, perhaps "I'm surviving. And you?" or "I've had better days. And you?". The latter two responses are an invitation for the person to respond with "I'm sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can help you with?", or "Sorry to hear that. Care to share what's troubling you?". If the person who greeted you doesn't have the time or inclination to delve into you problems, he can also respond with "Sorry to hear that. I hope things get better for you. How's about them Lakers?".

[jjkrkwood]

Maybe this little tid-bit of information will help you preserve your sanity. In most cases, the phrase "How are you?" is simply a quicker/less formal way of saying "How do you do?". Although it's not apparent if one were to take these questions literally, these questions are simply, in fact, standard greetings. They are seldom intended as requests for you to delve into your medical, social, and financial history. Occasionally, they are, but this will usually be clear from the context. For example, if someone calls you and says "Kevin told me you were in a pretty bad accident. How are you doing?", then the caller probably really is seeking an answer to the question (if you feel up to answering it).

Most of the time, however, if someone greets you with "How are you?" (or variations thereof, such as "How do you do?", "How goes it?", "What's up?", or "How's it hanging?"), the appropriate responses are "Fine thanks. And you?", "OK. And you?", or, if things are tough, perhaps "I'm surviving. And you?" or "I've had better days. And you?". The latter two responses are an invitation for the person to respond with "I'm sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can help you with?", or "Sorry to hear that. Care to share what's troubling you?". If the person who greeted you doesn't have the time or inclination to delve into you problems, he can also respond with "Sorry to hear that. I hope things get better for you. How's about them Lakers?".

 

The worse is the Reply "COOL" or "KOOL" in response to your answers to questions. Where do you live? - New Jersey - KOOL. Whats so fuckin Kool about it? Nothing shows disinterest MORE to me than the reply COOL....

[Lohengrin1979]

I generally keep my temper in check but I go absolutely nuts when I ask someone where they'd like to go or what they'd like to do and they spend 30 minutes waffling and hmmm'ing and hawing and doing everything but making a decision!! Gah! I know that patience is a virtue but a little more decisiveness in some people couldn't hurt either. /rant

 

Lohengrin