I’ve heard it explained that “hey” used to be more of an urgent way to get someone’s attention, rather than a casual “hello” like it is now, so it sounded rude to some older folks.

  • @[email protected]
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    1022 years ago

    When I was a waiter, there was no shortage of boomers getting genuinely upset with me saying “No problem” as a reply to “thanks”.

    • @[email protected]
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      532 years ago

      I prefer to say no problem over you’re welcome cuz it always (to me) sounds sarcastic/disingenuous when I say you’re welcome

      • @[email protected]
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        22 years ago

        “No problem” also carries the implication that the favor was taken and done without ill will, where “you’re welcome” carries one of superiority

          • @[email protected]
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            02 years ago

            Well one would expect it at a five star restaurant, but not your local dive. So… kinda…?

            • oce 🐆
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              02 years ago

              I thought it was every day life politeness, but I am not native. I would rather expect “the pleasure is all mine, sir” at a 3 Michelin stars restaurant.

              • @[email protected]
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                12 years ago

                To me “you are welcome” comes off as taking credit for something minor and expected. No problem does the opposite. I prefer when people say no problem generally over you’re welcome. And that’s why it’s become more common in a day in age where people are expected to be less servile.

      • Captain Aggravated
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        422 years ago

        It’s like this:

        You have a boss. A wrinkled plus-sized brown business jacket of a man whose idea of “cutting costs” is turning the air conditioner off. If he caught on fire, you wouldn’t piss on him to put him out. How do you address him? “Good morning Mr. Perkins, how are you doing today?”

        You’ve got a war buddy. You met at boot camp, you served in the same company, he splinted your leg in the field, you’re his kids’ godfather. You’d kill and die for this man. How do you address him? “Ah god not this fucking asshole again.”

        Official formal polite language like “Thank you” and “You’re welcome” is the pair of nitrile gloves I put on to handle the really noxious shit that comes my way. “w’thanks man” and “no problem” means I’m willing to handle you with my bare skin.

      • @[email protected]
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        2 years ago

        Absolutely. I could understand it if it was a formal dining place I suppose. But it was a fucking Applebee’s in a 20k population town with one other restaurant lmao

        • @[email protected]
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          62 years ago

          Applebees is Sit down McDonalds with better food. If one of your seating option is at the fake wood bar its not fine dining.

          • @[email protected]
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            52 years ago

            A family member of mine briefly worked at Applebee’s. Literally everything is microwaved. I happened to get a Fettuccine Alfredo there and have one of the Marie Calendars frozen Fettuccine Alfredo meals (>$2 at the store) in the same week and realized once its plated you literally could not tell the two apart. Same quality, same quantity, but the store bought meal costs 1/5 the price and is somehow ready faster

    • The Barto
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      72 years ago

      As an Aussie I don’t understand how people get confused by ‘no worries’ .

    • @[email protected]
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      122 years ago

      Ugggggh I went through this with my (boomer) boss for years until she finally accepted it lmao. Then it was, “WORRIES, CaptFeather! WORRIES!” as a joke every time I said it lol

    • Karyoplasma
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      122 years ago

      I had no idea that it’s considered improper. Online gaming is like

      thx

      np

      • @[email protected]
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        12 years ago

        I only ever did that when typing via controller. If I had a keyboard I used full sentences but quickly. Sometimes the speed meant lack of proofreading though and weird things have been said.

      • @[email protected]
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        32 years ago

        Nobody expects online gaming to be a bastion of proper grammar.

        People type in abbreviations when gaming mainly due to lack of time though… Much better to focus on the game than typing more than necessary to convey a simple message in those cases.

      • @[email protected]
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        2 years ago

        “No problem” takes “You’re welcome” and implies that it was of no inconvenience to you either. But I understand that older generations find it important that service workers be most humbly at their service, and adhere to a strict social etiquette just short of “Yes, m’lord” and “Shall I suck upon your dick, sir?”

        “You’re welcome” is more appropriate in a professional setting, but if you’re getting your jimmies in a rustle over someone saying “No problem” to you instead, you’re a bit of an assfuck.

        • @[email protected]
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          12 years ago

          If you are a service worker at a restaurant, then that is literally your job, to serve.

          I love it when I order a sandwich at my local banh mi place near my office and you can see the cashier literally eye roll every customer that orders. They can’t even look you in the eye…

          • @[email protected]
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            22 years ago

            If you want people to be happy to be serving you then demand that they are paid more.

            Otherwise buy your sandwich without any delusions of grandeur and fuck off.

        • Ramόn Sánchez
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          42 years ago

          I’ve never heard being polite described like that, oh my. 🤦🏻‍♂️

          • @[email protected]
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            22 years ago

            I don’t think either phrase is impolite. Good manners are a made up thing. If someone said ‘thanks’ to me and I said ‘tiddle dee dee’ I’m not being rude, just a bit weird, nobody’s honour has been questioned, I haven’t said anything that could be taken as an offence.

          • @[email protected]
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            22 years ago

            It’s literally meanings of words strung together being described.

            You are welcome = you are welcome to my servitude

            No problem = I don’t mind doing this thing for you

            Oh you. 🤦‍♀️

      • @[email protected]
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        82 years ago

        And why do people need to pander to you specifically? Cant people be themselves?

        Those are narcissistic traits.

        • Ramόn Sánchez
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          32 years ago

          Who said anything about me, specifically? Saying “no problem” makes you sound insincere or that the task the customer asked you to do, was literally no problem and that’s the only reason you complied. There are all kinds of ways people can interpret that, but only one way to interpret “you’re welcome”.

          I’m not going to say anything if you say that, but don’t act surprised when older people aren’t as forgiving.

          • @[email protected]
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            2 years ago

            If someone says you’re welcome, you know they are a corporate drone and management wants them to say that to avoid certain people making a scene. Why’s it insincere to say no problem? In the same vein, they only said you’re welcome because they are complying too.

            There’s no issues with saying no problem unless you want there to be. Those are cool workplaces.

            • Ramόn Sánchez
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              22 years ago

              I just pointed out the problem. That phrase can interpreted many ways. We are also not talking about office buildings, we are specifically talking about the hospitality industry, where the language you use makes a significant impact on the customer’s experience.

              • @[email protected]
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                42 years ago

                And so can you’re welcome. So why does it matter which phrase if both can be misconstrued?

                Language matters everywhere, who mentioned anything about an office building?

          • @[email protected]
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            42 years ago

            The implication is that a problem was assumed until “no problem” was stated.

            “No problem” is absolutely low key rude.

          • @[email protected]
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            2 years ago

            only one way to interpret “you’re welcome”

            This is just wrong. Tone matters just as much with “you’re welcome” as it does with “no problem”. Language is fluid like that, and it’s completely arbitrary to elevate one of these expressions over the other when both are in common usage.

            Also, you’re deliberately misrepresenting what “no problem” means, in regards to “that’s the only reason you complied”. Nobody says it that way, and I don’t believe that you think they do.

            • Ramόn Sánchez
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              12 years ago

              Using semantics to make your point, is lazy and misleading. Of course you could say “you’re welcome” in a tone that could be taken as rude, but that wasn’t the point. The point was showing the difference between the two phrases.

            • @[email protected]
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              22 years ago

              I personally see “anytime” as a much more appropriate reply to “thank you” than “no problem”.

        • Ramόn Sánchez
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          12 years ago

          You’re right, why should words actually have an inherent meaning? 🤦🏻‍♂️

          • @[email protected]
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            42 years ago

            They literally don’t (with the possible exception of onomatopoeic words), one of the defining factors of language is that it is arbitrary.

            • Ramόn Sánchez
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              12 years ago

              It’s obviously arbitrary, given how we’re changing the meanings of words to fit the current narrative, but that doesn’t change anything.

              It kills me, that zoomers and young millennials think that it’s the older generation that’s the problem, rather than the generation complaining about how another generation reacts to certain words in certain atmospheres. If you can’t understand why they react that way, maybe you should be looking in the mirror instead of criticizing them.

              • @[email protected]
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                32 years ago

                This is an old pattern, language changes. You can react to it however you like, but things have already changed in your lifetime. Wicked or hot, for example,

          • @[email protected]
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            72 years ago

            They’re idiomatic phrases people are supposed to say by custom, divorced from their literal meanings.