Friday 7 p.m. Mrs. Me was oblied to go to a Graduation Ceremony, which was more of a social event, than anything else. She found many people that she didn't knew, and didn't took the time to know them either, and some people that she had seen before. Everytime one of them approached, she tried to escape, but when the conversation was inevitable, she just putted her best face and smiled.

 

Everyone asked her the same question, How are you? She kindly replied "Fine, Thanks for asking" to all of them and tried either to escape or to make the conversation more agreedable.

 

When they all left, she couldn't stop thinking why everyone asked her the same thing. No one really cared, but everyone uses a phrase which means so much, is so few words.

 

- How are you?

- Doing fine, how are you?

- Fine aswell.

-Ah, that's good.

 

Can't that be any more typicall and superficial? When you ask a person how is he or she, you are getting a step closer to them. A "I am fine" doesn't say much, but a "why are you fine?" will tell you so much about someone. Unfortunately, the use of the phrase has masified so much that it's values has beent twisted and twisted and twisted and now it's just a way of starting a conversation. Nothing more than that.

 

She thought and thought and realized that she barely used the phrase "How are you?"

 

- Maybe, that's the reason why I never get those casual talks that start with the famous "How are you?", she thought

Friday 7 p.m. Mrs. Me was oblied to go to a Graduation Ceremony, which was more of a social event, than anything else. She found many people that she didn't knew, and didn't took the time to know them either, and some people that she had seen before. Everytime one of them approached, she tried to escape, but when the conversation was inevitable, she just putted her best face and smiled.

 

Everyone asked her the same question, How are you? She kindly replied "Fine, Thanks for asking" to all of them and tried either to escape or to make the conversation more agreedable.

 

When they all left, she couldn't stop thinking why everyone asked her the same thing. No one really cared, but everyone uses a phrase which means so much, is so few words.

 

- How are you?

- Doing fine, how are you?

- Fine aswell.

-Ah, that's good.

 

Can't that be any more typicall and superficial? When you ask a person how is he or she, you are getting a step closer to them. A "I am fine" doesn't say much, but a "why are you fine?" will tell you so much about someone. Unfortunately, the use of the phrase has masified so much that it's values has beent twisted and twisted and twisted and now it's just a way of starting a conversation. Nothing more than that.

 

She thought and thought and realized that she barely used the phrase "How are you?"

 

- Maybe, that's the reason why I never get those casual talks that start with the famous "How are you?", she thought

 

Yah..now that i think if it, i do say how are you very often but translated in the slang version. A brief what's up?! Why did you share this story? Just wondering.

"Hey, how are you" is phatic communication. I learned that in my theory class. We do it because we feel obliged to ask. Therefore, in the end, it's all redundant. :lol:

 

Just felt like sharing that. :lol:

right. :confused: :)

:rolleyes:

is that like "have a nice day" or "cya later" when said to complete strangers?

Yeah.

 

Like, if you see someone in the hall and you're like, "hey, how's it going?" we say it and it's implied that we care, but deep down we don't care. It's just a societal norm that has been placed on us.

 

That's why whenever someone says, "hey, how's it going" to me, i always ask if they really want to know. :lol: just playin'

lol when ppl ask me how im going..if im not good...ill tell em why :)

like today

 

(read my tax man thread) lol

double post, delete pls

Oh i read it joogs. That sucks. :/

When I ask how someone is doing, I actually care. :/

 

But it is a convenient way to start a conversation. Nice and ambiguous. Anybody can reply with any kind of answer to that.

when i went to england i had the same rpoblem. people over there ask you this stupid question like 1000 times a day which bewcomes boring. we don`t use this phrase in poland at all. and i never used it in england either.

unless i really cared

Go Poland!

 

I don't know why I wrote this really, now I htink about it, but on the moment it seemed to me like a very important thing. :)

you don't use "how are you" in poland? i thought it would be the same everywhere...well if I ask someone, I really care about him and how he/she feels. and ppl I know better ask me, I answer according to the truth. we care about each other :)