Is there a problem with ‘no problem’?
I recently read a great article from the Boston Globe about the demise of the simple you’re welcome. Granted, the author possibly has even higher expectations of people than I do, but she brings up a good point. When did it become the norm for people to reply to a genuine thank you with a flippant no problem, or an equally dismissive no worries (or the Scottish nae bother)?
Etiquette is changing faster than I’d like these days, but I suppose I will admit that you’re welcome seems a bit formal for things passing someone a coffee cup. In business dealings and customer service sectors, though, I think it’s getting bad. I don’t want to be served by a waiter who says ‘no prob‘ when I thank him for his service. Nor do I want to do business with someone who behaves as if we are close friends.
I think the worst for me though is that I communicate with people a lot over IM (instant messaging) channels, and instead of you’re welcome, or even no problem, I get the short form np. Oh, that was np, but it’s clearly a big p for me to write out full words. But anyway, that’s an entirely different rant.
Do you feel the same way about the decline of good manners? Or is it a natural progression towards general casualness in human interactions?
My humblest apologies for choosing such a whiny topic for my last post of the year! My genuine thanks for reading; I hope it wasn’t too much of a problem!
Full article: Boston Globe.
Image: Marlie Kanoi.
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