The Passing of Gentility

Is it just ME… or has the whole world stopped saying, “You’re welcome”?

Remember when the knee-jerk response to “thank you” was “you’re welcome”?  Have you noticed it’s been replaced with “no problem”?  Does that mean I should only consider doing something – even going out of my way – a little bit – because it didn’t create a problem for me to do so?  Oh, how sad!

I am willing to go the extra mile for the benefit of another.  Isn’t that what women are intuitively wired to do? Aren’t we the actual problem SOLVERS?

So, what’s the problem we are all declaring (thankfully!) wasn’t in the way of a kind act or a momentary expression of appreciation?

Can we know longer tell others they are worth our circumventing any problem that might otherwise prevent a kind gesture of one human being to another?

Think about it – I’ll wait – “no problem”! 

OK, so what does “you’re welcome” really mean? 

Here are some possibilities:

I was happy to do that for you

It was my pleasure to assist you

Nothing in the world could have prevented me from helping you

There was nothing else I would have wanted to do

OK, starting to sound a bit Gone With the Wind-ish!

So here is what is likely to happen…a generation, or so, from now, the sound of the once gentile phrase, ‘you’re welcome’ will sound as dissonant as a busy signal on a land-line.  (Busy signal? Land-line? Google them!)

There are probably many other expressions of yester-year that have been retired.  Can you think of any?  Please share.

For me, and yes I began to hear myself momentarily – and unconsciously -  leaning to the “no problem” side of the table, I am going to go out of my way to hold fast to the kinder, gentler days when we looked for opportunities to do things for others because it made both of us feel good.  WOW; what a notion!  

OMG (that used to be OH, My Gosh!) I think I just figured out what the problem is; therefore what the “no problem” is…..ready…..this is big….too few people are saying “thank you”.  That means no-one even has the chance to say “you’re welcome”!  I get it.  THAT’S the problem!  So when someone responds “no problem” to your “thank you” they are actually thanking you because YOU didn’t re-create the actual problem (of not saying “thank you”)  They are actually acknowledging that YOU said “thank you”

WOW – problem solved……………………………………..”you’re welcome!”

So, IS it just me, or have you, too, hearing, “no problem” as a response to “thank you”?

Which is your preference?  What do you say?  Please comment…