Is “You’re Welcome” in Danger of Becoming Extinct?
March 25, 2019
What ever happened to saying, “you’re welcome?”
With terms such as “no problem” and “of course!” gaining popularity in today’s society, it seems that “you’re welcome” is becoming a phrase of the past.
But, why is that? Are people nowadays more rude and inconsiderate? Are we, as a society, lacking in proper etiquette?
According to this interesting read from Country Living, it seems that it actually may be a culture shift in language and our hyper-sensitivity to being considerate that is to blame.
With the rise in popularity of sarcastically using “you’re welcome” without the prompt of “thank you,” the phrase has become associated with being facetious or rude.
It is important to note, however, that the phrase itself may not be the real problem; it’s the way in which the phrase is delivered. In fact, graciously saying “you’re welcome” is still a perfectly acceptable and polite response.
So, how can we make sure that “you’re welcome” does not go extinct? According to the article, we should stop being sensitive when we express gratitude and receive a “you’re welcome” in response. Instead, we should accept the expression and encourage the use of “you’re welcome” to flourish once again.
I almost didn’t subscribe to The Writers as I am a writer/author/columnist and already receive an onslaught of emails from writing-related sites and didn’t want more. But, I love your topics and appreciate that each article is short and informative. I was drawn in by the article “Is there a synomone for synomone? “Then, further enticed by the article about whether or not “Thank you” is becoming obsolete. This particularly interested me because “No problem,” infuriates me — especially when wait people say it. I have all I can do to keep from saying, “I’m really happy that you serving me the food you are paid to serve me was no problem for you.” LOL Sorry. this has become a real annoyance for me.
Thank you, Laverne!
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