meaningless greetings 6

[HgTX]

It's not an obstacle to getting my work done, but since most of my human interaction happens at work I guess it's work-related.

First there was the empty "How are you?" to which the only appropriate answer is "Fine". And its cousin, "What's up?" to which the only appropriate answer is "Nothin' much."

Okay, I got those.

Then there was "What's going on?" which seemed, in contrast to "What's up?", to be a real question rather than a formulaic greeting, but no, it wasn't. It was just a variant on "What's up?".

Okay, fine, I learned that.

The latest, though, is where someone in passing asks a specific question about some social aspect of my life--and then seems dismayed when I waste their time answering it with a full sentence or two.

Dammit, if you mean hello, just say hello. I don't want to have to go through life assuming that every non-technical question aimed in my direction is insincere. I'm cranky enough as it is.

Hg

Eng-Tips policies: faq731-376

 

[Gymmeh]

ctopher,

excellent read!

 

[SomptingGuy]

To put all this into perspective, it could be worse. We could greet like the bonobo.

- Steve

 

[KENAT]

Depending on your co workers that wouldn't necessarily be worse in the strictest sense.

However for most Engineers I can see your point.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

 

[Gymmeh]

so today i kept tab's on how I great peaple.

I normaly just say "Mornin'"

Or "Go0od Mornin"

And some times...

"Hey Rick,how are you?"

maybe i am old fashioned or over formal....

 

[BillBirch]

ivymike,
I think that bosses walking down rows of cubicles and greeting everyone by name are either -
a) practicing name memorisation by repetition.
b) showing off for actually knowing names of the drones - "aren't I a hand-on manager mixing with and loved by the troops"?

I have worked with Shell on occasions and a lot of the Dutch guys would greet you with "How's life?" My standard answer was - "Sure beats the alternative". Only one of them ever stopped, thought about it and laughed.

 

[SomptingGuy]

When I last sat in a cube farm (probably familiar to Isaac) our names were stuck on the cubes. Made it easy for the bosses.

- Steve

 

[ivymike]

I've got a little collection of cube farm name tags (all variations on my name) from the different desks I've had over the years. Seems every admin wants to order nametags as soon as she hears there's someone new coming. A change of pace, I guess. In any case, since we're all labeled, it's hard to tell whether someone actually knows your name or not.

Wear your id badge near your crotch... then ask people "did you forget my name, or are you wondering if it's really as big as they say?" Should be worth a laugh.

 

[carnage1]

How about a switch badges with a friend day? just dont tell the boss ahead of time. or maybe pick one name and have everyone going into the office wear it and see how long till the boss gets confused

 

[salmon2]

Tell me about it. I got even bigger confusion especially when I just came to US.

 

[AutoXer]

For a while I'd picked up from my high school biology teacher a response to "what's up" of "Sup is a syllable. Quite interesting, because depending on whether you link it to the modern Hebrew "sof" for "end" or "suf" for "reed", you get either the Red Sea (in Hebrew called the Reed Sea) or the Dead Sea for where the parting of the waters is to have happened...". Throw in references to Babylonian and Sumerian, and it's sure to make anyone glaze over.

I had to train myself not to ask a friend of mine "what's up". His standard response was "a chicken's butt when he eats". He still gets me with it every once in a while.

 

[ivymike]

oh my, we've finally made it to "what's up? Chicken butt!"

 

[HEC]

My favourite response,

"Wonderful! A good dose of self delusion gets me through to lunch time!"

Mark Hutton

 

[SomptingGuy]

My favourite Norm reply (from cheers of course):

What's up, Norm?
"My nipples. It's freezing out there."

Some nice chap has collated a load of Norm-isms here:

http://www.davidstuff.com/humor/norm.htm

- Steve

 

[HgTX]

AutoXer & ivymike:

Even that is not devoid of useful content. I never realized that "What's up? Chicken butt!" was anything more than a bad rhyme. I can go home now, having learned my New Thing For The Day.

Hg

Eng-Tips policies: faq731-376

 

[TheTick]

I once worked with a useless "Johnny Sunshine" that would always tell people, "Smile". My response was, "This is my f***ing smile!"

 

[ctopher]

"What's up? Chicken butt!" is one of the most annoying, immature remarks that I have ever heard. When my kids were younger, they heard it at school and started saying it almost every day. In addition to "Guess what?"... "What?"... "Chicken butt?". UGH!!
After a week or so, they were on restriction if I ever heard it again. They stopped.
A coworker tried it once....once. I told him "Don't go there!".

Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 3.1
AutoCAD 06/08
ctopher's home (updated Jul 13, 2008)

 

[ewh]

I really hate it when told to "smile". WTF do you know about what's going on in my life!

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty. - [small]Thomas Jefferson [/small]

 

[ctopher]

ewh,
Make a sign...

Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 3.1
AutoCAD 06/08
ctopher's home (updated Jul 13, 2008)

 

[ewh]

Already got a bumper sticker to that effect. I guess the sign will be next.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty. - [small]Thomas Jefferson [/small]

 

[HgTX]

http://www.cafepress.com/wtfmates