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Opinion: Stop saying "No problem"! - Bill Flanagan

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    When did everyone born after 1980
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    decide that "No problem" was interchangeable with
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    "You're welcome"?
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    Who spread that virus? The Taliban?
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    Listen, today's young people:
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    if you want to infuriate someone born before 1980,
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    just keep telling him "No problem".
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    when he asks you to do something that's most certainly not a problem.
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    A very nice young man, who worked for me
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    used to have a little trouble getting in on time;
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    like, every day.
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    About once a week I would say,
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    "Look, you really have to be at your desk
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    at 10:00".
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    Did he say sorry, I'll try to do better?"
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    No! He would just smile and just say "No problem"!
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    That nice young man does not
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    work for me anymore.
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    Saturday night, I took my wife to a good
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    restaurant.
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    The waitress asked if we wanted sparkling
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    water, still water or tap water.
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    I said "tap water, please".
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    She said, "No problem."
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    I felt like saying, "Why do you think I think
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    it would be a problem for you to get me a
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    glass of water?"
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    Luckily, my wife gave that look that said, "Don't start".
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    And, of course, my wife was right.
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    The waitress did not mean to be rude.
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    So, consider this a public service announcement:
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    To all the young people of the world:
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    If you want to get good tips, or
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    just generally not infuriate older people,
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    Please...only say "no problem" when there is
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    a reasonable expectation that the task you
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    are performing might be problematic.
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    i.e... thank you for stopping your car in the rain
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    to help me change a flat tire... "No problem".
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    Appropriate.
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    Thank you for lending me ten thousand dollars
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    to stop the bank from foreclosing on my house.
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    "No problem". Gracious.
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    Thank you for giving me your kidney.
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    No problem...Classy.
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    That's what "no problem" is for...it's a
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    gracefully way of telling someone you've gone
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    out of your way to help not to feel indebted.
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    But, if you work in a doughnut shop,
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    and a customer thanks you for selling him
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    a coffee, don't say "no problem";
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    he's paying for the coffee!
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    Just say "You're welcome".
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    Try it...."thank you" "you're welcome"!
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    Is that so burdensome?
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    And look at the bright side...
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    All of us old people will be dead soon.
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    And then, everybody born after 1980 can say
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    "no problem" to each other for the rest of their lives.
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    Just...hold off until then. OK? Alright?
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    You're welcome.
Title:
Opinion: Stop saying "No problem"! - Bill Flanagan
Description:

May 26, 2013, 7:02 AM|MTV's Bill Flanagan shares his thoughts about people whose response in virtually any situation is to say "No problem." He's got a big problem with that.

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