3 ms·

I don't really understand the use of the word "infected" here. It somehow paints the whole phenomenon with a pejorative brush. It's nice that languages and dial

I don't really understand the use of the word "infected" here. It somehow paints the whole phenomenon with a pejorative brush. It's nice that languages and dialects evolve and influence each other like that. It's an especially important subject for me as a native speaker that has a very hard time taking steps away from its past (French).

visakanv 11y ago
> I don't really understand the use of the word "infected" here. It somehow paints the whole phenomenon with a pejorative brush. If it bleeds, it leads. Anything that sounds negative gets more clicks, views, shares than its identical, neutral-sounding counterpart.
oxplot 11y ago
It indicates distaste of the phrase, in eyes of the author I assume. I personally don't like "no worries" either, mostly because I'm a very literal person and words that unnecessarily imply things bother me (ie someone who's thanking you is rarely worried about the matter).
- VeejayRampay 11y ago
  I took to "no worries" fast when I was in Canada because the intensity of the thanks you get for minor actions in North America was overwhelming for me at first (before I realized it was a nice façade that helps smoothing the social rapport). I remember my first few days working at a tech shop in the suburbs of Vancouver, I made a pot of fresh coffee and told one of my colleagues so that he could get a cup had he wanted to. The way he thanked me, you could have sworn I had cured cancer or something. It made me feel like it was WAY too much for just being a decent person (I want coffee, I make a pot for everyone) that "no worries" was very handy, a way of saying "You don't need to put too much heart in your thanks, it's nothing really, I feel it's bordering on praise and I don't think it deserves it".
  - oxplot 11y ago
    I see. My response in that kind of situation would be one of: "sure thing", "don't mention it", "sure", "my pleasure".

visakanv 11y ago

> I don't really understand the use of the word "infected" here. It somehow paints the whole phenomenon with a pejorative brush. If it bleeds, it leads. Anything that sounds negative gets more clicks, views, shares than its identical, neutral-sounding counterpart.

oxplot 11y ago

It indicates distaste of the phrase, in eyes of the author I assume. I personally don't like "no worries" either, mostly because I'm a very literal person and words that unnecessarily imply things bother me (ie someone who's thanking you is rarely worried about the matter).

VeejayRampay 11y ago
I took to "no worries" fast when I was in Canada because the intensity of the thanks you get for minor actions in North America was overwhelming for me at first (before I realized it was a nice façade that helps smoothing the social rapport). I remember my first few days working at a tech shop in the suburbs of Vancouver, I made a pot of fresh coffee and told one of my colleagues so that he could get a cup had he wanted to. The way he thanked me, you could have sworn I had cured cancer or something. It made me feel like it was WAY too much for just being a decent person (I want coffee, I make a pot for everyone) that "no worries" was very handy, a way of saying "You don't need to put too much heart in your thanks, it's nothing really, I feel it's bordering on praise and I don't think it deserves it".
- oxplot 11y ago
  I see. My response in that kind of situation would be one of: "sure thing", "don't mention it", "sure", "my pleasure".