Tumblr User Explains Why The Younger Generation Say "No Problem" Instead Of "You're Welcome" That Is Offending Older People
"Older people think help is a gift you give, younger people think help is an expectation required of them."
Tom Nichols on Twitter sent out a tweet stating the following: "Dear every cashier in America: the proper response to 'thank you' is you're welcome,' not no 'problem.' And *you're* supposed to thank *me*."
Some of you reading this might agree with him, others might not understand why he was upset about younger people saying "no problem" instead of "you're welcome" as a response to somebody thanking them. The biggest reason for this is the difference in the way generations view the concept of help. Tumblr user lucasnoahs did a wonderful job at explaining this, as shown below.
Here's the original tweet.
@RadioFreeTom on Twitter
Here's the informative response.
lucasnoahs on Tumblr
“Actually, the “you’re welcome/no problem” issue is simply a linguistics misunderstanding. Older ppl tend to say “you’re welcome,” younger ppl tend to say “no problem.” This is because for older people the act of helping or assisting someone is seen as a task that is not expected of them, but is them doing extra, so it’s them saying, ‘I accept your thanks because I know I deserve it.”
“No problem, however, is used because younger people feel not only that helping or assisting someone is a given and expected but also that it should be stressed that your need for help was no burden to them (even if it was).”
“Basically, older people think help is a gift you give, younger people think help is a requirement.”
Maybe it's best for people not to be so pedantic about the words that are used and rather the meaning that is being conveyed to them. The world would be a much nicer place.
