No Problem…
There is one thing that has been bothering me over the last couple of months. First of all, just to preface, I am a free speech advocate; as far as I am concerned, you can do whatever the hell you want. What has me weirded out is the use of “no problem” in lieu of “you’re welcome” as the response to “thank you.” This seems to me to be a massive social faux pas and just indicative of how our culture doesn’t give a damn about what comes out of their mouths.
Think about it for a minute. “You’re welcome” literally means it was a pleasure for you to do whatever it is you did for the person thanking you. “No problem”, on the other hand, connotes the idea that what you did in the course of your day for the person offering gratitude is some kind of hardship and doesn’t mean anything to you one way or the other. Sometimes, the intent on the part of the declarer doesn’t have anything to do with the interpretation on the part of the listener. I deal with people on the phone all day. They are welcome to my help anytime.
If you think that these social nuances are all a trite game of customs and no one cares what you say, try that with a person on the phone who is irate and is mentally noting absolutely everything you say so they can throw it back in your face later in the conversation. Words have weight and what you say matters, especially in business.
Steve, I find myself saying no problem or no problem what so ever instead of you are welcome. Bad habits I pick up, but I understand your point. Pleasure vs hardship, given how lazy society has got with the language and all.