Why do Americans always say they are "doing great" 24/7 everyday, all the time?

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leavingusa
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Post by leavingusa »

Nothing worse than the standard questions, the insincerity of it all.

It's more a mutually agreed upon ritual designed to convince people that you're a good guy living a great life when you're not.

Sometimes I go off the script and many people continue to answer back robotically, I like to call them on that.

How are you?
Hi
Good thanks.
I only said "Hi"
Eek!
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have2fly
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Post by have2fly »

Americans are like a broken record:

You: how are you today?

American: GREAT thanks!!!!

you: so how was your weekend?

American: omg it was amazing!!!! i had sooo much fun, it was GREAT!!!!

you: I am glad you had fun…..

American: OMG YEAH, I went shopping and took my wife to red lobster, it was GREAT!!!!!

you: (running outta topics here)….. ah I am sure your wife liked it!!!!

American: OH WOW YEAH!!! SHE SAID IT WAS GREAT!!!!

you: (god you're so f***ing dull!!!) (I miss people overseas)
and don't even get me started with the:

1. OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OOOOOHHHH MYYYYY GODDDDDD!!!! for every little damn thing the exclamation OMG, needs to come into play…. OMG, OH MYYYYY, OH MYYYY GOAAAWWWDDD!!!!!

2. like…. you know its like, omg its like, i was like going to the store and like…. like like like like (ILLITERATE FUCKEN MASSES)

3. dude….. dude, hey duuuude, duuuude omg its like duuuudee!!!!
I laughed so much reading these! Right on target :) When I listen how people talk to each other, I start missing conversation with foreigners.

Oh my Gosh - is the WORST one! Usually said by fat soccer moms when they see a price of something at Best Buy.
Hi. How are you? - I will probably never ask this in my lifetime because every time I hear that phrase reminds me of torture. Everyday torture of hearing Hi-howareyou everywhere you go in America.
sushiman
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Post by sushiman »

My Korean GF was living in the states and told me about this funny conversation she had there.

Her: How are you?
Some guy: Great! Fantastic!
Her: I think you just told me a lie.
Guy: ????

Can only imagine his shock at hearing the truth. Obviously you can intuitively tell when someone is doing great, and when they are not.

She also told me "the only way someone can be *doing fantastic* every day is if they are on drugs. It's unnatural.
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Contrarian Expatriate
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Post by Contrarian Expatriate »

Americans are conditioned to have a false sense of perpetual optimism. Everything from claiming to be the best country, to having the best economy, to having the smartest people, to having the best women in the world is FAKE and untrue. However, to express this fact is to be un-American or un-patriotic.

Take a look at the Youtube video "Peter Schiff Was Right" and you will see Schiff saying how the bottom was going to drop out from under the economy and he is laughed at, ridiculed, and demeaned. Months later he was proven right, but the perpetual optimism of American pundits never saw it coming.
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Winston
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Re: Why do u have to always say you're "doing GREAT" in Amer

Post by Winston »

Hey how come we never have this standard American conversation on happier abroad with each other?

- "How are you doing today?"
- "I'm great! How about you?"
- "Just fine. Thank you."

Lol I've never understood the purpose for that routine in America. Lol

How come we never talk like that on happier abroad? There must be a reason why that greeting transpires everyday in America. So why don't we do that here? Lol
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Hero
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Re: Why do u have to always say you're "doing GREAT" in Amer

Post by Hero »

Don't forget the loud fake laugh that you have to append to the end of every sentence you utter
Jester
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Re: Why do u have to always say you're "doing GREAT" in Amer

Post by Jester »

As a practical matter, I ignore the "how are you" question, and just say
"Good to see you".

I adapted that from the Kikuyus, as described by Karen Blixen aka Isak Dinesen, in her biographical "Out of Africa". The Kikuyus greet and say goodbye with "I see you". I always found that profoundly honest.

Or an alternative to use is,
"how are you?"
"Hey there!"

Or if you really want to put them on the spot, i.e. hit the ball back to them:
"How are you"
"Hey there - Whats up?"

Old Jewish practice, answer a question with a question.
"Well actually, she's not REALLY my daughter. But she does like to call me Daddy... at certain moments..."
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Winston
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Re: Why do u have to always say you're "doing GREAT" in Amer

Post by Winston »

Hey maybe when we set up the chat room on this forum, we can all exchange fake greetings like that with each other. Lol. Or make fun of them as a parody. Lol
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onethousandknives
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Re: Why do u have to always say you're "doing GREAT" in Amer

Post by onethousandknives »

I heard in Russia (Winston please confirm) if you ask a stranger how they're doing, they'll say they're doing bad and list every single problem going on in their life. Is this true?
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Re: Why do u have to always say you're "doing GREAT" in Amer

Post by Jester »

Winston wrote:Hey maybe when we set up the chat room on this forum, we can all exchange fake greetings like that with each other. Lol. Or make fun of them as a parody. Lol
Hey WIN-MAN!!!!

HowYaBEEN????!!!!
"Well actually, she's not REALLY my daughter. But she does like to call me Daddy... at certain moments..."
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Winston
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Re: Why do u have to always say you're "doing GREAT" in Amer

Post by Winston »

Jester wrote:As a practical matter, I ignore the "how are you" question, and just say
"Good to see you".

I adapted that from the Kikuyus, as described by Karen Blixen aka Isak Dinesen, in her biographical "Out of Africa". The Kikuyus greet and say goodbye with "I see you". I always found that profoundly honest.

Or an alternative to use is,
"how are you?"
"Hey there!"

Or if you really want to put them on the spot, i.e. hit the ball back to them:
"How are you"
"Hey there - Whats up?"

Old Jewish practice, answer a question with a question.
I sometimes just tell them the truth and say "I'm not too good" or "not too well". Try that. It shocks people because they don't expect it. Lol
Check out my FUN video clips in Russia and SE Asia and Female Encounters of the Foreign Kind video series and Full Russia Trip Videos!

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Winston
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Re: Why do u have to always say you're "doing GREAT" in Amer

Post by Winston »

Jester wrote:
Winston wrote:Hey maybe when we set up the chat room on this forum, we can all exchange fake greetings like that with each other. Lol. Or make fun of them as a parody. Lol
Hey WIN-MAN!!!!

HowYaBEEN????!!!!
Oh I'm doing GREAT!

NOT!

I'm unhappy and deflated now. I'm dateless and sexless and in a culture that doesn't understand me and am not in my element in.

And you?
Check out my FUN video clips in Russia and SE Asia and Female Encounters of the Foreign Kind video series and Full Russia Trip Videos!

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Re: Why do u have to always say you're "doing GREAT" in Amer

Post by Jester »

Winston wrote:
Oh I'm doing GREAT!

NOT!

I'm unhappy and deflated now. I'm dateless and sexless and in a culture that doesn't understand me and am not in my element in.

And you?
You don't want to know.
"Well actually, she's not REALLY my daughter. But she does like to call me Daddy... at certain moments..."
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Winston
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Re: Why do you always have to say everything is "great" in U

Post by Winston »

Don't you all hate how in America, you always have to say that everything is "great!"? I hate that word. It's so fake and overused in America. Not because I hate the word itself, but because I hate how in America, you are FORCED to use it to refer to EVERYTHING! Everything always has to be going "great" even when it's not. You always have to be feeling "great" even when you're not. You have to pretend to be "great" all the time. Even if their business is failing, and someone asks them, "How's your business going?" they always say "Oh it's going great!" even though it's not. It's so stupid, fake and dishonest.

There's no honesty or authenticity in this stupid rule of having to always say that everything is "great". I'm surprised not many people are complaining about it. How is it that so few people in America complain about being forced to lie all the time? However, most Europeans I've met who have been to America do remark that they find this aspect of American culture to be very fake and forced.

Essentially, it comes down to this: In America, a positive lie is seen as better and more preferable to a negative truth. So in that sense, Americans love lies a lot more than they love truth. That's for sure. Therefore, America is definitely not a country for the philosopher or truth seeker.
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Winston
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Re: Why do you always have to say everything is "great" in U

Post by Winston »

A great reply to my above rant from Bao3niang:

"Yea. People in America and the Anglosphere have a wall of fake positivity. You are supposed to be superficial and say everything is alright. If you tell them the truth they will see you as whiny and full of yourself, even if they don't let you know how they are really feeling.

For example, the phrase "how are you?" comes with the expectation for "I'm fine", whether you are really doing well or doing crappy as heck.

It's frustrating how you must suppress your true feelings and pretend to be 'positive' at all times."
Check out my FUN video clips in Russia and SE Asia and Female Encounters of the Foreign Kind video series and Full Russia Trip Videos!

Join my Dating Site to meet thousands of legit foreign girls at low cost!

"It takes far less effort to find and move to the society that has what you want than it does to try to reconstruct an existing society to match your standards." - Harry Browne
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