Greasing the Wheels

Sometimes I think if another stranger says to me, “Have a nice day!” I’ll have a meltdown. The expression of this wish is so automatic as to be meaningless. And so is the required response: “You, too!” This exchange marks the end of every casual conversation, every retail transaction, virtually every encounter with another human being. Here’s an example:

“Ma’am, I clocked you going 17 miles over the speed limit.”

“Aren’t there some drug dealers you should be arresting, officer?”

“Here’s your ticket, Ma’am. Have a nice day.”

“You, too.”

Just because the phrase is ubiquitous and rolls off the tongue without thinking doesn’t mean that people DON’T want me to have a good day. It’s just that a “one size fits all” phrase is so impersonal.

Maybe being impersonal is the point. After all, it is almost impossible to have a meaningful conversation with the cashier at the drugstore. Saying something pleasant and benign keeps…(Read more)