Persuasive Choice 2

Politeness is a social norm that we must abide by in order to be accepted in society. The simple phrase, “How are you?,” shows our interest in another’s well being. However, these polite phrases are overused to the point of which they rarely connote genuine concern. But if you don’t use these friendly phrases then you may be perceived as being rude. Therefore, in order to fit in with society we unconsciously say these things in order to avoid judgement from others. I once heard a story over the news about a NFL star, Jordan Belcher’s, suicide. One of his teammates was telling a reporter that he had no idea that Jordan was going through a hard time. But the line that always comes to mind was, “When you ask someone how they are doing, are you saying it because you mean it?” Although this story is 4 years old, that line has always stuck with me.  Personally, the response to this repeated expression whenever I ask it is always “Good.” This simple word offers no personal insight and seems to be an automatic response for most people. I have never heard anyone telling me they weren’t doing well while using one of these polite expressions, even if they trusted me and I knew they infact were not doing well. Maybe they felt that the phrase is simply a greeting, and by telling me they were doing bad would somehow be an inconvenience. Although, these phrases don’t show true concern, one must continue to use them in order to be seen as polite and kind.