One of the most irritating bits of bullshit I’ve had to deal with since I came Over Here in the Great Wetback Episode Of 1986 is the (Californian) affectation of wishing everyone a good day, which along with the “smile” button never fails to set my teeth on edge.
“Have A Good Day!” is unbearably trite and superficial, not to mention facile and asinine.
Telling a shop assistant or restaurant worker to have a good day is totally stupid: how much of a good day can you possibly have when you’re serving the public? At best, you won’t be killed for forgetting to put the fries into the takeout bag.
As New Wife (who also hates the expression) pointed out to me over the weekend, it’s not just its banality but its ambition, which is unreachable.
“A whole day? That’s asking too much of the universe,” she said. “We should just wish that their next ten minutes can be disaster-free.”
And don’t even get us started on “Live long and prosper”. Talk about overreach.
We are kindred souls. Polite, but gloomily realistic.
