Why do people ask you "what's up?"

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GoatOnFire
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16 Apr 2007, 6:27 pm

Lobber wrote:

Here's what I respond with to those questions:

How are you?
Terrible
Terrible? why
[lengthy discussion of why im feeling terrible]

Whats up?
[looking upwards]clouds; sky; rain; cirro cumulus; ceiling; space; etc ad infinitum
[depending on the environment]

Whats happening; Whats going on?
I'm talking with someone that just asked me what I'm doing
The earth is spinning one thousand miles per hour on its axis while orbiting the sun at a rate of 45,000 miles per hour (or any other made up number that sounds plausible) While the entire solar system is orbiting the galactic center at over a million miles per hour, meanwhile we are falling several million miles per hour toward the nearby galaxy Andromeda, and our entire cluster is traveling at an unimaginable rate of speed toward something called the Great Attractor, what's happening with you?

My responses are a little different, use these if you want to confuse the heck out of the people who ask these. How you start them is important. Here's how to start a response to these questions.

How are you?

"Thuper! Did I jutht lithp? Why the hell do they have an eth in lithp...

What's up

*Pulls out geeky horned rimmed glasses and puts them on, then pulls out a copy of the Wall Street Journal concealed inside trenchcoat*

"Well let's see what's up. The Nasdaq is not up. The Dow...

What's happening/What's going on?

*farts loudly*

"The build up of methane in my large intestine caused...

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poopylungstuffing
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16 Apr 2007, 6:29 pm

My stock response is "not much" even if I happen to be juggling flaming bowling pins while trying to plug a hole in a dam with my toes.

richardbenson
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16 Apr 2007, 7:14 pm

KimJ wrote:

I can handle the questions as greetings but I don't like it when someone you don't or barely know then takes it further and asks, "so what do you?".

you got that right

hartzofspace
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16 Apr 2007, 7:54 pm

richardbenson wrote:

this question is just like another common question people ask, So what do you do for a living?

I always thought a cool response to that, would be to quote Jack Nicholson from the movie "Chinatown", and say, "AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE."

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richardbenson
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16 Apr 2007, 8:32 pm

haha i tell people im a tourist.

Jameson
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16 Apr 2007, 9:25 pm

poopylungstuffing wrote:

My stock response is "not much" even if I happen to be juggling flaming bowling pins while trying to plug a hole in a dam with my toes.

... I've done that.

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Lightning88
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16 Apr 2007, 10:28 pm

"Not much. How 'bout you?"

likedcalico

17 Apr 2007, 2:24 am

Do any of you go around asking strangers "what's up?" or "how's it going" etc?

If so, why?

Tim_Tex
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17 Apr 2007, 2:27 am

I don't go up to total strangers and ask that. But every time I hear that phrase, I think about the beer commercials where the frogs asked everyone "Whaazzzzuuupppp?" And it sounded like some of the frogs were puking when they were saying it.

Tim

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PG500
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17 Apr 2007, 2:32 am

I would respond the same no matter what I'm doing.

here are some I'm asked all the time.

Whats up?

Nothing. (I don't feel the need to tell them whats above them)

What are you doing?

Nothing. (lets see, I'm breathing, I hope.)

Hows life?

OK.

I get asked these so much, I find it tedious to go into any detail, especially when they probably don't care anyways.

RadiationHazard
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17 Apr 2007, 3:04 am

How are you?
Alright...
Or
Meh, go away.

Whats up?
Nothin'

Whats happening; Whats going on?
Not much, no no no, Don't want to talk about it. Not here.

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Nightcry
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17 Apr 2007, 3:09 am

I'm ok with it most of the time. Just a "Nothing much" or "I'm good"

What's hard to handle is when they ask more than one of these questions or if they decide to ask it every 10 mins. (It happens) I get the feeling they want me to reply with something longer or maybe they're trying to start a convo.

But it's a stupid question to ask, I think, as not much changes in 10 mins... Or half an hour... Or even an hour...

ahayes
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17 Apr 2007, 3:11 am

Because they can't function without annoying somebody every ten seconds.

Nightcry
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17 Apr 2007, 3:22 am

:lol: Most aren't so bad.

DingoDv
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17 Apr 2007, 3:52 am

I like the "Good, Good... you?"

DingoDv
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17 Apr 2007, 3:52 am

I like the "Good, Good... you?"

Occasianly I'll say "Been better" but I feel they don't like that as they often don't say anything, maybe they weren't even listening...

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