Shopping in American grocery (countryside)

>shopping in American grocery (countryside)
>a totally stranger guy suddenly says me "how are you?"
>mfw

Is it true that americans don't really want to know how you are when they ask "how are you"?

...

Sometimes.
When I'm walking down the sidewalk sometimes when I pass someone they'll just say "Hey, how are you?" and then I'll say I'm doing fine and ask them the same question.
Often times neither of us really care, it's just a nice gesture.

Yeah, it's mostly for politeness.

just remain silent

Is remaining silence ok?
I said fine with fake grin because i didn't want to be considered as rude

it is not okay and is quite rude

Its super common here. In Arab culture we also say the same in Arabic. Everyone says it to everyone they see (you get rewards from Allah for saying peace upon you/asalamalikom to strangers)

>walking down hallway, see someone i sort of know walking towards me
>hope to god we can remain silent
>passes me and quickly says "hi how are you?"
>"good how are you?"
>no reply

>about to open door to enter a room
>someone from inside opens door first
>says "hey how are you?"
>"good, you?"
>no reply

if you are going to initiate this retarded greeting, at least participate

no, if they responded more than it is no longer a greeting

p1: g, a-
p2: g, a+
fulfilling the answer to the how are you and fulfilling the requirement for initiation for hi

if additional conversation is added
p1: g, a-
p2: g, a+, X-
then p1 will have to respond to X with something appropriate for X and thus needing p2 to add more things into it
a simple greeting becomes a complicated conversation disturbing simple passage of two people

Don't do this, it's considered rude.

This is good, but the fake grin might be much.

It's just a social convention
You don't answer unless you're actually going to have a conversation. "What's up?" or "how are you?" is just a substitute for hello in those situations

So you're saying Arabs are even more retarded than Americans?

no offense mashallah

it's common to say salem but not common to say labes?

you're supposed to say "good, thanks" to finish the greeting

>when I pass someone they'll just say "Hey, how are you?" and then I'll say I'm doing fine and ask them the same question.
Often times neither of us really care, it's just a nice gesture.

Just say "Well, you?" and you'll be fine

no i say fine, you?

>"hi how are you?"
>"good how are you?"
>"fine, you?"

>10 "hi how are you?"
>20 "good how are you?"
>30 "fine, you?"
>GOTO 30

so da yo

>40: oh good, just doing the usually
?

>walking down the street
>passerby compliments my hat
>compliment his shoes
>feel good

i love small talk

>be me
>someone is handing out flyers on school campus
>"Hi!"
>smiles
>"So how much did they pay you to do this?"
>they leave

I was greeted by an American once and responded with "Fine, thank you. And you?" I didn't get any response and now I hear you think it's perfectly normal. What is wrong with you?

It depends.

In the south, you can respond something like 'not so great, but I'll live' and they'll be like 'I hear ya, brother.' If you respond anything negative in the big northern or western cities they'll get really surprised and stare at you as if you just disrupted their conception of how perfect city life is, then go 'o-oh'

>Walk to the store
>Pass a dude walking the opposite direction towards me
>He's silent and looks straight forward

Love it.

Best thing to say is : "Not bad, yourself?"

No, saying "Fine, thanks" is better

>mfw I didn't notice I inconvenienced someone by standing on the wrong side of the escalator but they didn't ask me to move because they didn't want to inconvenience me.

It's not retarded just niceness maybe.
I get told so much everyday from strangers I don't really realize this/think of it.
What is labes? لا بأس؟

This is true in any Anglo country

This is true regardless of anglo country.

"How are you?" doesn't mean tell me about how you are. It's some top tier autism if you actually give a serious answer to that question.

I've been upset when I was greeted by a little girl I didn't know in the street. After that I search what happened on the net and I found in some schools they had been taught they should greet strangers to prevent possible criminals.
>tfw a possible criminal

heh

What?

Sometimes people ask shit like that because they think you've looked at them in the wrong way somehow, and are trying to confront you over it.

You probably look like a school shooter.

>he doesn't befriend strangers

Why is the rest of the world so autistic? Traveling is like browsing /r9k/ or something.

Why would someone just randomly talk to a complete stranger?

I will never understand this.

To make new friends

How do you know they'd make good friends? They're just strangers.

If you want new friends, meet people that your family or friends know.

How do you know they wouldn't make new friends?

>Fine, thanks
>Doing alright
>Good, how are you?

it isn't just to make friend but the possibility of making friends

>Only exercise I get is riding my bike
>Do it up and down my street for convenience
>On days where I ride my bike, neighbors are usually outside working
>I ride as fast as possible to "work out" the most I can
>Riding by a neighbor's house at 15 MPH or so
>HI HOW ARE YOU?
>Mind processing, how the FUCK do I answer her and get a response while I'm zooming past her fucking house
>"Finethankshowareyou"
>Already two houses away
>Riding back up street and go down again
>Same neighbor
>HI HOW ARE YOU
AAAAAAAAAAAAHIUYWAIUYGDYAW

Just shoot them.

He was right you leaf. Responding with "yourself?" shows you care about the other person's well being instead of just shirking them off.

>Ordering fast food
>College student working at register asks "How are you?"
>"I want to die. Yourself?"
>"I feel you. Same."
Love America.

Im doing alright as well.

>I ride as fast as possible to "work out" the most I can
>Riding by a neighbor's house at 15 MPH or so
>Fast as I can
>15 MPH
>24 Km/H

How fat are you?

Good description of it desu.

t. grew up in the south and now live on the west coast