"No Problem"

MY BEST FRIEND, CHI,

who ALWAYS says

"You're welcome."

I have a pet peeve. I know, I know. You think I am the "pet." Or worse, you don't think that "pets" have peeves.

Well, we do.

Today I, your very own Mz Paws, was listening to a call-in show on our local NPR station, WAMC. Yes, I do listen to the radio now and again. Anyway, when the facilitator thanked the caller for calling, the caller replied -- on PUBLIC RADIO, no less -- "No problem."

NO PROBLEM?

Whatever happened to "You're welcome?"

In my litter, we were always taught to respond to a "thank you" with a "you're welcome," or at least a "don't mention it." Take mealtime. In my litter, mealtimes were always a free-for-all. Mom would lie down, exposing her teats, which were ripe for the sucking, and we would immediately jump her helter-skelter, since there were 10 of us and only 8 nipples. There was, I do have to admit, a teensy bit of shoving and pushing that went on. Even so, my mother insisted we try to practice good manners. For example: "Mz Paws, thank you so much for letting me have a little nibble on Mom's nipple." "You're very welcome, Tom. Don't mention it."

Now, Tom and I were not all that close as siblings. Even as a wee one, he was a bit of a ladies' man, if you get my meaning. But at least by answering his "thank you" with a "you're welcome" I was acknowledging his existence. As in Thank YOU. YOU are welcome. Remember the philosopher Martin Buber? How our language reveals whether we are viewing each other as "I, Thou" or "I, It?"

Imho, replying "No problem" to a purrfectly polite "Thank you" is a diss. When a cat replies "no problem" to me, I feel I have become just another "It" -- another object to which something must be said. Heaven forbid that my BEING, my "YOU-ness" should be acknowledged with a "You're welcome."

Now, there will be those of you who will disagree with me. In fact, the Urban Dictionary defines "No Problem" as a "casual 'you're welcome'." As in "it wasn't a hassle."

K. So I'm a fuddy-duddy. But here's a quote from a webpage about Martin Buber's thoughts on the "I, Thou" relationship:

According to Buber, human beings may adopt two attitudes toward the world: I-Thou or I-It. I-Thou is a relation of subject-to-subject, while I-It is a relation of subject-to-object. In the I-Thou relationship, human beings are aware of each oher as having a unity of being. In the I-Thou relationship, human beings do not perceive each other as consisting of specific, isolated qualities, but engage in a dialogue involving each other's whole being. In the I-It relationship, on the other hand, human beings perceive each other as consisting of specific, isolated qualities, and view themselves as part of a world which consists of things. [My emphasis.] I-Thou is a relationship of mutuality and reciprocity, while I-It is a relationship of separateness and detachment.

Need I say more? What's that? You're thanking me for bringing this to your attention?

Hey, "no problem."

And now, mes amis, having officially joined the ranks of the hoi polloi, I am going to find a cozy place in which to curl up and practice my Law #3.