The New York Times continues its inexplicable war against the phrase "no problem," which we noted last week. Asked an apparently very bored reader of the Styles section, to the Social Q's column: "Have you noticed that young people are substituting the phrase 'no problem' for 'you're welcome'?" The useless answer: "Take a common transaction: I pass you the milk. You thank me. I reply: 'No problem.' Well, of course it's not a problem! It's a common courtesy." Oh, these young people and their highly offensive slang!

The seemingly innocuous phrase "no problem" has recently shown up twice in stories in the New York Times. The first was in the enlightening and popular yet horrifically condescending and grouchy "100 Fucking Things You had Better Not Be Doing if You Want to Work at my Restaurant, and then again in the comments section of this week's plea to readers for more "Utterances and Signs That Annoy Me," by Stanley Fish. Apparently, when Times writers and readers say "thank You" to someone who is serving them in any manner, they do not want to hear "No problem," in return. Why? READ MORE