"Hello, How Are You ?"
"Hello, how are you ?"
Surely the time has come for people to adjust the way they speak to one another especially complete strangers !!
Whilst it is meant as a term of endearment, do you really honestly care about the wellbeing of that girl at the supermarket checkout or the anonymous voice on the other end of the telephone ??
I think not and it sounds so fake & condescending that it needs to be phased out of our vernacular.
Try listening to talkback radio when they are running a quick quiz, every person who rings up asks the host "how are you" and clearly that person must be okay because the previous six callers in the recent 60-secs asked the same question & got the same answer.
Greeting a friend, stranger or person in business with a simple "hello" or "good morning" should be the minimum level of manners but what should come after that or is there an actual need to further the conversation ??