Is it just me? Or is the phrase “don’t worry” completely infuriating? asks LIZ HOGGARD.
- American university students feel overwhelmed by the phrase “don’t worry”
- Liz Hoggard admits she hopes frivolous phrase will be banned
- British writer says that worry helps us survive and is a sign that we are human.
“I think you delivered my package to the wrong address,” I tell the courier. “Don’t worry,” he drawls, like he’s doing me a huge favor.
How much do I hate this phrase “Don’t worry”? It’s there with “at the end of the day” and “that’s what it is”.
But there is hope. “Don’t Worry” is in danger of being banned. According to a leading American university, young people feel humiliated if they pour out their feelings and are met with such a frivolous phrase.
Liz Hoggard admits she hopes “don’t worry” will be banned (file image)
“If I’m upset, I want to talk about how I’m upset,” one participant told Lake Superior State University in Michigan, which publishes a list of banned words every year (“don’t worry” is in the top three, with “ask a friend” and “circle back”).
British commentators said it was just another example of thin-skinned, over-vigilant provocateurs taking things too seriously. Couldn’t the snowflakes just, uh, cheer you up? But in fact, speaking as a middle-aged woman (older and better insured, to paraphrase Kathy Bates in Fried Green Tomatoes), I’m on the youth side.
I have to restrain myself from screaming, “Really, please worry!”
I need people to be more worried. It pisses me off in restaurants when you point out a fairly obvious flaw – “Sorry, but this soup is cold” or “I don’t have a fork” – and the waiter looks at you condescendingly and says, “Don’t worry.” I have to restrain myself from screaming, “Really, please worry.”
A simple apology is fine, but not this lazy pantomime where employees hint that they were monitoring the situation and considered it unworthy of a fuss. I want a fuss. After the global pandemic, we are tired, sad and burned out. But anxiety is what keeps us alive. This is a sign of a person. It implies: “I see you and I can help.”