Not a Problem
Not a Problem
(OP)
A good few years back I was part of a week long live-in, in-company welding conference. The then state host had decided the expression? "Not a problem" would be the catch-cry.
For 5 days & nights everywhere I went I heard "Not a Problem"
Everything that was said was punctuated with "Not a Problem".
The expression? seemed to lapse into obscurity but yesterday I heard it again.
Another is "you know what I mean?"
1) How does one deal with "Not a Problem" and other similar catch-crys?
2) Why do they come to exist in the first place and worse get mindlessly repeated?
For 5 days & nights everywhere I went I heard "Not a Problem"
Everything that was said was punctuated with "Not a Problem".
The expression? seemed to lapse into obscurity but yesterday I heard it again.
Another is "you know what I mean?"
1) How does one deal with "Not a Problem" and other similar catch-crys?
2) Why do they come to exist in the first place and worse get mindlessly repeated?





RE: Not a Problem
RE: Not a Problem
1) I'm not sure I have an answer for this, as I am the one usually spouting this corporate mumbo-jumbo so people will leave me a lone so I can get back to whatever task is at hand.
2) I think they evolve as summary phrases that replace long, drawn-out explainations. I would much rather say, "Not a problem" in response to be given a task to solve. It's more economical than having to say, "I have a lot of confedence that my group can solve this problem after we have a chance to review the situtation and come up with a feasable solution."
Why they get "mindlessly" repeated, again I think it boils down to economical communications.
"But what... is it good for?"
Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?
RE: Not a Problem
RE: Not a Problem
The equivalent phrase from my boss is, "It's being taken care of." I have had to explain to him repeatedly that when I ask, "What's going on with X?" I really do mean "What's going on with X?". If I wanted to know whether or not X was being taken care of and didn't want to know what was actually happening, I would have asked, "Is X being taken care of?"
But the ranting about the boss thread is somewhere else.
We have a whole poster of motivational catch phrases up at the front desk--things like don't say "We don't have the budget," say instead "We'll work leaner and meaner". Nice to know the slogan-writers have such a firm grip on reality.
If I ever get the energy and have enough of a need to waste time, I'll transcribe that poster and see what this group makes of it.
Hg
RE: Not a Problem
I'm convinced that most other "modern" catch phrases have their origin on The Simpsons.
Cheers,
CanuckMiner
RE: Not a Problem