"I'm doin." -I am not doing well and I don't want to talk about it. But I'm also too exhausted and shattered to keep lying about my mental state for the sake of social niceties, so I'm hoping my vague, neutral statement will either convey what I'm feeling, or you'll fill in the blank with whatever you want to hear. Just as long as you stop asking how I'm doing.
In the opposite direction, when I moved to England it took me a while to get used to compliment "inflation" over there.
For example when somebody's opinion on something is:
"interesting", it means it's shit
"ok", means it's bad or mediocre
"good" and "great", means it's average
"wonderful" and "amazing", means it's good
I once asked one of the natives how did they transmit the message that they trully believes something was a 10/10 and was explained that's done by going into details on how something is so great.
What annoys me with this culture is when they expect foreigners to use the same exhuberant language and they think something is wrong with you if you don't.
My high-school friend group adopted "it goes" from our French class ("Comment ça va?" "Ça va!", roughly meaning "How goes it?" "It goes!" being the common neutral greeting taught in French classes) and I slightly resent it being described negatively here.
I often respond with: “Well, I’m still kicking and screaming.” I don’t know why. I think it got used a lot when I was growing up - someone getting dragged kicking and screaming.
Folks get tripped up by that.
For me, it means that despite the fight being hopeless, I’m still trying.
It’s been a rough week at work, and being in an environment where we are all on call and numerous people are subbing for others who are having life get in the way, a lot of people are working late and taking weekend shifts that they would have otherwise had off.
One of my college friends works with me, and I know his responses to these questions pretty well, and boy howdy have I seen him go through all of these responses in order as things got worse and worse while the director pops in and out of call to check on us and get updates on the situation.
Considering we would have had the weekend off and both of us stayed very late, things are going pretty OK, all things considered. Can’t complain too much if I’m still truckin’
One time I was in a really run-down thrift store looking for anything neat that stood out. A random guy asked how I was doing and y'know, I tried to be genuine enough, but in return he gave what is now one of my favorite replies:
"Too blessed t'be stressed!"
The delivery of it was like he actually meant it. Like he was just enjoying his day lookin' at stuff and nothing could bother him.
It's a good outlook, y'know... especially because at the time I was in a miserable job and often used the "Been better" and "I'm here." Responses because I just didn't have much else in me.
'Well I ain't dead yet...' - I wish something would kill me but my foolish heart is still holding out hope that it's possible for things to suck less someday.