• PugJesus@lemmy.worldOP
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          22
          arrow-down
          3
          ·
          edit-2
          2 days ago

          Like “Dad responses”, these are just common cliche ways for white American men to respond to questions - in this case, “How are things going?”

          In this case, the responses listed, while seemingly anodyne, are generally given out as a means of downplaying one’s own troubles - “It’s going” being “It’s going badly enough that I don’t want to talk about it in any more detail” - and “Hanging in there” being “I’m managing, but only barely.”

          So both, while not being a cause for alarm by a surface reading, are actually (commonly) given out when significantly distressed.

        • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOP
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          10
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          2 days ago

          Unfortunately, I’m not the original creator of the post; you’d have to ask them for more droll observations of common American responses (and their deeper meanings) by race.

          • sneaky@r.nf
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            4
            ·
            1 day ago

            I am an American (sorry) and this doesn’t seem like it should have anything to do with race… “How’s it going” is pretty commonly used across races in the US.