Cheers!

I remember the good old days when the saying of cheers was almost always followed by the clinking of glasses and then the drinking of drinks. These days I find cheers is being used in the place of everything from thank you very much to good game of ping pong mate. It must stop people. It is time to learn some new words as to not wear out a word which single handedly makes people accept even the worst of speeches.

Recently a guy asked if the seat next to me on the train was taken. I said 'Go for it'. He said 'Cheers'. I thought 'What the hell am I supposed to do with that?' I'm not about to say cheers back because I save it for festive occasions. I'm not going to say 'no problem' or ' you're welcome' cuz i'm not completely sure he was thanking me for not using two seats.

A lot of the time it just sounds phony to me when people say cheers, as in the above example, for no particular reason other than to sound... cultured i guess is the best way to put it. I'd actually prefer someone to say peace or peace out (if its being used as a see you later) to convey an atmosphere of togetherness, no matter how outdated the words may seem. Its ridiculous to be cheering every stupid, mundane situation.

And isn't it bad luck to not take a drink after you cheers? So basically now I have at least three people a day throwing bad luck upon me since i do not have a refreshment on hand. I don't want to be constantly cup in hand to battle these cheersing drones. I'm not a superstitious fellow, but I could see how it could drive someone batty.

So everyone please conserve your cheers for the times when it actually makes sense and in the meantime try to expand your vocabulary. There are other words that express what you're trying to convey, when cheersing, much less ambiguously.

Peace out homies.