When did Appreciate You become a thing?

[Anonymous]

I've done tech support for businesses for years. I didn't really notice this phrase until the past year or so--my calls are with people all over the US and to some extent abroad. I think it may be more black people (who also tell me to have a blessed day, although white folks primarily from the deep south do as well).

Off topic, but the interesting thing about this is that especially for some regions (very rural and/or very south and white in both cases) I talk to people who are very warm and sociable while we are working on IT stuff, but I often wonder what it would be like if we were on the same online message board about politics. Very, very rarely in my work does anybody slip in any comment (and it can be liberal or conservative) so I pretty much don't know what their thoughts are about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In DC this has been a thing black people say to each other for a long time. I think it sounds less genuine coming from white people, and I'm not sure why that is.

I'm white, lived in DC for 30 years. This is something I've always said. I thought it was a DC thing.

[Anonymous]

My boss started using it five years ago. This was in a Deep South state. FWIW, they were white UMC.

[Anonymous]

The first time I heard it was from a coworker about 5 years ago. She is foreign born and her only time in the US before working with me was spent in grad school in Alabama. I had never heard it before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I recently had someone say that to me for the first time and I really like it. I felt appreciated!

Same here

But the person and context felt very genuine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree is it a very old phrase in DC, and that Ted Lasso is making it a more broadly common phrase.

+1
It's a southern phrase. I love the fact that Ted Lasso popularized it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In DC this has been a thing black people say to each other for a long time. I think it sounds less genuine coming from white people, and I'm not sure why that is.

I'm white, lived in DC for 30 years. This is something I've always said. I thought it was a DC thing.

+1
I'm also white and have lived in the NoVA area most of my life. This is not a new phrase. I think a lot of transplants think it's new?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In DC this has been a thing black people say to each other for a long time. I think it sounds less genuine coming from white people, and I'm not sure why that is.

I'm white, lived in DC for 30 years. This is something I've always said. I thought it was a DC thing.

+1
I'm also white and have lived in the NoVA area most of my life. This is not a new phrase. I think a lot of transplants think it's new?

Yes it's clear that some people think this phrase is new just because they didn't grow up hearing it. It's a regional/cultural thing, if it's new to you it just means you only recently started interacting with people who say it (or watched Ted Lasso, I guess).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like it. Ted Lasso says it .

I often say: "Thank you. I appreciate you." In a world where we've become more disconnected from each other I'm a fan of showing more appreciation and kindness.

+1. Ted Lasso is where I first heard it.

Nah, way before Ted Lasso. Come on.

[Anonymous]

I've lived in DC for 20 years and have heard it and used it forever. Primarily from my Black and Brown friends/family. I have caught people of guard - seemingly in a good way wherein I can tell they've never heard it.

[Anonymous]

I have a coworker who says this and it’s the fakest thing ever. The first few times I thought she was actually trolling me. She’s a pretty mean, backstabbing person in general though. Maybe if it were a kind person it would come off different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve only heard this phrase from black people in the DC area. When I held the door for a guy and he said, “I appreciate you,” I liked the phrase and thought the saying was nice.
.

Wouldn’t “I appreciate it” be more accurate? He appreciated your act of opening the door, not you as a person.

[Anonymous]

Grew up in rural/suburban central Florida. Very common.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve only heard this phrase from black people in the DC area. When I held the door for a guy and he said, “I appreciate you,” I liked the phrase and thought the saying was nice.
.

Wouldn’t “I appreciate it” be more accurate? He appreciated your act of opening the door, not you as a person.

I think it’s nicer than appreciate it. It means you are just appreciating the one thing. You shows you appreciate the person. I would not say it to a stranger, but I use it with my family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve only heard this phrase from black people in the DC area. When I held the door for a guy and he said, “I appreciate you,” I liked the phrase and thought the saying was nice.
.

Wouldn’t “I appreciate it” be more accurate? He appreciated your act of opening the door, not you as a person.

I think it’s nicer than appreciate it. It means you are just appreciating the one thing. You shows you appreciate the person. I would not say it to a stranger, but I use it with my family.

But this was a stranger saying it to you.