You're welcome

On Bob Edwards' last day with NPR's Morning Edition (when he was forced out in April 2004), he said something fairly innocuous that comes to mind almost every day. I'm not sure why it stuck with me so strongly. I do know that, at first, I just considered it with an "Oh, that's an interesting comment" attitude. Then, as I thought about it more, it started to diminish my respect for Bob Edwards. I've come to feel that his comment was rather arrogant.

What did he say, you ask?

I'm not going to be able to recall his words exactly but the gist was that it annoyed him when he was thanking people at the end of interviews and they thanked him back. He was being interviewed as a Morning Edition farewell and he concluded with that statement and a "You're welcome."

As I said, at the time, I noted it with a sort of idle curiosity. But here I am 2 1/2 years later and still, every time I hear the end of an interview on NPR, I listen for whether the interviewee says some form of thank you or you're welcome.

Now, I'm annoyed. I'm annoyed that he would be so judgmental regarding what is a essentially a gesture of appreciation and I'm annoyed that I can't let it go.