How's it going?

How's it going?

Now normally this would be a perfectly acceptable greeting when talking to someone. Getting people like that over the internet, in a forum where they probably won't respond really is kind of meaningless. So why the hell do people constantly greet me with "How's it going?" when I'm walking past them?

Seriously, this has to be the stupidest way to greet someone in passing. Sure, if you stopped walking and greeted me that way it wouldn't be so bad. I could stop and give you a real answer. But when you ask me that when we are both walking in opposite directions, say passing through an intersection, you clearly aren't expecting an answer.

Of course, I've been socially conditioned to respond positively:

You: "How's it going?"
Me: "Good, how 'bout you?"

The stupid part is that I will say "good" under any situations. I'd probably say it if there was a piece of rebar sticking out of my temple, it's just reflexive. And that's why I hate getting "How's it going?" as I walk past someone. After all, I walk fast, even if you walk slow I will be well past you as my automated response of "Good, how 'bout you?" comes out. At which point I start to feel like an ass for both asking a pointless question, because you're now five feet behind me, and for appearing to talk to myself to the people behind you.

Hell, I'm starting to think that asking someone "How's it going?" as a greeting is the complete opposite of being friendly. It's just such a default and thoughtless quasi greeting. You really don't care how things are going for me, if you did you might actually stop walking! So I suggest that it should no longer count as a greeting and be sent where other failed greetings, such as "Whassup?", go to die.