OBITUARY: “No Worries!”

No worries! died on March 15, 2020, after complications of Coronavirus. It was 54 years old. The youngest child of It’s all good! and Can’t complain, No worries! was originally used as a cheerful alternative to That’s all right, No problem, and Sure thing, but at the height of its popularity, No worries! even surpassed the usage of You’re welcome.

Born in Australia circa 1966, No worries! moved to Los Angeles, California in 1994, taking up residence in the heart of the city’s entertainment industry. Championed by many as a way of spreading calm and good will, it was mocked by some for seeming shallow, simplistic, or insincere. No worries! made several attempts at residence in New York City, but was never whole-heartedly embraced by the most anxious city in America.

No worries! first fell ill on November 8, 2016, when Donald Trump was elected President, and continued ailing amid rising awareness of Climate Change, white supremacy, and gun violence. In 2017, #metoo hit No worries! hard, forcing it even further out of the cultural mainstream.

By the winter of 2018, No worries! was showing its age: It was tougher, grittier. Hard-bitten. It started being used passive-aggressively, as in, Calm the fuck down, Back off, and Relax. In its final stage, No worries had become so weak that it often appeared without its exclamation point.

No worries! is survived by twin teen-age daughters, Cool, cool, cool, and Whatever. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that ventilators and PPE be sent to your nearest hospital. ❑

Julie Rottenberg and Elisa Zuritsky have been trying to kill “No worries!” since the late 1990s.

Photo by Einar Storsul