Indian-Born Activist Lectures British On Saying ‘Thank You’ Too Much

Of all the hills to die on, Sangeeta Pillai has chosen manners.

“Britons love saying thank you – I think we should ban the phrase,” reads the headline of Pillai’s article for The Guardian, published Sunday. 

Pillai takes the British to task for cultivating an “incessant ‘thank you’ culture.” (RELATED: Starmer’s Implosion Could Hand Britain Its First Muslim Prime Minister) 

“Growing up in India, I learned that thank yous are only for distant strangers, and that close friends and family get offended if you thank them. I would say thank you to a speaker delivering a formal talk but never to a friend helping during a crisis or a family member making me dinner.” Pillai claims elsewhere she “grew up in a Mumbai slum,” so one would think her childhood isn’t a great reference point for how to build a functioning society. 

This article is insane.

Complaining about saying thank you to cafe workers. Bus drivers.

Yeah, it’s called MANNERS.

An inherently British attribute. RESPECT for your fellow man.

I know they want to destroy everything else about Britain but please do eff off.

Thank you. https://t.co/GvFIE7y2Qr

— Ben Leo (@benleo444) February 8, 2026

Yet Pillai insists she knows better than her host country and its natives. 

“You get a coffee. The barista tells you how much you need to pay. You say thank you. They take your card for payment. They say thank you. They give you the coffee. You say thank you. They say thank you for your thank you. Then you say thank you for their thank you. By this point, the words ‘thank you’ have lost all meaning, and both parties are exhausted by the pointless stream of politeness.” (RELATED: UK’s Liberal Gov’t Reportedly Planning To Release Migrant Crime Stats For First Time)

If you’re exhausted by saying “thank you,” you need to hit the gym. 

There are two solutions to Pillai’s frustrations. She should get used to the way the British behave or she should return to her home country. Of course, I doubt she’ll take either action. There’s nothing a “feminist activist” loves more than complaining. 

Follow Natalie Sandoval on X: @NatSandovalDC