Hi, How Are Ya?

We've all greeted people with meaningless phrases from time to time. "Hi, how's it goin"? Meaning 'I realize that one word with just two letters (Hi) aren't sufficient in this case but I'm busy and don't have time to visit'.
In the mid 1920's my Dad was a young farmer and had traveled to the nearest town, Decatur, NE. He was in the hardware store, waiting his turn to be waited on. Back then you didn't help yourself as we do now. An old farmer walked in, an acquaintance of his, and Dad said "Hi, How are ya"? The man announced with little or no emotion, "Arthur, I have a severe case of the Itchy Piles". (Today he would have been alluding to hemorrhoids)
"But", he continued, "it feels so good when I scratch em, I'm almost glad I got em".
At the tender age of about 20, my Dad had learned an important lesson about casual greetings.