The problem with “no problem”

When did “No problem” become the standard reply to “Thank you”? From what I can tell, “no problem” has just about become the universal response to “thank you” and it’s a trend I’m ready to have come to an end any time now. Why? It’s impolite. “No problem” infers that it could have been a problem but, as it turns out, it wasn’t. Or it wasn’t enough of a problem to make an issue out of it. Maybe it’s a way of distancing ones self – a less personal way of saying “you’re welcome.” Yeah, that’s just what we need – another way to be less personal. Maybe the next person I thank can just text message me “np.”