I think its rude to casually ask people how they're doing.

It seems to be considered common courtesy but I don't think it should be. Its rude to casually remind people of all their problems if you don't want to stick around to hear about them.

Its different if they actually care about your response, but most of the time you have to lie through your teeth to give a expected response of "good, how are you?" And most of the time they don't even answer because they're already walking away.

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hartfire

There is no question that in English speaking countries it is considered polite to ask, [i]polite[/i], nothing more.
The polite answer is not to tell the truth but to say "very well, thank you, and you?"
They will politely tell you they are OK too, and then the real conversation begins - depending on the nature and purpose of the meeting.
It's done between people who have just met or do not know each other well.

It is assumed that the question cannot be a reminder, because no sane person is ever unaware of how they are. It's not exactly something one can forget.

Telling the truth about one's feelings is reserved for genuine friends, doctors, psychologists - and in any situation in which telling it matters.

One might find some truth here, where people can hide behind their anonymity. But just as often it's full of tricksters and pranksters - as if there was a god called Loki running riot.