It sometimes ignores it when the results are poor but generally all you need to do is add something to the query besides what is in the quotes (context) and it will handle it properly and give better results. When it ignores what is quoted it does so because the results are all over the place and it has no idea what you actually want. Google's search works off of how most people use it, not how you use it, so you need to adapt.

You have always been allowed to panic, have at it.

Yes, search results are quite crappy. They are based on guessing your search intent and return results that are likely to cause you to leave the Google search page. That's why Google often shows you a "salad" of different links to guess what you're looking for.