trivial alert. to think that if you sneeze

[highho1]

It is slightly rude for the person in the room with you not to say bless you.

When OH sneezes the walls rattle and I'm temporarily deaf. No way am I going to bless him for that assault on my senses.

I hate when people say bless you for 2 reasons, firstly because I sneeze 4 or more and it gets stupid If they keep saying it and secondly its to ward off the devil a mythical being which I don't believe in.

Nah.

YABU. It is for superstitious reasons that people say "Bless you".

I am atheist. I still say 'Bless you' if someone sneezes. It makes me feel grubby, sad and weak. However, while people like you continue to pile on the social pressure, even going so far as to suggest that I would be rude NOT to do so, I will continue to bear the burden of my discomfort so you can feel better.

It can be nice for people to say bless you but it is not essential nor rude if they don't. Hence YABU, don't sweat the small stuff.

I wouldn't give it a second thought tbh. It just gets stupid after the second sneeze as mentioned above.

YANBU anyway you need to be careful or Matt Damon might kill you if you don't.

I'm with you OP!

I'm an atheist and know my soul isn't going to fly out of my body mid sneeze.

Therefore I never say bless you (I don't mean it or believe it so would be insincere and hypocritical) and I usually don't acknowledge being blessed as it irks me. I might say excuse me if my sneezing is disturbing others though.

I guess the reason why it annoys me abit is that it is a way of showing interest iin the other person. I guess I was just brought up to say bless you when others sneeze and excuse me whenI do.

And obviously thank you when blessed.

I guess I was just brought up to say bless you when others sneeze

I get this. But when you really examine the practice, it's quite nonsensical, isn't it? If someone is properly ill, you will have (hopefully) have shown support and well wishes in more constructive ways. And if someone has just got a face full of pepper, they don't really need blessing.

Too many "have"s....

No, it is one tradition that i'd quite happily see die out, totally pointless and awkward when the person then sneezes again. I still can't stop myself doing it though, these things do get indoctrinated into us. I much prefer it if people ignore my sneezes.

DP always sneezes 7 times in a row but I still can't help myself from saying it each time
I'm like you OP, I just feel rude if I don't.

I wouldn't class this as 'manners' in the sense of eating in a civilised way and saying please and thank you. It's just a hangover from times when indications of ill health weren't well understood and people thought blessings were needed to ward off sickness/demonic possession via a sneeze.

My impatience with it may stem from the fact I'm married to a serial sneezer. Six or seven in a row isn't unusual. I defy anyone to bob up and down with blessings that often without committing murder.

Cross-posted with IAm. You are clearly a nicer person than I am...

matt damon! love that film!

What about the German equivalent "Gesundheit"? It literally translates to "good health". Would that be acceptable for atheists to say?

I wouldnt considerate rude if somebody didnt say it.
I cant help but say it if somebody sneezes, and i dont exactly want to say it. I also say bless me to myself...even when im alone

Morgause I have a husband like that too, our glass ornaments 'ring' when he sneezes and I can totally relate to the temporary deafness. Glad I'm not the only one!

In our family growing up (and this was a staunch fire-and-brimstone Wlesh Chapel upbringing), the first two sneezes in a row got a 'Bless you' and the third got 'Oh, bugger you!' following which it was aceptable to ignore any further sneezes in that bout.

I used to work in an office where two of my colleagues would say "excuse me" after sneezing as one would do after inadvertently burping or farting.

Should I be apologising for sneezing?