It's gotten silly around here

[Some Friggin Guy]

Here, being where I work, not this board.

I just had a coworker get offended that I said Geshundheit (sp?) rather than "Bless you" when they sneezed.

This is the same person who got upset when I refuted their "God doesn't need a dam, he walked on water" by pointing out that bible never made that claim, but instead made the claim that god's kid pulled that stunt.

I swear to all things grape flavoured, you will someday read about me when I go nuts in a K-mart and start flinging fish-stick down here. (Hey, I made a non-violence vow many years ago and these people aren't going to make me break that.)

[shemp]

Mmmmm, fish sticks!

Where I work, a bunch of people say "Bless You" when someone sneezes. The person usually replies "Thank you." I didn't reply a few times, now nobody says it when I sneeze. (Perhaps letting it be generally known that I am an atheist helped too.)

[canadarocks]

I thought the phrase "God Bless You" in German is translated as Gott segnen Sie and that over the years has become Geshundheit (sp?). If true, your co-worker was getting upset over nothing......

[TruthSeeker]

I say "bless you" (no god necessary. I am merely wishing prosperity and happiness) whenever anyone makes a body sound. So:

Sneeze - "Bless You!"
Yawn - "Bless You!"
Tummy grumble - "Bless You!"
Burp - "Bless You!"
Fart - "Bless You!"

Why should sneezes be special? Yes, yes, I know all about losing your soul through a sneeze.

Anyway, just in case you made a body sound while reading my post:

"Bless You!" ;)

[Some Friggin Guy]

Wow. I've been using the German phrase thinking it was merely a wish of health. I suppose I should change to "Salud".

[DanishDynamite]

Gesundheit -

(guh-ZOONT-heyt) German for “good health.” Like the English phrase “Bless you,” it is conventionally said to someone who has just sneezed. This reflects the superstition that a sneeze can cause the soul to fly out of the body; saying the phrase prevents this from happening.

From this site (http://www.bartleby.com/59/4/gesundheit.html)

[canadarocks]

I read where the saying of "Bless You", etc after you sneeze may have been tied to the episodes of the Plague (Black Death) where people who were near expiring would often sneeze before dying. Anyone else hear of this story?

[De_Bunk]

CanadaRocks

You are correct...it is connected with the plague...

As in..

"Ring o' ring o' roses"
( due to the shape of the lesions that the plague caused )

"A pocket full of Posies"
( People carried Posies or other strong smelling flowers to hide the rotting flesh smell, the plague caused )

"Atishoo, atishoo, we all fall down"
( There's the link to the sneezing, and the "bless you" as death was usually imminent )

Hope this helps

DB

[RussDill]

Originally posted by DanishDynamite
Gesundheit -

(guh-ZOONT-heyt) German for “good health.” Like the English phrase “Bless you,” it is conventionally said to someone who has just sneezed. This reflects the superstition that a sneeze can cause the soul to fly out of the body; saying the phrase prevents this from happening.

From this site (http://www.bartleby.com/59/4/gesundheit.html)

almost, I think its more of a, so you inhale *your* soul, not a evil demon and become posesed. Breathing is the processes of inhaling and exhaling ones spirit. Ie, the respitory spirt. Similiarly related, "expire".

[epepke]

Originally posted by canadarocks
I thought the phrase "God Bless You" in German is translated as Gott segnen Sie and that over the years has become Geshundheit (sp?). If true, your co-worker was getting upset over nothing......

"Gesundheit" approximately means "health." "Gesund" is the adjective that means healthy but also sane and sound. "Heit" is a postfix that approximately means "ness." "Wellness" might be a slightly better translation, but it sounds a bit stupid and newagey in English.

[c4ts]

Was't there some superstition that a sneeze was a demon trying to invade the body, so you said "bless you" to keep it from entering?

[Marquis de Carabas]

"Ring o' ring o' roses"
( due to the shape of the lesions that the plague caused )

"A pocket full of Posies"
( People carried Posies or other strong smelling flowers to hide the rotting flesh smell, the plague caused )

"Atishoo, atishoo, we all fall down"
( There's the link to the sneezing, and the "bless you" as death was usually imminent )
I read this years ago, believed it for a long time, and have spread it to countless people. Recently, however, I came accross this...

http://www.snopes.com/language/literary/rosie.htm

Seems a fairly sound refutation of the plague theory of that rhyme, but I still don't know...

[UnrepentantSinner]

I usually translate Gesundheit as "to your good health."

Originally posted by RussDill
almost, I think its more of a, so you inhale *your* soul, not a evil demon and become posesed. Breathing is the processes of inhaling and exhaling ones spirit. Ie, the respitory spirt. Similiarly related, "expire".

Another misconception from the ancients (heart references being the other) about centers of body activity. The Jews and Greeks (pneumia) thought the breath was the vivifying force of our bodies. Such thinking also shows up in various words like Ghast, Gasp, Ghost and Geist.

[De_Bunk]

Marquis...

I checked out the link...

The explanation is very plausible...and it seems well researched...

Its probably the real explanation for the rhyme..

DB

[sackett]

When I sneeze and somebody says "Bless you," I reply, "It will do no good." That gets me in trouble sometimes, too.

[scribble]

When someone sneezes near me, I don't say "Bless you," or even the mor popular "Blesh you."

I say, "JESUS ***** CHRIST MAN ARE YOU OKAY?! It sounded like you lost some brain on that one, wow... do you need to wash your hands? DON'T COME NEAR ME YOU DISEASE LADEN FREAK! BACK!!! GET BACK!!!"

[arcticpenguin]

Originally posted by sackett
When I sneeze and somebody says "Bless you," I reply, "It will do no good." That gets me in trouble sometimes, too.
Sometimes I say "That's a h*ll of a thing to say to an atheist".

[Corey]

I've actually made it a point (now I don't think about it) to say nothing when people sneeze, seeing as there's no reason for me to say "god bless you", not believing in god, "bless you" because I don't believe in the superstition at the root of why it's said in the first place, or any other reaction...they sneezed, that's it. The only thing I might say after someone sneezes is "Please turn your head next time you sneeze, I don't like being covered in phlem and spit".