Heres a cool thing.
In English-speaking countries they say Bless you, in most of Europe they say Health.
Im not being a prig here!
There are none, other than Bless you.
What makes sneezing so special?
Ill tell you why nothing, because sneezing has an Irish twin: coughing.
Its just as infectious, just as disruptive, just as varied in its causes.
And what do you do when someone coughs?
If youre polite, nothing.
Unless theyre coughing repeatedly, in which case you might discreetly ask if theyre okay.
Etiquette is about making people feel comfortable.
But theresno reliable evidence for this story, according to the first Google result forhistory of bless you.
So if the phrase is about gods and demons, its about pagan ones.
Theres no reliable evidence foranyorigin of Bless you.
And Id really like to stop.
I know Im not alone.
Or I bet Im not alone.
Id really like to not be alone on this, guys.
But no one (except probably Ricky Gervais) wants to be the first to stop.
We dont want to be the rude one.
But Bless you and Health!
In China, Japan, and Korea, its customary to ignore a sneeze.
Billions of human beings live perfectly well without telling each other I heard you sneeze.
The rest of us can too.
Lets make a pact, right here, to stop saying Bless you.
In the moment, you might offend someone with your silence.
If they object, youll politely apologize: I didnt want to call attention to your sneeze.
Hell, you’ve got the option to just pretend you thought it was a cough.
Thats still enough to plant the idea in their head.
Maybe next time theyll do the same.
And soon, when everyone has stopped saying Bless you, we can blame it on the president.
