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The New + the Next


THE "BLESS YOU" BAN

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The New + the Next


THE "BLESS YOU" BAN

By Leslie Nguyen-Okwu

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WHY YOU SHOULD CARE

Because sneezes are nothing to sneeze at.

By Leslie Nguyen-Okwu

Trying to make yourself understood? From the minds of OZY, the kings and queens
of clear communication, comes Crossed Wires, a series of immodest solutions for
all of your communicative problems.

A sneeze tickles your nose. You let out a round of rapid-fire sneezes, one after
the other. This is the handiwork of the devil. 

Ancient lore says that a sneeze summons dastardly demons, and a curt “bless you”
will dispel all the bad mojo in one fell swoop. We say: Spare the stock phrases
and holy water. It’s just a sneeze — a dribble of spit and snot, now splattered
on the floor and all over your colleague’s shirt. Old wives’ tales
notwithstanding, we suspect no demons would be especially keen on running up
your filthy nostrils. It’s time we take a page from East Asia, where
collectivist cultures consider it downright rude to bring attention to someone’s
slimy sneeze. So, let’s not waste our breath on those hollow, halfhearted words
that we say in the United States (“God bless you”), Brazil (“saúde”), Germany
(“Gesundheit”) and just about everywhere else to the moon and back. 

In Japan, Korea and China, no one can hear you sneeze. Or at least, no one seems
to hear. Everyone just ambles on idly by and politely ignores it. No etiquette
police here; no heartbreak over the unacknowledged sneeze. After all, there’s no
need for niceties when a friend or stranger has just unleashed a volley of germs
on you. 

Todd Jay Leonard, an American-born professor at the University of Teacher
Education Fukuoka with a Midwestern twang, learned that lesson the hard way.
Leonard first stepped foot in Japan about 27 years ago, where people would
sneer, snicker or be amused when he responded with a knee-jerk “pardon me” after
he sneezed or a gentle “bless you” when someone else did. “I felt self-conscious
when I sneezed when I first arrived in Japan because no one acknowledged my
sneezes,” he says. Now a convert, Leonard predicts that the phrase
might “naturally just run its course” for non–East Asians in the future. 



No one is crystal clear on why we say “bless you” — it’s an old custom with
unconfirmed theories and urban legends as to its origins. Some say it draws from
superstitions: A sneeze is believed to stop your heart for a moment, so an
incantation like “bless you” is a congrats for surviving near death. Others
point to religion: “God bless you” will help release you from Satan’s grip when
your soul supposedly separates from your body during a sneeze. However, it can
be hard to break from tradition. For many, uttering a quick “bless you” is a
deeply ingrained habit, says Jack Brown, a body language expert, plus an
opportunity to show kindness to a stranger whom we otherwise wouldn’t talk
to. “You can’t just be looking out for No. 1.”

Yet whether it is rooted in religious traditions, folk superstitions or merely
social customs, we’re conditioned to say something when someone sneezes, and
nothing when we cough, hiccup, belch or fart. In many ways, the rules of civil
sneeze etiquette just don’t add up.

Silence is golden. At least, more golden than your violent ejection of snot. 

 * Leslie Nguyen-Okwu, Reporter  Follow Leslie Nguyen-Okwu on Twitter Follow
   Leslie Nguyen-Okwu on Facebook Contact Leslie Nguyen-Okwu


June 18, 2016

TOPICS

 * Big Ideas
 * Communication
 * Crossed Wires
 * Health



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