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Comment by iqster | Hacker News Reader

Actually, I had trouble figuring out what to say that's non-offending when someone sneezes. I ended up picking "Gazuntite", which means health (pls. don't ask why I need to say anything at all).

Also, there is a hilarious south park episode that delves into this issue. Here's a clip for some yucks: http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/230805/science-help-us

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Gesundheit?

Why must you say anything at all? This is a centuries-old meme that serves no purpose. It annoys me slightly anytime says it to me, and I don't say anything to anyone else when they sneeze.

It's a behavior that we as a society have decided is polite. It hurts no one, aside from maybe a few neckbeards who have entirely too much invested in Being An Atheist (or the equivalent for your hair-splitting worldview of choice).

That you choose to get "annoyed" about such things is your problem, nobody else's.

I avoid a response after someone says it. Most of the time, I do not think they notice, but sometimes I get a "Why do you never say 'Thank you' when I say 'Bless You!'" from a person. My response is that I would be thanking someone for doing something for me, but the person has not done anything. If saying 'Thank you' was a polite response to me saying something according to the rules of society, people should be thanking me when I say hello. I do not say "God Bless You" or "Thank You" in response to this. I must agree with you that the meme is purposeless. I have no trouble with people saying "Bless You" in any way, but it should not be related to something mundane such as a sneeze.

If I say anything, I usually go with the mangled pseudo-German "gesundenblasten".

Clip won't work in the UK.

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