Sneezing, what to say

[none]

I'm going to employ mazel tov
For years I just didn't feel included when someone sneezes
Mazel tov, it seems that it allows me to partake in the event
The words are Hebrew
It means good luck, maybe congratulations
Plus it illustrates that luck is part of the ancient cultures that produced Judaism, not all were impressed with divine happenstance
What about you, if any?

 

[fast]

Edited out.

 

[bilby]

Gesundheit.

 

[RavenSky]

Gesundheit

 

[braces_for_impact]

I swear this topic is repeated every year. I say "Mila Kunis", because I like Mila Kunis, and if you say it quickly most people have no idea what the hell you said. don't remember where I got that...

 

[TSwizzle]

I go for the tried and trusted "You're so good looking" from Seinfeld.

 

[southernhybrid]

I pretend I didn't hear the sneeze, or simply say, "you okay"? When I sneeze, I say, "excuse me".

 

[Artemus]

At our house we say "Stop it!" Get some interesting looks when we forget and say it in public.

 

[ZiprHead]

Tissue?

 

[thebeave]

The first sneeze I say "Bless you". The second one, I say "Bless you". The third time in a row, I say "Cut it out!"

 

[ronburgundy]

"Hey patient zero, cover your damn mouth."

Only said that to some good friends. In general, I don't say anything to people I know well and they don't expect me to. Also if there are many people in the room, someone else will say it and that usually lowers the expectation of everyone else repeating it. I hang out mostly with academics or good friends, most of whom share my aversion to supporting the silly tradition of saying "bless you" or really anything.
When it does seem awkward to say nothing, I use geshundheit (wishing good health).

 

[rousseau]

When you work in an office it gets weird because you find yourself spending the rest of your life replying to noises coming from someone's nose.

My approach at a new job is to draw the line early and say nothing when someone sneezes. The only conclusion any sane person can draw from this is that this is what they should be doing as well.

Usually it turns out well.

 

[none]

Ok rousseau, but it's tradition that makes life bearable, no?

 

[ronburgundy]

Ok Rousseau, but it's tradition that makes life bearable, no?

No. Most traditions make life boring, non-creative, close-minded, and lacking in progress.

I think you might be conflating "tradition" with things we do as a matter of routine. But good routines are not "traditions" but just useful sensible acts. We identify some things as "traditions" precisely because they are cultural rules that have no current utility or sense to them, otherwise people would just learn to do them and keep doing them without having to use the social coercion that "traditions" use to keep themselves going.
For example, not eating rancid meat is an idea we pass onto our kids and keep doing, but most people don't think of that as "tradition" because the reason to do it has nothing to do with the fact that it just "how things are done". But not eating pork specifically might have been a good idea in some context, but became a mindless "tradition" when that utility dissappeared and there was no reason to do it other than because "its tradition".

Whenever "tradition" (often couched as "because God said so) is the primary reason behind a cultural practice it is virtually always a stupid practice within the present context that varies between pointless and harmful.

 

[rousseau]

Well said above.

To me, saying bless you and other things are just a pointless thing we do because everyone else does it. We can't move past pointless rituals like this if no one takes the lead.

We don't make note when someone coughs, farts, or makes any other random bodily noise, why do it when people sneeze?

 

[Elixir]

My smartass wife says "God bless you" for the first one, and again for the second one.
The third one gets "You want me to take you to the Emergency Room?"

 

[DolphinDynasty]

Depends on how it sounds, if big I say, "well, that a big one', if tiny and cute, I'll comment on that, if just a sneeze, it's shrug my shoulders, unless I see they need a tissue then I point in the right direction for that. Since I don't buy superstition because its dumb, I never go in for superstitious ideas like a person's brains are gonna fall out when they sneeze and they'll die so we'd better bless them before it happens in case they'd go to hell otherwise.

Unless they do it 3 times in a row, and then my family taught me to inanely intone without thinking, "Gonna be a good day tomorrow", cuz apparently 3 sneezes in a row means the sun will shine and everyone will get what they need to survive or some stupid shit.

 

[none]

..

 

[Keith&Co.]

Gesundheit. But i say it when people sneeze, fart, cough, barf, belch...

A militant atheist i knew used to shout "NOTHING HAPPENS WHEN YOU DIE!" after someone sneezed...

 

[DolphinDynasty]

Gesundheit. But i say it when people sneeze, fart, cough, barf, belch...

A militant atheist i knew used to shout "NOTHING HAPPENS WHEN YOU DIE!" after someone sneezed...

See, there's a way to make that funny tho. like if you strike a dramatic pose, shout the statement, then finish with twirling an imaginary evil mustache and exit walking backwards.