Absolutely not, and my wife and I have banned it in our household. We argue that, conversely, somebody who sneezes should apologize to those around them for spreading germs. If I'm in a particularly snarky mood, I'll respond to a "Bless you" with "What gives you that right?" or "It's too late to help me" or "Your presence is blessing enough for me."

Do you do that in a dying Darth Vader voice?

Changing something that's pretty much reflexive feels forced and stilted to me. I'm not going to stop saying God Dammit or Sweet f*cking Christ either.

I had a similar mishearing of "God Bless You" when younger. I thought it was "kableshu," and I had no idea what it meant.

My usual responses are either:

"thanks for using your elbow", "go wash your hands", or "fck! cover that mouth next time, you freaking plaguebearer!".

I find it is important to be instructive.

"You're so good looking!"

Can anyone provide a good reason why the word "good" should mean "positive, rational or beneficial?" It's just how language works. I personally use gesundheit because it's more fun to say (and I like the sentiment wishing people good health more than asking the spirits to cram their soul back inside). That said, I think anyone who makes it a point to be offended by the religious tone of "bless you" is either insecure in their own religious identity - new atheists and agnostics are sometimes VERY atheist and agnostic in order to prove to themselves and others that they are atheists and agnostics - or is looking for attention. It's generally kind of a dick move to get offended by someone wishing well upon you, even if you don't share their beliefs.

A German friend of mine told me that the actual German tradition is to say "Gesundheit" for the first two sneezes, then a different word that means, "you're sick" for the third. I found that a bit amusing.

"Bless you."
"Bless you."
"Get the **** out of my airspace, germ-factory!"

Can you clarify? I don't understand what you're getting at.

A woman who has a door held open for her by a man who won't hold it open for another man has a legitimate reason to be offended because she's being treated differently based on her gender. Also I know Jews who are offended when a Christian evokes Jesus's name for their benefit. Also, it isn't inappropriate to take exception when someone says, "May you have only sons."

I'm pointing out that language is cultural, not rational. Just as "goodbye" no longer has a religious connotation we still use it because it's a useful and commonly understood word. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, about a cat that objectively necessitates it be called a cat. That's why it's also a gato, a neko, and a lo mein* depending on where you go.

Yes, you're right, there are legitimate, non-crazy reasons for people to be offended by all of these things. I never said people who were offended by "bless you" were insane or irrational. Just that it's, well, kind of a dick thing to get offended over. If I hold a door for a woman - as I tend to - and just give it a little nudge so the man behind her can catch it, then yes, I have treated her differently, and yes, she may get offended over it. If it would make her feel better, I would apologize for being polite to her.

Personally, I think that when someone wishes me well or tries to do right by me, that's more important than the words they choose. I'm not a believer, but if someone says they're going to pray for me, that means a lot to me. I do have a right to be offended by it, yes. Only in the same way I have a right to throw their kindness back in their face. Just because I can do it doesn't mean I should.

* this is funny joke.

My wife has allergies and at times she sneezes A LOT. When we were first together I'd say "bless you" and all that but when someone is sneezing 12 times every 15 minutes it starts to lose its impact. I'm gently moving towards phazing the bless yous out.

From a religious point of view I think its moot. The term is a social one that lost any religious connotation long ago.

I guess the main reason we do it is it's a cultural norm. I don't see any harm in it, since it's rarely more than a second or so out of the day to say "Gesundheit" or "Bless you" to someone when they sneeze.

If the response to a sneeze were some elaborate ceremonial arm-waving thing, I could see why there might be a desire to move away from the norm. But for a quick verbal response, it just seems like the cost of time lost isn't sufficient to justify making a conscious effort to not say anything.

Admittedly, I "gesundheit" pretty much anything (hiccups, coughing, etc.), so maybe I need to tone it down some myself...

Like when I hump a woman's leg soon after meeting her for the first time?

I prefer screaming "Gesundheit" over and over again, but either one is good.