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"Have a blessed day."
Found this sort of funny, as working in retail I've been at the end of this farewell on more occasions than I can count, and it always makes me squint a bit. The comment at the end made me think racerguy is reading these articles as well, though I don't really disagree with it overall, just the tone made me lol some. 
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Have A Fill-In-The-Blank Day: I live in the South and frequently people end a business conversation with “Have a blessed day.” This really irks me because it assumes everyone is a Christian, because these folks who do this are usually Evangelicals.
Is there any reply I can make to them that is civilized but indicates that I resent their assuming that I am just like them? Hey, how about, “May reason guide your day.” Ideas?
—Thanks, But I’d Rather Have A Real Day
Dear Real,
Just curious: Do they pronounce blessed as one syllable or two?
Actually, as someone occasionally on the receiving end of these blessings up north from people who think I’m Jewish, I suspect they may not be assuming you’re Christian—they just wish you well, which to them entails being blessed (which I suppose does require that you accept Jesus one of these blessed days).
At Disney, everyone tells you to have a magical day. If you ask extremely Orthodox Jews how they are, they’ll nod and say, “Thank G-d” a couple times, which strikes me as a non-sequitur (and since these are people who won’t spell that word out, I figure I should write it the way they would). Once when I was leaving an airplane, one of the attendants was not doing the usual “buh-bye” but was smiling and saying “sh-t” to each departing passenger. When I asked her if she was having a bad day, she was stunned that I’d noticed what she was saying, as no one else had. Automatic greetings tend to lose meaning and just become white noise. Most of us say goodbye without a second thought, even though it’s a contraction of “God be with you.” (I can spell it out now.)
How to respond to those wishing you a blessed day falls into the same category as what to say when someone sneezes or wishes you a merry Christmas. No matter how clever your response is, it tends to feel forced and self-conscious. And when someone is absent-mindedly or intentionally wishing you well the best they know how, it’s overkill to lob back a kill shot. So if it’s someone just being kind and friendly, I suggest graciously accepting the thought that counts. (But it’s ok to wince.)
If, however, you want to communicate that we don’t all consider blessings a pleasant pleasantry, you could try out some alternatives. They could be as benign as replying “Have a good day” or as subversive as “Have a damned good day” (damned is usually one syllable, but you could make it two to match bless-ed). Please aim for humor and fun, not the jugular. No need to make enemies just to make a point.
Readers, please chime in with your favorite comebacks in the Comments section.
Comment:
It is an ousting technique designed to find out who is or is not with them so they can act appropriately. It is also rude, inappropriate, discriminatory and an unnecessary addition. There is no polite way of addressing it. It is a forced confrontation and should be treated as one. They need to realize how rude an insulting it is beyond their circle of friends. It is not acceptable public behavior any more than responding with “go toss some salad” would be.
You could say:
1. Please don’t assault me with your beliefs.
2. I’m sorry you have been brainwashed. There is help available for that.
3. That will not be happening.
4. You should look right into their eyes and say “I want you to know there is no entity to do this blessing and you should look into that “. “It’s not too late to get help for your schizophrenia”.
5. For Christmas respond with a hearty “Hail Satan” and throw some horns and say “do you see how rude that is? “
Experiencing an ethical dilemma? Need advice from a humanist perspective?
Send your questions to The Ethical Dilemma at dilemma@thehumanist.com (subject line: Ethical Dilemma).
All inquiries are kept confidential.
Have A Fill-In-The-Blank Day: I live in the South and frequently people end a business conversation with “Have a blessed day.” This really irks me because it assumes everyone is a Christian, because these folks who do this are usually Evangelicals.
Is there any reply I can make to them that is civilized but indicates that I resent their assuming that I am just like them? Hey, how about, “May reason guide your day.” Ideas?
—Thanks, But I’d Rather Have A Real Day
Dear Real,
Just curious: Do they pronounce blessed as one syllable or two?
Actually, as someone occasionally on the receiving end of these blessings up north from people who think I’m Jewish, I suspect they may not be assuming you’re Christian—they just wish you well, which to them entails being blessed (which I suppose does require that you accept Jesus one of these blessed days).
At Disney, everyone tells you to have a magical day. If you ask extremely Orthodox Jews how they are, they’ll nod and say, “Thank G-d” a couple times, which strikes me as a non-sequitur (and since these are people who won’t spell that word out, I figure I should write it the way they would). Once when I was leaving an airplane, one of the attendants was not doing the usual “buh-bye” but was smiling and saying “sh-t” to each departing passenger. When I asked her if she was having a bad day, she was stunned that I’d noticed what she was saying, as no one else had. Automatic greetings tend to lose meaning and just become white noise. Most of us say goodbye without a second thought, even though it’s a contraction of “God be with you.” (I can spell it out now.)
How to respond to those wishing you a blessed day falls into the same category as what to say when someone sneezes or wishes you a merry Christmas. No matter how clever your response is, it tends to feel forced and self-conscious. And when someone is absent-mindedly or intentionally wishing you well the best they know how, it’s overkill to lob back a kill shot. So if it’s someone just being kind and friendly, I suggest graciously accepting the thought that counts. (But it’s ok to wince.)
If, however, you want to communicate that we don’t all consider blessings a pleasant pleasantry, you could try out some alternatives. They could be as benign as replying “Have a good day” or as subversive as “Have a damned good day” (damned is usually one syllable, but you could make it two to match bless-ed). Please aim for humor and fun, not the jugular. No need to make enemies just to make a point.
Readers, please chime in with your favorite comebacks in the Comments section.
Comment:
It is an ousting technique designed to find out who is or is not with them so they can act appropriately. It is also rude, inappropriate, discriminatory and an unnecessary addition. There is no polite way of addressing it. It is a forced confrontation and should be treated as one. They need to realize how rude an insulting it is beyond their circle of friends. It is not acceptable public behavior any more than responding with “go toss some salad” would be.
You could say:
1. Please don’t assault me with your beliefs.
2. I’m sorry you have been brainwashed. There is help available for that.
3. That will not be happening.
4. You should look right into their eyes and say “I want you to know there is no entity to do this blessing and you should look into that “. “It’s not too late to get help for your schizophrenia”.
5. For Christmas respond with a hearty “Hail Satan” and throw some horns and say “do you see how rude that is? “
Comment