'Have a Blessed Day' versus 'Hope You Get Lucky Tonight'

[sojourner]

I believe whispering to yourself in the dark exists. Just won't put much stock in it. It's like when I was given a lottery ticket for my birthday, I didn't bother scratching.

See, you don't believe spiritual exercises really exist. Why do you choose to be so affronted by them? Don't you have better things to spend your energy on?

 

[Riverwolf]

From the Online Etymology Dictionary:

bless (v.)
Old English bletsian, bledsian, Northumbrian bloedsian "to consecrate, make holy, give thanks," from Proto-Germanic *blodison "hallow with blood, mark with blood," from *blotham "blood" (see blood (n.)).

Originally a blood sprinkling on pagan altars. This word was chosen in Old English bibles to translate Latin benedicere and Greek eulogein, both of which have a ground sense of "to speak well of, to praise," but were used in Scripture to translate Hebrew brk "to bend (the knee), worship, praise, invoke blessings." Meaning shifted in late Old English toward "pronounce or make happy," by resemblance to unrelated bliss. No cognates in other languages.

And suddenly "have a blessed day" brings up the image of blood-rain.

 

[sojourner]

Don't get me wrong when someone owns their sacred beliefs, I can be as solemn as can be. When they are expressed as if they should mean something to me, I get positively lukewarm about it.

Insecure, aren't you? Just accept it as a gift and get on with your life. This mock-George Carlin stuff is rather puerile, don't you think?

 

[Uberpod]

Why? Why should you expect to be acknowledged for who you are, when you'e obviously dissing who she is by your prejudice of the impetus and meaning of her speech patterns? It's a double-standard.

Yes there is a double standard and this thread is an attempt to correct it. I can politely ask this girl what she means, and if she mentions a deity's influence in my life, will you concede me some ground?

 

[sojourner]

It's a ridiculous position to be put in - yes. I was not saying what you think I was saying. Just recounting some past experiences, not forming my credo.

You were celebrating Thanksgiving. It's a holiday of obviously Christian origin. Why were you celebrating on such a day, if you're an atheist for whom giving thanks to God should make you "positively lukewarm." I'm surprised that, as an atheist with such touching sensibilities, you aren't on a soapbox about violation of the separation clause when it comes to the government sanctioning a religious celebration as a national holiday.

 

[Uberpod]

Insecure, aren't you? Just accept it as a gift and get on with your life. This mock-George Carlin stuff is rather puerile, don't you think?

Yes - I am so insecure, I actually expect people to approach me fairly, and I expect them to honor my boundaries. I'm a hot mess.

 

[sojourner]

Yes there is a double standard and this thread is an attempt to correct it. I can politely ask this girl what she means, and if she mentions a deity's influence in my life, will you concede me some ground?

No. She's not attacking you; she's wishing you well in her own way. Grow up, accept it as a gift, and appreciate her for thinking of you. People tell me God bless you all the time. People of other cultures have invoked their religious blessings on me, as well. There's enough ugliness in this world. A blessing is a good thing. Don't make it ugly.

 

[Uberpod]

You were celebrating Thanksgiving. It's a holiday of obviously Christian origin. Why were you celebrating on such a day, if you're an atheist for whom giving thanks to God should make you "positively lukewarm." I'm surprised that, as an atheist with such touching sensibilities, you aren't on a soapbox about violation of the separation clause when it comes to the government sanctioning a religious celebration as a national holiday.

Holidays are what people make of them. It was Turkey Day. I can have people over eat it if I want. Christmas is a holiday of Pagan origin. Traditions are borrowed all the time, dude. Why you coming at me?

 

[sojourner]

Yes - I am so insecure, I actually expect people to approach me fairly, and I expect them to honor my boundaries. I'm a hot mess.

Then establish your boundaries honestly, for Pete's sake, if it means that much to you. But you have to weigh the priorities. Are your boundaries really more important than the friendship? Sometimes building fences distances good neighbors.

 

[Riverwolf]

You were celebrating Thanksgiving. It's a holiday of obviously Christian origin.

It also has its origins in the incredibly dark, tragic history of the interactions between Europeans and Native Americans. Why celebrate that?

It's a family holiday. A holiday's meaning is what's celebrated by the ones keeping it. Its "origins" don't mean a whole lot.

 

[sojourner]

Holidays are what people make of them. It was Turkey Day. I can have people over eat it if I want. Christmas is a holiday of Pagan origin. Traditions are borrowed all the time, dude. Why you coming at me?

Because you're not being honest or reasonable. You're willing to celebrate a religious holiday, making excuses for it, but you're unwilling to accept a kindness from an acquaintance, or make the same kind of allowances for her? Get real!

 

[devshift]

I think it's really dumb that you got offended by it. You're actively looking for a way to be offended and could have just ignored it, you sound extremely uptight. You sound just as ridiculous as the tumblr drama queens who need a trigger warning for everything because lamps trigger horrible emotional scars for them.

If you take a very common compliment as an insult, then that's your problem. We need political correctness to a degree but this is just dumb.

Maybe have a blessed day conjurs up a lot of hateful things to a gay atheist. Why not just keep it neutral when dealing with an unknown person??

..and there is the equivalent of the trigger warnings argument. Guess we all should be mind readers.

 

[Uberpod]

No. She's not attacking you; she's wishing you well in her own way. Grow up, accept it as a gift, and appreciate her for thinking of you. People tell me God bless you all the time. People of other cultures have invoked their religious blessings on me, as well. There's enough ugliness in this world. A blessing is a good thing. Don't make it ugly.

In the market place people can do a better job of knowing boundaries and domain. I am suggesting that the our culture grow up to better handle multicultural differences fairly.

 

[sojourner]

I just don't like it. While it may seem funny, while even some people may react with a chuckle, there will inevitably be a time when that is going to really hurt someone. Why? To refer to sexual relations is quite personal (unlike wishing a person have a good day no matter the phrasing used) and you have no idea what that person may have gone through. It would be just great to wish a lady "get lucky tonight" shortly after she's been raped wouldn't it? Or just broke up with their spouse of 15 years? Or found out they have a medical condition? There are too numerous issues out there that making a specific comment about essentially "getting laid" is just really not appropriate.

Again, wishing someone a "blessed day" is really just wishing them well in general. To see it otherwise is to look to be offended.

But none of that matters, because it's all about him. It's his sensibilities that matter here.

 

[sojourner]

Maybe have a blessed day conjurs up a lot of hateful things to a gay atheist. Why not just keep it neutral when dealing with an unknown person??

OK. Now we're getting somewhere. This is a fair statement to make. Something in your past makes this statement get under your saddle. If that's the case, then simply tell the waitress, "Thanks for the thought, but just so you know, I prefer 'Have a nice day' for personal reasons, please." I'd bet money she'd never say "blessed" to you again.

Again: be honest.

 

[Uberpod]

Because you're not being honest or reasonable.

I am being superlatively honest and reasonable !!

You're willing to celebrate a religious holiday,

You know well that both Thanksgiving and Xmas have a secular graft on each holiday! You are reaching.

making excuses for it,

reasonable explanations.

but you're unwilling to accept a kindness from an acquaintance,

Acquaintances know my boundaries. If there good intentions blatantly ignore what I value, the kindness is diminished.

or make the same kind of allowances for her?

The waitress? Maybe. Maybe she is due a benefit of the doubt.

 

[sojourner]

In the market place people can do a better job of knowing boundaries and domain. I am suggesting that the our culture grow up to better handle multicultural differences fairly.

That also includes forgiveness of a faux pas.

 

[sojourner]

Acquaintances know my boundaries.

Only if you tell them.

 

[Uberpod]

OK. Now we're getting somewhere. This is a fair statement to make. Something in your past makes this statement get under your saddle. If that's the case, then simply tell the waitress, "Thanks for the thought, but just so you know, I prefer 'Have a nice day' for personal reasons, please." I'd bet money she'd never say "blessed" to you again.

Again: be honest.

I told her I am not Xtian already but maybe she has not connected the dots. I do like your spin here.

 

[sojourner]

You may not realize that there are people here who openly say they would not do business with a known homosexual, and some who support the recriminalization of homosexuality as well as some who want to see the death penalty enacted. Another larger subset deny me marriage rights. Blessed day, my eye

There are also a lot of people who don't do or want those things. The "whole straight, Christian world" isn't "anti-you." I know lots and lots of LGBTQ Christians, and lots of straight Christians who fight for LGBTQ rights All. The. Time.