Good manners can now get you suspended

I am not a fan of organized religion, and I do not go to church. I am, however, a person who reflexively says "Bless you" when I hear someone sneeze. It's ingrained in me that that is the polite thing to do. I do not specify the blessing comes from a specific deity, and apparently neither did this student when she was suspended for breaking the class rule of saying it after hearing a sneeze.

Student suspended for saying "Bless you" in class

I view the phrase as good manners, not religious blessing. Yes, I know and understand the origins of the saying, but I use it to be polite and so does everyone else I know. I see the fact that it can now be grounds for suspension from school as just one more sign political correctness has hijacked our learning institutes....and I find that to be very sad.

a reply to: halfpint0701

that is just plain weird...since when has being polite turned into a religious stigma....what else do you say to someone when they sneeze ?

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: halfpint0701

that is just plain weird...since when has being polite turned into a religious stigma....what else do you say to someone when they sneeze ?

According to Seinfeld "You're soooo good looking".

I usually say 'Goddess bless you'.

Ok so I'm going to play devil's advocate here. I agree that the term "bless you" shouldn't be banned from being said in a classroom for politeness reasons, but this article CLEARLY says that she did it to create controversy.

This is literally the first paragraph in the article:

A young girl, who claims she was standing up for her religious beliefs in the classroom, was suspended after breaking a class rule of saying “bless you” after a classmate sneezed.

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: halfpint0701

that is just plain weird...since when has being polite turned into a religious stigma....what else do you say to someone when they sneeze ?

Well, we could just say nothing and ignore it - but it's ingrained in most of us as tradition. It seems impolite not to say it and I'm not a religious person. Can't we just have a few traditions left over from the old days?

I'd be willing to bet if it was a non-judeo-christian tradition, whoever suspended the kid would be too busy trembling in their shoes to even think to suspend.

This is the second thread today where I'm saying, "I'm not religious, but...". What on earth has it comes to when the likes of me is defending our religious heritage?

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: halfpint0701

that is just plain weird...since when has being polite turned into a religious stigma....what else do you say to someone when they sneeze ?

To be honest, you don't need to say anything. Sneezing is a natural human reaction to various things. Granted it's loud and disruptive to the people around you. Though it has become natural to just say it for politeness reasons (which I really don't have a problem with).

Its the same with yawning, some people put their hand over their mouth, that goes back to the European middle ages, when people thought the devil was pulling the jaws apart to climb into the persons head! I still see it to-day, and do it myself!

You can be polite like me and say 'Gesundheit'.

Jokes aside, if all she got suspended was just because she said Bless you - I agree, that is too step for such a small offensive, but just like Krazysh0t - I think that this is not whole story. Someone is little attention seeker, if you ask me.

@ BasementWarriorKryptonite - I hope we stay away from our traditions that include slavery, burning people, putting people on cross, crusades, massacre... and many more to mention... Can we keep tradition in books, please?

a reply to: halfpint0701

So...not saying (bless you) is a class rule...which I find ridiculous!

So what happened to freedom of speech...the children can't even be polite anymore...are they supposed to just not talk.

Wishing someone goodness in their life should be encouraged.

a reply to: SuperFrog

Some traditions - not all. I think it might be time we began to realise that if we don't stand up now and say no to this ridiculousness, it will continue until there is nothing left but someone else's traditions.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

fair enough...i went to a very religious English private school.....funnily enough that created more questions than answers as far as religion goes.....but still to this day i will say bless you to people who sneeze...hell i even have my 4 year old saying it...and i am far from religious...unless of course loving nature is a religion...

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Yes, I read the article. The girl claimed she was standing up for her constitutional rights AFTER the teacher told her that phrase belonged in church, not school.

When Dyer County High School senior Kendra Turner said bless you to her classmate, she says her teacher told her that was for church.

“She said that we’re not going to have godly speaking in her class and that’s when I said we have a constitutional right[,” said Turner

Freedom of religion is a constitutional right. If the money that pays your salary can have the word "God" on it, the unambiguous phrase "bless you" can be said in your classroom.

originally posted by: BasementWarriorKryptonite

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: halfpint0701

that is just plain weird...since when has being polite turned into a religious stigma....what else do you say to someone when they sneeze ?

Well, we could just say nothing and ignore it - but it's ingrained in most of us as tradition. It seems impolite not to say it and I'm not a religious person. Can't we just have a few traditions left over from the old days?

I'd be willing to bet if it was a non-judeo-christian tradition, whoever suspended the kid would be too busy trembling in their shoes to even think to suspend.

This is the second thread today where I'm saying, "I'm not religious, but...". What on earth has it comes to when the likes of me is defending our religious heritage?

yeah well we seem to be transitioning into a world where words are weapons...its kinda sad

a reply to: halfpint0701

Well that's fine, but you are still misrepresenting the point in the article. She is doing it for religious freedom purposes (I'd rather say it's a freedom of speech issue, but whatever). She didn't do it for politeness reasons. She did it to challenge the unfair rule.

So should we not challenge unfair rules? Just do as we are told like good little sheeple.

I am quite sure a simple "bless you" in response to a sneeze is in no way disruptive to any reasonable mind. The teacher's over the top reaction, however, most certainly was.

a reply to: eeyipes

Are you responding to me? Because if you are you totally missed my point.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

I agree that it should be a freedom of speech issue. My take on the events is:

1. Student in class sneezes
2. Student across room says bless you. (Whether it was reflex or intentional to challenge the stupid rule, I support btw)
3. Teacher makes stupid comment about phrase belonging in church not school
4. Student defends Constitutional right to use phrase
5. Teacher claims student is disruptive and aggressive
6. Incident becomes freedom of religion issue because that is more sensational than freedom of speech in school

Even knowing about the rule, I would have said it without thinking the next time I heard a sneeze. I also would have challenged the teacher in the same way if they had brought religion into it, which is exactly what appears to have happened. The teacher mentioned church first.

"She told me that we're not going to have godly speaking in her class," Turner said. "I said, 'well my pastor told me it's my constitutional right.'"

In a letter shared with WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News by the Turners, allegedly from her teacher, she calls "bless you" and other expressions distract and interrupts smooth flow."

"Ridiculous," Pastor Becky Winegardner said. "It's just something I really don't think warrants in-school suspension."

Pastor Winegardner is the Turners pastor and a former high school principal. She said other students had come to her concerned about the teacher's rules. She said she told them to do the right thing.

"I am hoping to try and encourage my students to stand-up." Pastor Winegardner said. "To stand up for who they are. But I want to see it done in the proper place. During break time and free time in the classroom."

Is it just possible that she has been used by her pastor?

Source: www.wbbjtv.com...

Yeah, sounds like her pastor is using her to further the new "religious rights" movement. Seems many religious people want "special rights" because they're religious. Businesses with religious owners don't have to obey discrimination laws - and kids who are religious think they should be permitted to say things in school that other kids are not allowed to do.

What if a Satan Worshiper kid wanted to shout across the room, "All Hail Satan"! whenever another kid sneezed?

Schools don't have the same free speech rights that the general public has. If she was disrupting the classroom, a limit is understandable.

Would you all equally support the teacher's right to free speech in the classroom? Could she talk about politics? A non-Christian religion?

a reply to: halfpint0701

That very well may be the case, but that's not how the article presented the situation. Also, Superfrog's post just above mine seems to suggest that this girl was urged by her Pastor to rebel in class against this rule.

How about this line of events?:
1. Person sneezes.
2. Girl says "bless you" loud enough for the teacher to hear on purpose because she knows she isn't allowed to say it.
3. Teacher calls her out and says that that expression isn't allowed.
4. Girl defends her speech by saying its her religious right.
5. Teacher suspends student for being disruptive and confrontational.

Keep in mind we are talking about teenagers here. The age group that THRIVES on being confrontational.