Professor Bans College Students From Saying 'Bless You' In Class

We heard about a high school student suspended for doing this last week:

Good manners can now get you suspended

Now, one college professor has banned students from saying it in class. Well, maybe not banned... but students will want to think twice before saying it, given the potential consequences:

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (CBS Atlanta) – One professor at the College of Coastal Georgia has banned students from saying “bless you” in his class.

Campus Reform reports that Dr. Leon Gardner, assistant professor of chemistry at the College of Coastal Georgia, pointed out his six rules on behavior on his Introductory Physics class syllabus.

According to the #6 under the “Behavioral Deduction” section of the syllabus, students’ grades will be lowered for: “Saying ‘bless you.’ We are taught that it is polite to say ‘bless you’ when someone sneezes. However, if you say this while I am talking, it is NOT polite, it is very rude!”

Gardener states that a student may be deducted up to 15 percent of their final grade for any student that disrupts his class. He goes on to say in the syllabus that saying “bless you” may result in an immediate 1 percent grade deduction for each occurrence.

Professor Bans College Students From Saying 'Bless You' In Class

It seems the professor is attempting to frame the almost unconscious, culturally-ingrained verbal response to another's sneeze as an interruption of his lecture. How dare you.

Does anyone really believe that nonsense? Or is the guy just going rabid when he hears anything with a religious connotation? He's going so far as to turn your B- into a D for saying 'bless you'... something almost everyone instinctively does as a cultural (not necessarily religious) habit.

Does this sound rational to you? I know nothing of this professor, but it seems that he's riding the publicity coattails of the earlier story (for one thing) to "stick it to those idiot theists". Because that's what they do.

Jab and twist. Mock. Repeat.

He wants students to not be polite and explains it as being polite to him. So which is it? Am I teaching my son to be a rude little snotrag in which case he will neither say "Bless you" nor respect someone else who is talking and say and do what he wants when he wants. Or he will be polite and say "Bless you" and show respect to someone who is talking.

This man cannot have it both ways.

Of course, as I am paying for this professor's time ... if he knocks my son's grade for something this petty, he can generally expect to hear from me.

That won't last long he will either be let go or have to change the syllabus... I've seen a lot of stupid things on syllabuses that aren't enforced

a reply to: ketsuko

How old is your son? Is he in college?

And I personally think it's rude to be told what I can and can't say. A lot of college professors seem to think they're gods. There's a lot of cool professors but many of them are simply out to shape students not into intelligent individuals but as whatever they see.

Too many times I've personally witnessed professors call students out over beliefs and ideas. For instance, one teacher literally shamed a student in front of the class because they claimed global warming didn't exist.

Now schools are indoctrination factories, using a set group of ideas and beliefs and forcing all who attend to adhere to them. If not, shame them. Worse than internet trolls in that aspect.

S + F I was waiting for someone to post this. As of this post, I only see two comments and already I'm intrigued.

a reply to: NthOther

Wow, how insecure do you have to be to punish people for using two meaningless words? Ugh I hate PC idiots!

I wonder if he punishes the sneezers for saying thank you as well.

a reply to: Yeahkeepwatchingme

I actually had a professor (teaching "Sociology of Mass Communication", no less), offer extra credit to anyone who purchased a subscription to the New York Times.

Yeah. Arizona State, go figure.

I may have leapt straight to the New Atheism angle prematurely in the OP. Some professors are so full of themselves they think they should be able to command all aspects of the classroom at all times, including what and how people think. That's just straight ego, not social agenda.

Although. I still have a nagging suspicion he's just a rabid positivist enforcing his worldview in the only little world he can (barely) control.

Its his class, he can make whatever rules he wants. If people don't like it they can move to different class.

I had an English teacher in junior high that banned the word "things". He felt it was lazy to use the word and encouraged using a more specific word instead.

At the end of the day, the grades this professor gives out, in his class, are at his discretion. Nobody is getting suspended, just a minor dock in their grade for disobeying a rule established by the professor.

Being a religious phrase does not give it a free pass anymore than any other phrase. Not giving religious people special rights is not oppression and never will be.

All I can say is thank god. Wish I was in his class. I can't stand it when people bless me for sneezing. I don't receive the sacrament when I fart in public. If I burp it's considered rude even though to me it means "that was a good meal." Why is this one unstoppable bodily function blessed? Because people used to think you were expelling demons when you sneezed. That's witchcraft and it has no business in civilized society. Here here and good riddance I say.

From the bit quoted above, it sounds like he really doesn't want anyone to say a WORD while he is speaking. I don't think it has to do with any religious connotation to the phrase "bless you", it is just being used as an example that he has zero tolerance for anyone talking while he talks.

He sounds like a real winner. Dude, you are teaching a freshman science class at a no-name college (no offense intended, but let's be honest... this isn't Harvard or MIT, it's the College of Coastal Georgia - which was a 2-year college up until 3 years ago.) Sad little power trip to witness, and I can imagine (hope?) he is embarrassed this is making national news and getting scrutiny.

I just hope this doesn't get twisted and turned into some cheesy Christian movie about the evil professor that didn't allow students to acknowledge a higher power even in the most innocent way. (I saw God is Not Dead... I know the level of cheese and hyperbole my people are capable of when it comes to these things.)

Every sneeze from that man should be greeted with an exhalted "kiss my ass"...

Ahchoo!!

Aspens this time of year... ahchoo!

Bless you.... and kiss my ass

Sorry for the language, mods... Allergies...

This makes me want to take a trip to Georgia just to sit in on his class. I would bless him and his class all day.

a reply to: NthOther

Highschool can be bad too. At the time I didn't focus on it because I didn't care but I had a teacher who openly pushed liberal propaganda in the classroom. Giant posters of Al Franken, talking endlessly about Bush, filming inside Wal-Mart. etc. Now I just think he was a total tool, if it weren't for the fact that he actually ignores people who think differently I'd at least be friends and try to ignore the politics.

Keeping people aware of things I understand but at least try to be bipartisan instead of pushing a personal agenda. My sister is was a GA TA, substitute specializing in medical sociology and art history but since she works as a sub now I always tell her try to stay away from politics unless you have to. If you can't at least present the info in a non judgmental way and let them make their own decisions, but it's not up to me lol. All the best OP I like it so far.

I agree VegHead but what are all colleges but factories teaching approved knowledge in approved formats to mold the masses?

originally posted by: xDeadcowx

Its his class, he can make whatever rules he wants. If people don't like it they can move to different class.

I wish some of you would apply that same train of thought to other branches of commerce as well. (You know like pretty much all wedding vendors) If so I might be inclined to agree with you here.

Listen to the folks assuming it has something to do with religion. I'm sure he's not letting gesundheit! go either or any of these other responses to sneezes given the explanation. Even if that's not the case:

1. It's college, not compulsory public education.
2. There's nothing in Christian doctrine that requires one to say "bless you" as a response to a sneeze.

Any excuse for some people to feel persecuted!

a reply to: theantediluvian

To many it has religious ties, it can't be denied. If he truly is doing it out of spite or total disagreement then I'd like to see a professor ban all talk and references to atheism or Buddhism, or any other faith and automatically people will be in an outrage. It goes both ways. It hurts people no matter what. You may disagree and I respect that but his decisions affect other people for various reasons. His POV matters as much as theirs though.

originally posted by: ZeroReady

Why is this one unstoppable bodily function blessed? Because people used to think you were expelling demons when you sneezed.

My science teacher taught us that your heart stops briefly when you sneeze and that's why people say "bless you". I've never really looked into it though, I always just thought I was practicing good manners. I guess that's a bad thing nowadays.

I saw a few students in college who were incredibly childish and they were often reprimanded, and I have seen a few child like prof's also. A lot of them are smart in their chosen field of study. but incredibly sub human in their social development. Usually this is because they have nothing governing their behavioral attitude because they have no philosophical upbringing, and they have never been able to rise above that, so they are stunted in the social development department.

Also, they seem to be making up for being neglected in their formative years, so they feel the need to make up crap like this to bitch and moan about.

originally posted by: theantediluvian

Any excuse for some people to feel persecuted!

It's not about persecution, or anything so grandiose.

It's just stupid.

If this guy can't keep his train of thought amid casual, hushed common courtesies--in other words, he has to be an asshole to maintain his version of "proper decorum"--then he probably shouldn't be a teacher.

Which is why I don't think that's the driving force behind this (his power trip). Don't you think the timing of this is a little convenient from a publicity standpoint?

How does us that inform us as to the motivation here?