no, why don't YOU have a blessed day.

May 29, 2010 1:54 PM

Why is everyone wishing me a blessed day?

I'm not from the south, but I've lived here a number of years, and this is the first time I've been greeted this way. And it's happened three times in a row. Is this something a televangelist is urging people to do? Is it politically motivated? Or have I happened to have not run into particularly religious people all these years, and the odds are catching up with me? It's giving me the willies. I'm pretty sure this is how Invasion of the Body Snatchers started.

posted by camdan to Religion & Philosophy (36 answers total)

Are you in an Italian/Roman Catholic neighborhood? It is Bona of Pisa's feast day.
posted by griphus at 1:57 PM on May 29, 2010

Are you going to different places than usual?
posted by thebrokedown at 1:58 PM on May 29, 2010

I live in Philadelphia and have been hearing this a lot lately as well, so it's not just a southern thing. I've heard it a bunch as a signoff on people's voice mail greetings, as well as a farewell from cashiers and such.
posted by ludwig_van at 1:58 PM on May 29, 2010

to me, that sounds like a pagan / wiccan thing, but I don't know why that would be coming up today...
posted by mdn at 2:05 PM on May 29, 2010

Response by poster: no italians, just white southerners. and not anywhere too unusual, just the market, a delivery guy, etc. i emphasized the southern part as they tend to be religious, yet this string of greetings is new to me.
posted by camdan at 2:06 PM on May 29, 2010

Best answer: Sounds like a case of the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon to me.
posted by msbutah at 2:09 PM on May 29, 2010 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Der Baader Meinhof Komplex was a freaky movie. i was expecting something more lighthearted, like The Apple Dumpling Gang.
posted by camdan at 2:15 PM on May 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

My bf and I were just remarking on this last week -- we're both suddenly hearing it frequently here in L.A., too (and lord knows we probably have more yoga teachers in this town than evangelical Christians). For example, we were helping our landlord rent out one of the studio apartments on the property behind the main house where we live by posting it on Craigslist and screening applicants. I would guess about half a dozen people signed off their emails or voice mails with "have a blessed day"... but when we were helping rent out the same apt. two years ago, we don't recall anyone saying it.

So yeah, possibly Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, I guess, but also possibly a new-ish meme to make "have a good day" seemingly more meaningful?
posted by scody at 2:17 PM on May 29, 2010

I have wondered about this too. I also live in Philadelphia and I hear this a lot. Even on doctors' voice mail. I'd never heard it before and I've lived in the South and Midwest and Texas. I was raised Catholic and am surrounded by Catholics and none of them says it. I'd guess it's a recent (Protestant) thing rather than a regional thing.
posted by vincele at 2:20 PM on May 29, 2010

Response by poster: i wonder if it's akin to the take-christmas-back campaign, where they insist on saying "merry christmas" rather than "happy holidays"?
posted by camdan at 2:28 PM on May 29, 2010

I live in Brooklyn and heard it for the very first time about 2 years ago from our doorman (I remember, because it was so surprising at the time). He's African American, and in conversations with him I've since found out that he has southern roots.

Since then I've heard it a few more times, always from African Americans or Jamaican Americans.
posted by Evangeline at 2:30 PM on May 29, 2010

I've had a lot of older black ladies saying this to me at the store I work at in Chicago. My impression is that it's not political (at least, not in the same way the whole "happy holidays" thing is), just nice old church-lady-speak

Googling led me to a post from a Protestant blogger who says it seems most common among followers of the prosperity gospel (I've seen at least one of my store customers who says it carrying a prosperity gospel book, too). Perhaps the recent upsurge is related to the economy?
posted by bubukaba at 2:41 PM on May 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

Best answer: It's probably just coincidence.

I'm a native southerner. I've heard people say this occasionally for the last several decades at least. I haven't noticed any up-tick recently.
posted by nangar at 2:45 PM on May 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

I believe that, in many circles, this is a way of identifying oneself as a Christian.
posted by jennyjenny at 2:53 PM on May 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I wouldn't be freaked out. I think it's just their religion-infused way of saying hello. They want good things to happen to you. I don't think it's anything brainwashy, unless you think all religion is brainwashy.
posted by BusyBusyBusy at 2:58 PM on May 29, 2010

I work in a call center, talking to people from all over the US, and I hear this all the time, as a signing-off rather than a greeting. This is, of course, thoroughly unscientific anecdata, but I hear it mainly from older/middle-aged black women, mostly from the south. At my last job, when I only talked to people in the Portland metro area, I didn't hear it once in five years.
posted by maqsarian at 3:04 PM on May 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: i'll take your word for it that it's just common greetings and nothing to wonder about. the recent upsurge led me to believe it was being encouraged. thanks all!
posted by camdan at 3:27 PM on May 29, 2010

I've been hearing it for years. Evangelicals are supposed to evangelize, and I figure that telling people to have a blessed day is an easy way to do that (if they're saying 'blessed be,' now, that would be a Wiccan/Pagan thing).

When I was young and angry, but still interested in politeness, I'd often respond 'Thanks, but I have other plans.' These days, I usually just say thanks, though sometimes I slip and say 'Thanks, you too,' which probably makes the blessed-day person happy but just makes me feel as if I've just wished the cab driver a good flight.
posted by box at 3:40 PM on May 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

I've been hearing it off and on for a while now in the D.C. metropolitan area (lots of transplanted southerners here and Northern Virginia is part of the D.C. metropolitan area), usually being used in place of good-bye at the end of phone conversations or interactions. I've only ever heard it from women, usually middle-aged or older, and often from black women but not exclusively. I've usually taken it as a well meaning attempt to wish me well, in the best way they consider possible. Since they are religious, they imbue their good wishes with a religious tinge ... so they are not just wishing you a good day or a great day, but wishing that you will have a *blessed* day (should be even better than just a good day). I'm not religious so it makes me wince a bit, but I don't let on about that and just say thanks to the nice older lady and move on.
posted by gudrun at 3:40 PM on May 29, 2010

It's Memorial Day weekend; a number of people with Christian leanings use this time to reflect on their spirituality, while pondering the sacrifices of their departed ones. A few will even use the moment to take relief on the experience of simply staying alive, and may be using that to base their greetings and adieus around this time.
posted by Smart Dalek at 3:48 PM on May 29, 2010

I've been hearing people say it a lot recently too. I actually said it myself today to the nice lady at Dress Barn who gave me a discount when I had "forgotten" my coupon - I say shit like that when I think it will be appreciated by the recipient.
posted by radioamy at 5:00 PM on May 29, 2010

People probably preparing for 2012 and/or Rapture. Yesterday, I overheard a couple of men talking about the end of times and how even though things are bad now, just wait until 2012. A while back, at the drug store, a couple were talking about The Rapture, and how they were looking forward to it. I was going to ask them what kind of car they had and if I could have it when they left, but stopped myself. I am sure they would have all told me to have a blessed day. Ugh, we do live in demon haunted times.
posted by fifilaru at 6:59 PM on May 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

Another probably useless data point but I'd never heard it before I moved to DC and I've only heard it used by African Americans.
posted by kaybdc at 8:24 PM on May 29, 2010

I say it at my job. I work the front counter at a florist. I especially say it if I just sold someone funeral flowers, as it's kind of...weird to tell someone to have a good day if someone they love just died. But yes, it's kinda Christianeezy.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 9:01 PM on May 29, 2010

There's a reason they call it the Bible Belt.
posted by spilon at 9:35 PM on May 29, 2010

i've heard it on countless answering machines (worked for a portrait studio confirming appointments/scheduling pickups - few 100 calls a week) - probably an increased amount starting about 6 or 7 years ago, before that it was more god bless you. i think it's a polite way for christians to say it without foisting jesus upon you.
posted by nadawi at 10:30 PM on May 29, 2010

oh and since the anecdotes seem to swing the other way - the areas i've done my phone calling in haven't been the most racially diverse and i would say most if not all of the families have been pasty white and normal southern christian type - although, yeah, mostly women, though sometimes men. they range from tiny congregations to large mega-church types.
posted by nadawi at 10:37 PM on May 29, 2010

This may just be church talk leakage. Are the people who use this phrase also adverse to the verbs "hear" and "tell" and substitute "share" even when it might be inappropriate? E.g. rather than "I told Mary that I had broken my leg" saying "I shared with Mary that I had broken my leg".
posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 11:03 PM on May 29, 2010

It's also used passive/aggressively: "YOU have a blessed day." translates as: 'Hey asshole, I'm rising above you to keep from smacking you upside the head.'

The pronunciation is generally: "Have a blest day."

As an atheist, I always get a bit annoyed when people say this to me, but it's become so ubiquitous that I try not to hear it anymore."

Though I used to respond, "If Odin wills it!"
posted by kidelo at 4:38 AM on May 30, 2010

In NC, I mostly hear it from African-American bus drivers. I figure they talk to so many people every day that they probably have a huge influence on common greetings.
posted by hydropsyche at 4:51 AM on May 30, 2010

Yeah, in North Texas people say this sometimes. Wait 'til you run into, "Angels on your body!"

That's the creepy one.
posted by cmoj at 8:18 AM on May 30, 2010

Whenever my husband is feeling mischievous, he will respond to that with "Thank you, but I have other plans." Usually the person laughs.
posted by GrammarMoses at 10:27 AM on May 30, 2010

Whenever there are democrats in power, the religiosity levels go way up from the right. I just ignore them.
posted by damn dirty ape at 1:01 PM on May 30, 2010

The pronunciation is generally: "Have a blest day."

Here in the mid-west, I usually hear it pronounced "Bless Ed". If I'm at work I usually have to respond with "you too."
If I'm on my own time I might ask "who's Ed?"
posted by ambulocetus at 4:09 PM on May 30, 2010

I heard this for the first time last week. (I'm in the DC area.) It struck me as so strange I went and told the lady in the office next to mine, and she hadn't heard it before (in a secular, workplace environment) either. Maybe it is because of Memorial Day coming up.
posted by wending my way at 9:01 PM on May 30, 2010

I heard this all the time in Texas, mostly from Church of God and other fundamentalist types. Haven't heard it a single time in New York. It's just something they pick up in church. I don't think there's a "it's because X is coming up this week" explanation, just a coincidence.
posted by raygan at 1:09 AM on May 31, 2010