Bless Your Heart!!

[katerkat]

Is there another Liberty Belle? I didn't post that.

It was in the "essay" you posted.

You TURN on the light, TURN, not CUT!!

 

[Liberty Belle]

It was in the "essay" you posted.

You TURN on the light, TURN, not CUT!!

Oh, oops. I'm tired. The Easter Bunny came early.

That "cut" business bugs me to death. I can tolerate "cut off the light," but "cut on?" It doesn't make sense. I had a co-worker who said it all the time. If I liked her, I might now find it endearing, but she just made it sound even dumber.

 

[netMick]

It's sanctimonious rationalization.

Same as passing a thinly veiled insult with a smilie.

If I want to insult someone, I'll come right out and say it.

 

[Ready to go in Ok]

It's sanctimonious rationalization.

Same as passing a thinly veiled insult with a smilie.

If I want to insult someone, I'll come right out and say it.

Well, bless your heart.

It's just a cultural thing, not a personal attack.

Believe me, if a southerner wants to insult you, no bless your hearts will be tossed around.

 

[Liberty Belle]

It's sanctimonious rationalization.

Same as passing a thinly veiled insult with a smilie.

If I want to insult someone, I'll come right out and say it.

True, sometimes. Sometimes, though, it is heartfelt and meant as a replacement for "that's a lot to handle", "you poor thing," or "oh my goodness" (when told of a difficulty someone is going through).

 

[Ready to go in Ok]

Ok, another thing my DH makes fun of me for is the term "I reckon". I never tell the kids yes. If they want something, or want to do something, I always reply "I reckon".

 

[JadenLayne]

I didn't read the entire thread but my grandmother was the Queen of Bless Your Heart.....or Bless Your Little Heart.....

It can be said sarcastically or in pity or it can truly be meant. I think it takes a real Southerner to know which is being said.

For example, my son gets out of school and is starving, bless his heart, he never gets fed!

Or Miss. Suzie's grandmother is having to have hip surgery again, bless her heart!

Or it was raining and my uncle fell and ruined his new pair of Sunday pants, bless his heart!

 

[Ready to go in Ok]

I didn't read the entire thread but my grandmother was the Queen of Bless Your Heart.....or Bless Your Little Heart.....

It can be said sarcastically or in pity or it can truly be meant. I think it takes a real Southerner to know which is being said.

For example, my son gets out of school and is starving, bless his heart, he never gets fed!

Or Miss. Suzie's grandmother is having to have hip surgery again, bless her heart!

Or it was raining and my uncle fell and ruined his new pair of Sunday pants, bless his heart!

I think you are right JL. It's all in the tone. Which doesn't translate here. Bless their hearts, people who don't use the term can't hear it in their heads when it's typed!

 

[katerkat]

Oh, oops. I'm tired. The Easter Bunny came early.

That "cut" business bugs me to death. I can tolerate "cut off the light," but "cut on?" It doesn't make sense. I had a co-worker who said it all the time. If I liked her, I might now find it endearing, but she just made it sound even dumber.

It's OK, I'm DISing on three glasses of wine.

"Cut" the light - either on or off - drove me insane!! (Though, I guess, up North, we do say "cut the lights" sometimes.) My entire office stopped and stared the one time I said it, and I never heard the end of it. Bless their hearts.

 

[ilovejack02]

It's sanctimonious rationalization.

Same as passing a thinly veiled insult with a smilie.

If I want to insult someone, I'll come right out and say it.

Well aren't you precious!

 

[darlak]

Most true Southerners that I know have very little trouble saying what's on their minds. Perhaps "bless your heart" isn't meant to soften the insult, but to enhance it.

Having said that, I agree that sometimes the phrase isn't meant as an insult at all.

Now if you'll excuse me, it's too dark in here with just the light from my pc, so I really have to get up and "cut on" a light.

 

[JKanownik]

My babysitter, who was like a second mom to me when I was growing up, would always say bless your heart. She never said it in a negative manner. She is the greatest lady! We still keep in touch to this day! I always think of her when I hear that phrase.

 

[phillybeth]

It's sanctimonious rationalization.

Same as passing a thinly veiled insult with a smilie.

If I want to insult someone, I'll come right out and say it.

God love you, well you are just precious, bless your heart!

 

[netMick]

True, sometimes. Sometimes, though, it is heartfelt and meant as a replacement for "that's a lot to handle", "you poor thing," or "oh my goodness" (when told of a difficulty someone is going through).

That's not what the OP was talking about though. Not "Oh, another surgery, bless your heart...", but "It's so sad she has to spend so much money on makeup, bless her heart".

 

[4nana]

Well, bless your heart.

It's just a cultural thing, not a personal attack.

Believe me, if a southerner wants to insult you, no bless your hearts will be tossed around.

AMEN!!!

I'll be the first to admit I use 'Bless your heart' all the time ! Hopefully I've never used it in a negative way and apologize to any who may think so, as it was certainly not my intention.

I can't believe with all going on in the world, we need to think before using what is meant to be a 'caring' phrase....at least in our neck of the woods.

 

[bcvgal]

I didn't read the entire thread but my grandmother was the Queen of Bless Your Heart.....or Bless Your Little Heart.....

It can be said sarcastically or in pity or it can truly be meant. I think it takes a real Southerner to know which is being said.

For example, my son gets out of school and is starving, bless his heart, he never gets fed!

Or Miss. Suzie's grandmother is having to have hip surgery again, bless her heart!

Or it was raining and my uncle fell and ruined his new pair of Sunday pants, bless his heart!

I understood exactly how each of these would sound. True southerner all the way. I also cut on/off everything.

And if you tick me off, noone's getting their hearts blessed.

 

[netMick]

"As long as the heart is sufficiently blessed, the insult can't be all that bad, at least that's what my Great Aunt Tiny (bless her heart, she was anything but tiny...) used to say."

http://www.mtannoyances.com/?p=284

"Southern ladies are too polite to tell you to **** off, so they have instituted code words."

http://badbadivy.blogspot.com/2006/03/awww-bless-your-poor-little-ol-heart.html

"Bless her heart, she can't help being ugly, but she could've stayed home"

http://www.dixiebass.com/dixiebass/bless.htm

 

[cardaway]

"Southern ladies are too polite to tell you to **** off, so they have instituted code words."

Something other than politeness, but otherwise I agree.

 

[JoBird]

As a Southerner, born and raised, I can say with blessed assurance that every Southern girl I know has perfected the art of being what we call "nice-nasty", which may or may not include the phrase "Bless your Heart".

Jo

 

[netMick]

This is going to be my new favorite phrase around here:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18015271&posted=1#post18015271

Jobird, let me know if I did that right.