God Bless You Is Offensive But Not Cutting Off Heads.
If you happen to be in the library at Simmons College in Boston – and somebody sneezes — whatever you do — don’t say “God bless you.”
That’s because the librarians believe that the phrase “God Bless You” can spark something worse than a microagression. They fear it could spark an Islamophobic microaggression.
Which is worst, saying God Bless You or Marrying A child? I’m sure they are mature for 6 and 7.
That’s right, folks – saying “God Bless you” is considered a form of “Islamomisia.”
That bit of information is tucked inside the college’s Anti-Oppression Library Guide – an exhaustive collection of words and phrases that could trigger perpetually offended collegiate snowflakes.
Islamomisia is a fairly new malady that until recently was known as Islamphobia.
“In North America (and throughout much of the western world), people who follow Christianity have institutional power, therefore Islamomisia is a systematized discrimination or antagonism directed against Muslim people due to their religion or perceived religious, national or ethnic identity associated with Islam,” the document states.
It’s not an official college policy, mind you, but — you know the drill.
The librarians — a real sensitive bunch – warn that phrases like “God bless you” and “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Easter” can make Muslims feel slighted.
The resource guide also warned students to be wary of something called “Christian privilege.”
“In the United States and many other Western nations, Christianity and its various denominations and religious practices hold institutional and cultural power,” the guide states. “Christian privilege is the unearned benefit that Christians in the US receive that members of other faiths (or non-religious people) do not.”
For example, if you expect to get a day off on Good Friday or Christmas Eve — you have Christian privilege.
If you can worship freely, without fear of violence of threats, you have Christian privilege.
Clearly, the librarians at Simmons College have plenty of book smarts — but they don’t have the sense the Good Lord gave a goose.
