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Archive through January 25, 2010

Reality TVClubHouse Discussions: General Discussions ARCHIVES: January 2010 ~ April 2010: Free Expressions: The return of The Return of the Gripe Thread: Archive through January 25, 2010 users admin

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Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Friday, January 22, 2010 - 8:08 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
pamy, bless her heart, has the best sense of humor! now that's a compliment....
i could have said 'pamy, bless her heart, certainly has an interesting sense of humor."
or if you want to be noncommittal...."bless pamy's heart and her sense of humor"

Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Friday, January 22, 2010 - 8:11 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
Well, bless your heart, thanks for the fashion advice, and don't you look cute today in those boy's workman pants! I should try that look, or do you think it's too young for me? Hahahahaha!!

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Friday, January 22, 2010 - 8:14 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
but you can't forget the most important meaning..."Bless your heart" as a form of empathy. It's like giving someone a great, big hug. When a friend starts complaining about her rotten boss, her no count husband, and how the kids are driving her crazy, just shake your head and look her in the eye and give her a heartfelt "bless your heart." It's our way of saying "Honey, I'm so sorry. I know just how you feel, and I'm glad that today it's you and not me."

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Friday, January 22, 2010 - 8:19 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
this is a pretty funny "bless your heart" essay i read a long time ago.....

Bless your heart

Someone once noted that a Southerner can get away with the most awful kind of insult just as long as it's prefaced with the words , "Bless her heart" or "Bless his heart." As in, "Bless his heart, if they put his brain on the head of a pin, it'd roll around like a BB on a six lane highway."

Or, "Bless her heart, she's so bucktoothed, she could eat an apple through a picket fence."

There are also the sneakier ones that I remember from tongue clucking types of my childhood: "You know, it's amazing that even though she had that baby 7 months after they got married, bless her heart, it weighed 10 pounds!"

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

I was thinking about this the other day when a friend was telling me about her new Northern friend who was upset because her toddler is just beginning to talk and he has a Southern accent. My friend, who is very kind and, bless her heart, cannot do a thing about those thighs of hers, was justifiably miffed about this. After all, this woman had CHOSEN to move to the South a couple of years ago. "Can you believe it?" said my friend. "A child of mine is going to be taaaallllkkin liiiike thiiiissss."

Now, don't get me wrong. Some of my dearest friends are from the North, bless their hearts. I welcome their perspective, their friendships and their recipes for authentic Northern Italian food. I've even gotten past their endless complaints that you can't find good bread down here.

The ones who really gore my ox are the native Southerners who have begun to act almost embarrassed about their speech. It's as if they want to bury it in the "Hee Haw" cornfield. We've already lost too much.

I was raised to swanee, not swear, but you hardly ever hear anyone say that anymore, I swanee you don't. And I've caught myself thinking twice before saying something is "right much," "right close" or "right good" because non-natives think this is right funny indeed.

I have a friend from Bawston who thinks it's hilarious when I say I've got to "carry" my daughter to the doctor or "cut off" the light. She also gets a giggle every time I am fixin to do somethin.

My personal favorite was uttered by my aunt who said, "Bless her heart, she can't help being ugly, but she could've stayed home."

To those of you who're still a little embarrassed by your Southernness: take two tent revivals and a dose of redeye gravy and call me in the morning. Bless your heart! And to those of you who are still having a hard time understanding all this Southern stuff, bless your hearts, I hear they are fixin to have classes on Southernese as a second language!

Pamy
Member

01-02-2002

Saturday, January 23, 2010 - 11:22 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Pamy a private message Print Post    
LOL Annie

my fav

My personal favorite was uttered by my aunt who said, "Bless her heart, she can't help being ugly, but she could've stayed home."

LMAO!!!!

Lexie_girl
Member

07-30-2004

Saturday, January 23, 2010 - 12:07 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Lexie_girl a private message Print Post    
LOLOLOL Pamy!!!

(... and yummy to the red eye gravy)

Happymom
Member

01-20-2003

Saturday, January 23, 2010 - 4:56 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Happymom a private message Print Post    
lol!

This is going to have me really wondering what they mean whenever I hear "bless her heart" now.

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Saturday, January 23, 2010 - 5:52 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
aw...bless your heart, happy, have we made you paranoid?

Yesitsme
Member

08-24-2004

Saturday, January 23, 2010 - 6:08 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Yesitsme a private message Print Post    
You guys crack me up!!!!

"Bless you heart" covers almost any situation. That's why it is great. Christy, you are exactly right. That's what it means often!

Around these parts, if anyone says anything mean about someone else, we almost always say "Bless their heart!" (and if you don't, someone will remind you.) It's almost like you are saying "I know I shouldn't be talking about people, but..." Justifying the wrong, I guess!

But since like Texannie says it also can be used for kindness and empathy, it does get tricky. It's all in context...and the underlying feelings of the speaker (which are not always what you think they are from their surface demeaner.)

My best friend used to say "I swanee" all the time. It always made me laugh.

And while I consider myself a proud Southerner, I don't like red eye gravy. Or grits.

Mameblanche
Member

08-24-2002

Saturday, January 23, 2010 - 6:49 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mameblanche a private message Print Post    
I've always liked the phrase 'bless her heart' or 'bless your heart' and mean it strictly to emphasize fondness. I had no clue that it could be misconstrued as a putdown and will now try to be more careful about using it. If I forget and use it here again, and I know I have in the past, it's always meant kindly and with great affection!

As for the leggings, I live in them, the way most folks live in bluejeans. I find jeans just too heavy, stiff and uncomfortable and rarely wear them. I intend to wear leggings til the end of time, thank you very much. (And I'm 54 now.) Leggings are just too comfy for me to worry if my old, fat arse and thighs aren't 'supposed' to be in them and I'm creating a fashion faux-pas! (Although I always do wear them with nice long tops to cover the worst of the jiggly bits where the cellulite has made itself at home.)


Tishala
Member

08-01-2000

Saturday, January 23, 2010 - 7:35 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tishala a private message Print Post    
What does I swanee mean? I've never heard that.

Mameblanche
Member

08-24-2002

Saturday, January 23, 2010 - 7:39 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mameblanche a private message Print Post    
Tish, this curious Canadian would also like to know the answer to that. :-)

Serate
Member

08-21-2001

Saturday, January 23, 2010 - 7:44 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Serate a private message Print Post    
What does I swanee mean? I've never heard that.

My gramma used to say it. When she used it, the meaning was "I'll be darned" or something like that.

Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Saturday, January 23, 2010 - 8:02 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
Not to worry, MB. I am pretty sure Canadians can say bless your heart until the cows come home, and it will only mean a generic blessing. Just know that if you go to the southern USA, and somebody smiles and says it to YOU, you should probably go short-sheet their bed. Or worse.

Naja
Member

06-28-2003

Saturday, January 23, 2010 - 8:17 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Naja a private message Print Post    
You guys are funny. I mostly remember "Bless her heart" being used by Kate Gosselin before she would insult her SIL. Like when her SIL would babysit and everything didn't go exactly the way Kate wanted it to, Kate would start off her complaining with "Bless her heart, but... -insert complaint here-."

Happymom
Member

01-20-2003

Saturday, January 23, 2010 - 8:49 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Happymom a private message Print Post    
"aw...bless your heart, happy, have we made you paranoid?"

Now more than ever! :-)

Mameblanche
Member

08-24-2002

Saturday, January 23, 2010 - 9:01 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mameblanche a private message Print Post    
Just know that if you go to the southern USA, and somebody smiles and says it to YOU, you should probably go short-sheet their bed. Or worse.

That's hilarious Jooj, AND duly noted!!!

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Sunday, January 24, 2010 - 6:40 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
tish, mame bless your heart for not knowing...i don't use it or hear it very often, but it's instead of cussing. my grandmother always said "hell's bells" (she was very progressive! LOL)

Maplsyrp
Member

02-10-2009

Monday, January 25, 2010 - 12:04 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Maplsyrp a private message Print Post    
I usually use bless your heart before I'm about to insult someone. Hubs says when he hears me say that he knows something sarcastic is going to follow. I dug around in my closet this weekend and found all kind of outfits to wear with leggings. Bless her heart, she might rue the day she said I was told old for leggings!!!! (insert my nerdy laugh here)

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Monday, January 25, 2010 - 12:48 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
It's also good for when you truly don't know what to say. I now work as a receptionist for an alcohol and substance abuse center. i hear alot of amazing stories and bless your heart is about all i can say..

LOL maplsyrp!

Sia
Member

03-10-2002

Monday, January 25, 2010 - 2:45 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Sia a private message Print Post    
My late great-aunt was born and raised in the South, and she said "Bless your heart" a lot. She also asked me to cut out the lights when I left the room. How I miss my Aunt Mag. She was a true southern belle, and I loved her. My favorite story was about what my great-uncle said to her the first time she asked him to carry her to town.

My uncle was, btw, a Yankee!! Oh, no, make that a Damned Yankee. They told me that a Yankee is a visiting northerner, while a Damned Yankee is a northerner who came for a visit and refused to go home!

Mameblanche
Member

08-24-2002

Monday, January 25, 2010 - 4:03 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mameblanche a private message Print Post    
LMAO! Sia, do tell, what DID your great-uncle reply to your great-aunt? I'll bet it was a doozy. :-)

Twiggyish
Member

08-14-2000

Monday, January 25, 2010 - 5:25 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Twiggyish a private message Print Post    
We always said, "Bless your heart"..just the way Texannie says it.. "Well Bless their heart they can't help but live in that old shack, but they do drive a nice caddy....LOL

Texasdeb
Member

05-23-2003

Monday, January 25, 2010 - 6:32 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texasdeb a private message Print Post    
to me "bless his/her heart" implies sympathy

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Monday, January 25, 2010 - 7:42 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
"Bless her heart" does indeed indicate a small to large insult is coming....