You’re sitting on the bus, train, subway, airplane, etc., you have your headphones in and music blasting. Then you sneeze. Unbeknownst to you, some kind stranger says, “bless you,” which you proceed to inadvertently ignore. Was that rude of you?

James: I find myself in this predicament relatively often. I am admittedly the person who originated the premise of the question, so it’s difficult for me to take a hardline stance on the issue. There is definitely a creeping feeling of guilt whenever I consider the notion of (unknowingly) allowing someone’s blessing of me to go unthanked. Something about it just feels off – like manners sacrilege. But then again, how could I know? I can’t hear anything when I’m in my Spotify zone.

Jesse:  Probably both yes and no.  From your perspective, it definitely is not rude because how could you possibly know?  That being said, not saying “thank you” would likely be labelled as rude by most of society and you would be viewed as one of these.  The answer is solely based on perspective, but most likely everyone besides you thinks you are a “rude boy.”

Sandeep: If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? That’s really what’s at stake here. This isn’t about being rude or not, this question goes far deeper into metaphysical theory, which I’m positive is what James was getting at. And to be honest, I’m not sure. What is the point of existence if another intelligent creature does not perceive that existence? Anyway, whoever was saying “bless you” should’ve seen that you had headphones in and said it really loud. It’s their problem.

– Team Blend