Well, bless your heart!

"LOL" seems to be the new substitute for the old "Bless your heart." as the universal verbal pacifier. The old saw goes that down here in the south you can tell someone anything as long as you preface or close your comment with "Bless your heart." i.e..
Oh, my God! you’ve put on 40 pounds! Bless your heart.
or
Bless your heart, that is the ugliest baby I have ever seen!
LOL, you type like fourth grader.
or
I bet you’re some kind of hairy palmed, mouth breather, aren’t you? LOL!
I don’t know if this is positive or negative I’m just making the observation.
It just seems as if LOL has become the universal unoffender.
The only derogatory thing I can think of about the practice is that occasionally it takes a little of the "umfff" out of a statement that might other wise be more thought provoking. Besides, I like to offend people once in a while. Being too easily offended tends to show a limited thoughtfulness. Always look for the humor you ignorant dumbass. LOL, I mean bless your heart.