yes sir and no sir

[Alice]

I use sir and mam with people younger and older and as said above... its a respect thing, not status. Yes Sir and Yes Mam can go a long ways... IMO. Alot of people take note of it.

What can be weird for me is I am usually the youngest of the people I work with. As I was raised I call every one Mr or Mrs but alot of the people ask me to just call them by their first name. It never feels quite right, I go back and forth and they always laugh at me.

The Mr./Mrs. thing is something my parents INSISTED on. I'm 57 years old and I still use it. I know how you feel when you say that using someone's first name, other than a friend, doesn't feel quite right. I also was taught to address people by their titles, as in Doctor...be it a med doctor or a PhD. And of course, in court, "Your Honor" is a must.

Alice

 

[Jogeephus]

I also was taught to address people by their titles, as in Doctor...be it a med doctor or a PhD.

Good point. And it is Doctor X and not DOC.

 

[dun]

I also was taught to address people by their titles, as in Doctor...be it a med doctor or a PhD.

Good point. And it is Doctor X and not DOC.

I figure if I know them well enough for them to see me naked then I should be able to call them Doc.

 

[Jogeephus]

I also was taught to address people by their titles, as in Doctor...be it a med doctor or a PhD.

Good point. And it is Doctor X and not DOC.

I figure if I know them well enough for them to see me naked then I should be able to call them Doc.

I would thnk Hun would be more appropriate.

 

[curtis]

I also was taught to address people by their titles, as in Doctor...be it a med doctor or a PhD.

Good point. And it is Doctor X and not DOC.

I figure if I know them well enough for them to see me naked then I should be able to call them Doc.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[cfpinz]

I also was taught to address people by their titles, as in Doctor...be it a med doctor or a PhD.

Good point. And it is Doctor X and not DOC.

I figure if I know them well enough for them to see me naked then I should be able to call them Doc.

Now there's a mental image I could live without.

I'll bet the Doc thinks you're a shar-pei with all them wrinkles!!!

 

[BeefmasterB]

Makes me feel old for the kids to call me sir and mister. If they do it's fine and if they don't it's fine.

The real kicker though is when that good looking 45 year old gal calls you sir or mister :???: :help:

 

[Keren]

I guess this is a country thing because its not at all common here to say yes/no sir/mam

And we also call just about everyone by their first names.

Gotta say though, I kinda like the idea.

I also like it when a guy opens a door for me and waits for me to go through first. Or opens and shuts the car door for me. Not many people around that will do that nowadays , but I just melt if they do

 

[ChrisB]

I guess I would be considered disrespectfull in a lot of parts of the country; but I only say sir or ma'am when I don't know the person's name. Otherwise I call everyone by their name if I know it.

All these years I've been trying to be friendly, and now I find out I've been disrespectfull.

 

[iowahawkeyes]

I guess I would be considered disrespectfull in a lot of parts of the country; but I only say sir or ma'am when I don't know the person's name. Otherwise I call everyone by their name if I know it.

All these years I've been trying to be friendly, and now I find out I've been disrespectfull.

We had this discussion a while back. I agree with you ChrisB. If you notice the posters, most are from the south... Regional differences, manners, food preferences, cattle breed choices, all are affected by where you live.

 

[regolith]

Regional differences, manners, food preferences, cattle breed choices, all are affected by where you live.

Which makes it very, very difficult to relate to those differences...
Where I've lived, people who 'sir' or 'ma'am' are being sarcastic - with a very few genuine individuals who use it as identified in this thread, to convey respect. So you need to be observing the non-verbal communication to know whether you're being respected or dis-respected.
I read this thread initially with a vague sense of horror, realising that my manner-less youth was going to catch up with me if I went a-travelling.

I do get a bit miffed if some-one I don't know addresses me by my first name though. Different if I know they've got it from some-one else who knows me - but very often a teller will read it off the id card or cash card you hand them.

 

[Keren]

a lot of people I dont know, as in checkout chicks and sales assistants, call me sweetheart, darling, honey etc. and it pisses me right off

I guess because I'm 150cm and look like I'm 13 instead of 21 but still ...

I dont like most people I know calling me those names, let alone people I dont know.

And occassionally I've had someone who I know is YOUNGER than me call me those names ...

 

[grand chaser09]

I appreciate young boys and girls saying yes sir and no sir but what age should they stop. I mean they cant go around forever saying yes sir to eveybody.
Always makes me uneasy when I see an older man saying yes sir to a younger man just because the younger man has more money.
Any thoughts?

i always said it and still do and always will just like my daddy and gramps still do. i get mad at other kids when they don't say it and i'm 17. people used to tell me not to say it to them and my answer is still teh same as it was when i was 5... "i have to sir/ma'am. if not my daddy's gonna get onto me."
and it's note really a $$ deal. it's respect. the auctioneer at our fair always answers me with ma'am. he admires how i've stuck with showing through the years and love doing it just as he does.