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morriss00... morriss00...
 
February 19, 2009 07:33 PM

What? You are only thirty and someone called you "Sir?"

Are you about thirty? Did some polite, about twenty year old, recently call you sir or ma'am? How did you feel about it? Or do you older guys still remember when some young'un called you sir or ma'am.
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tracebooks tracebooks
 
 February 20, 2009 02:22 AM
Yes, I remember the first time I got "ma'am"ed instead of "miss"ed. I was about 23, and I was offended. I thought it meant someone my mom's age, not mine! I wondered if there was grey hair where I couldn't see it or something.

Now I'm thrilled when someone calls me "miss".

I've trained my kids to "sir" and "ma'am" people. I have good friends in the South, where it's simply the culture, and people who don't are secretly considered very rude--secret because it's very rude to mention it, of course. So if you're living in Atlanta and you're from elsewhere and no one's ever mentioned it, well...The only thing is I haven't trained my kids to know when to use "miss" vs. "ma'am". That is a firecracker issue.
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morriss003 morriss003
 
February 20, 2009 04:11 AM
I always enjoy your answers and comments tracebooks. Thank you very much.

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bbrookin bbrookin
 
February 19, 2009 07:53 PM
I remember it used to bother people when I started work at 14 and reflexively called people "sir". It was a habit I'd gotten into and was more a recognition of business atmosphere than respect for age.
As I got older, it bugged people less. Maybe there was less of an implied "You're a hundred times older than me, aren't you?" when delivered by a person closer to the addressee's age. Now I intentionally use "sir", usually to reinforce that the situation is business and perhaps the person should begin conducting himself appropriately.
Odd thing is, I rarely ever used "ma'am" for women. Again, less a problem with with respect for age than being raised largely in an area where "madam" meant something other than a respectful title for a woman. It's still jarring when someone uses the term on me, whether young or old, with the exception of butlers and tailors.

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cochese cochese
 
February 20, 2009 04:39 AM
I have indeed been called sir before. Being prior military, I tend to respond with, "Don't call me sir, I work for a living!" but it doesn't particularly offend me, especially since I now live in the South where it's pretty customary.

When I go out now, I hear it with such frequency that sometimes I don't even notice anymore. I think it's the beard. You can't come off looking young with a full beard.

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morriss003 morriss003
 
February 20, 2009 08:05 AM
Thanks for answering.

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