NT usage of the word "Sir" [urban Midwestern USA]

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in the military, use of the word "sir" is restricted to that of an enlisted man or lower-ranking officer addressing a higher-ranking officer. not the other way around. if you make the mistake of calling your platoon sergeant "sir" you will get an earful including the phrase, "i work for a [expletive] living, SIR!"

I was raised in the deep South and as soon as a child was able to speak, they were taught to say ma'am and sir. I may have trouble socializing, but manners were definitely trained into me and I know how to use them. I've taught my children to do the same and they can learn good manners as toddlers.

I really have not hit it much in this country. There seems to be a movement to avoid it, even when i asm cearly much older than the next guy. I would not mind it, wouldd have preferred it to having first year students in the first week of classes address me by the short form of my first name.

When I tried to use it as a more comfortable way of addrsssing my father, he got really upset. No idea why.

I think "Sir" is more of a southern thing

This is strange.

'Sir' one of the few 'social' things that I actually DO understand and DO use on occasion EVEN though I am neither a US citizen nor living in America.

As someone in my late forties, I often refer to my (few) friends' fathers as 'sir', out of respect.

I have some rather less formal salutations to 'friends' closer to my age, but that is probably better left to a thread in the 'adult' forum.

Willard's post earlier reminds me of the difficulty I have with being called Mr. Anderson (name changed for anonymity )

It reminds me of one of Gene Hackman's lines (I think it was in 'Mississippi Burning')

'Call me Rupert, my father was Mr. Anderson'........

and so it is with me.

My father isn't with us any more, but he will always be Mr. Anderson and I'll always be Rupert (well until I have grandchildren anyway )

As far as I can tell, there isn't anything wrong with the usage. A lot of people refer to males as "sir", and it's appropriate usage in that sense if they don't know your name. I mean, unless you are wearing a huge nametag or something, then I don't see what is so strange about it.

"Sir" is a lot shorter than yelling "hey-you there, in the blue shirt, black jeans, and white shoes", lol.

I just say "excuse me" and if they don't hear me, I tap on their shoulders. Sure, it might be annoying, but in a room full of people who I don't know, it's the safest way for me to go it seems, to make sure I'm addressing the correct person.

They use "sir" in jokes, casually, even to friends they know. It's like saying "man", or "dude" for some.

Also, the demands could just be plain annoyance. Like, if you go into a nice place and just plop yourself down in any old chair, leaning it back, or not caring that it's really close to someone else's chair, and there is CLEARLY enough room for you to move it, people ARE going to get annoyed, because it is plain disrespectful. Just like you might get upset if someone walked into your house and rearranged all of your things.

So I really don't consider that being polite (calling someone "sir"), then turning around and being mean.... because we just have not been given any details to these situations to confirm that.

"Sir" is simply a term of respect-just another word that doesn't really need a mood or attitude following it, it's a formality. Now what boggles me.... is why they still insist on using the word "the" no matter their mood..... (yes, that was supposed to be a joke)

I think there's also a generational component to the usage of "sir" and "ma'am" in everyday language. There was a time in the US not too long ago when most males would have been expected to join or already be part of the military, and "sir" and "ma'am" were common, everyday terms in language. This element of US culture would have carried through the Revolutionary War, Civil War, WWI, WWII, the Korean War, and to some extent the Vietnam War. However, it wasn't until the 60s that there was anything like a major cultural revolution when young people rejected the customs of their elders and created a "new" culture (e.g., "dude"). So its probably far more acceptable to older people to use terms like "sir" and "ma'am" in everday usage. Just guessing