toomanyhelicopters wrote:not the fancy decorated Brits or anything (actual knights, who are titled Sir), but just in general, just guys like you and me. like, "yes sir" or "no sir" or "thank you, sir" etc. sometimes maybe it makes some sense, but mostly it doesn't, to me. i am generally not happy when people call me sir. regardless of who it is, like if it's a 16-year-old kid, or a 50-year-old guy, i just plain don't like it.

you?

I don't really like it, but I say NOT CRAP, because I can't think of an alternative polite way to address a guy whose name you don't know. And for whatever reason, "mister" comes off as a little adversarial, or at least impatient. I use "comrade" only for close acquaintances.

Gramsci wrote:This is something I've noticed Americans do a lot. Strange considering the whole revolution and "all men are equal" thing...

I've never heard that used anywhere else but to address a "Sir" as a title in the UK and "sir" as in anyone they feel like in the US, even in a restaurant in London they never call you sir.

I think it fits in extremely well with the "all men are... equal" thing. Everyone who is prepared (or looks prepared) to spend money in even the cheapest retail establishment gets to be called sir, rather than just those who shot down Messerschmitts, or brought in hard currency by selling pop records in the 1960s.

Stop all your crying you pansies!

If I call you "sir" it's a term of general respect... Like: "excuse me sir." or "Sir you dropped something."

If you have a problem with this you are a retard.

I had a run in with a guy in a restaurant whom did not like being called sir. He was a moron.
I said "pardon me sir" as he was in the way.
He got all in my face: "SIR? SIR!? what the fuck? How old do you think I am?"
I was like "what would you like me to say? 'excuse me prick you're in everybody's fucking way.'"

It is a title of respect! "hey you" is for uneducated assholes. "dude" is for morons. Get out of my fucking way!

What the fuck else do I call you? I'm already treating you with more respect than you deserve.

Let us not forget Marcie's constant references to Peppermint Patty as "sir".

Therefore, if someone calls you "sir" and you dislike the term, then pretend that you are a cartoon lesbian.

Salut, Charles Schulz.

Bradley R. Weissenberger wrote:Cartoon lesbians

ugh what a terrible band name

buzzsaw wrote:whining about being called sir is crap.
calling someone sir is just meant as a general title, that's all.
I worked in fine dining for five years, where I practically lived in a formal setting. I got so used to "sir" and "ma'am" that I still cannot drop it today. when people whine about being called "sir" my hand shakes and starts to pump uncontrollably in a jacking-off motion.
its incredible really.
"don't call me sir, dammit, I work for a living."------bullshit.

good thing i'm not whining then, huh?

the funny part is, right now you're whining about people who whine about being called sir. what's your penalty for that?

for the record, i understand the mechanics behind people calling each other sir. i understand that it's about showing respect, or about being polite. i understand these things. and these can be nice things. hollow respect is garbage. hollow respect is utter bullshit. thinking that there's any genuine, meaningful respect in play when you're talking about somebody who doesn't even know your fucking name... that's not real, meaningful respect. that's courtesy. which is a fine thing and all. the point i was trying to make, and the discussion i was looking to spark, was something along the lines of "when people call me 'sir' it annoys me." that's about it. i don't flip out on people cause i'm not an asshole. but the thing is, the entire point of calling someone sir is to show respect and maybe sometimes it's even ass-kissing. and i don't enjoy the false respect, and if it's genuine respect, then they should be calling me something more like "douchebag" or "shitmouth" or something. because that would be a lot cooler than being called "sir".

by calling me sir, you are irritating me. are you calling me sir because you want to irritate me? probably just the opposite. see? i was just curious if anybody else felt the same way.

and if you got so used to using "sir" and "madam" that you can't drop them, that seems to imply that you realize you are using hollow, meaningless platitudes, and you are not able to control your speech, you just keep using bullshit buzzword-type language to kiss people's ass??! WTF?!?!

TheMilford wrote:Stop all your crying you pansies!

If I call you "sir" it's a term of general respect... Like: "excuse me sir." or "Sir you dropped something."

If you have a problem with this you are a retard.

It is a title of respect! "hey you" is for uneducated assholes. "dude" is for morons. Get out of my fucking way!

What the fuck else do I call you? I'm already treating you with more respect than you deserve.

please don't ever call me sir. thanks, dude.

that was a long post, sir.
are you the meter that determines how much respect someone means when calling you sir?
am I being hollow in calling you sir, sir?
the point is you wanted to find out if it irks anyone else to be called sir. you unknowingly struck a nerve with the other side, which get irked by people's offense to being called sir.
my response was defending the other position. if that is whining, sir, then I am the biggest.
I like you, TMH, but you gotta understand mine.

toomanyhelicopters wrote:

TheMilford wrote:Stop all your crying you pansies!

If I call you "sir" it's a term of general respect... Like: "excuse me sir." or "Sir you dropped something."

If you have a problem with this you are a retard.

It is a title of respect! "hey you" is for uneducated assholes. "dude" is for morons. Get out of my fucking way!

What the fuck else do I call you? I'm already treating you with more respect than you deserve.

please don't ever call me sir. thanks, dude.

No problem Chief.

I think the reason I've never been called sir is because in England the word "mate" can be substituted in most cases.

I dunno if you have an American equivalent. Maybe "dude" or "buddy" but they don't seem like words that everyone would choose to use.

'Boss' is worse. 'Hey Boss'. Hey what? Fuck you. I ain't your boss. What do you take me for, the plantation owner? Is that how you see me? I don't think you do, really, do you. So fuck off with the 'hey boss'.

'Hey boss, you got 20p'? No I fucking haven't. Of course, what I really say is, 'No, sorry man'. Man! What am I, some kind of white rasta? Using one set of wrongness to cancel out another. It's not right is it.

I don't know what point I'm trying to make, by the way. But still, 'Hey Boss'. Fucking hell. Fuck off.