Mr Luken made me think of .....

jd50ae

.....a question that he might have asked.

How many Sirs, Mr(s), Mams, Ms(s) and please, or thank yous have you heard from the young people of today?

jarubla

Very good question

gonna have to think about this one

variant2

jd50ae said:

.....a question that he might have asked.

How many Sirs, Mr(s), Mams, Ms(s) and please, or thank yous have you heard from the young people of today?

Not as many Yos, Heys, sup ****, PuhLeez!, or **** yous.

The3Stogies

Now that you mention it I hear thank you lots more than please.

penn

It is definitely a rarity.  I still use sir or ma'am even with people younger than me.  What's more sad is I had to, in not such nice language, inform a group of young people at the office not to mistake my show of basic respect and kindness as a sign of weakness. 

Bob_Luken

I get more "respect your elders" sirs these days. There's still a core element that show that type of courtesy.

jarubla

My maternal grandmother was a southern lady. She taught me all that at a young age. I still show that courtesy, and feel it is very basic respect, due everyone. 

I had a conversation with my better half about this thread. She reminded me that my eldest follows this rule; gotta work on the younger ones to get them to adhere to it too (they're still a bit on the young side).

-Jay

skydiverD

I make damn sure my kids know to say it. I'm old school in parenting. LOL

its weird now to talk to their teachers when I am now much older than they are. They insist on being called by their first name but I resort back to being a kid whenever I'm talking to a teacher. LOL. A very odd dynamic for me. 

raisindot

Up here in the north (or at least here in flinty suburban New England), most of the kids still say "Thank you" and many say "please." Professionals like doctors and lawyers and contractors still use "Mr." and "Mrs." when talking to me, but most of my sons' friends don't call "Mr." I don't think it's lack of respect; I think they just don't quite know what to call me, since they rarely call me by my first name (unless I know them well). I never heard "Sir" used by anyone other than military personnel and cops.

That's one thing I've always admired about social interactions in the South when I've traveled there. Most young people do call older men "sir"  and "Mr.: and women "ma'am," regardless of the situation and regardless of whether each party knows the other or not.  It can be very disarming at first since we up in the northeast are well known for being rude and lacking social graces. But it really is a very wonderful tradition of respectfulness that I wish would make a comeback up here. 
  

YankeeMan

Since moving from New York State to North Carolina, I hear it all the time from everyone, even young people.  It's much more common here among all ages.

I find myself doing it, regardless of the age of the other person.

SM0K3Y

jd50ae said:

.....a question that he might have asked.

How many Sirs, Mr(s), Mams, Ms(s) and please, or thank yous have you heard from the young people of today?

Come on down to texas, evertime they say it to me i wanna punch em
I AINT OLD DANGIT!!!! ;p

onestrangeone

SM0K3Y said:

jd50ae said:

.....a question that he might have asked.

How many Sirs, Mr(s), Mams, Ms(s) and please, or thank yous have you heard from the young people of today?

Come on down to texas, evertime they say it to me i wanna punch em
I AINT OLD DANGIT!!!! ;p

@smok3y denial is the first sign, acceptance is the answer, Good day, Sir! 

The3Stogies

SM0K3Y said:

jd50ae said:

.....a question that he might have asked.

How many Sirs, Mr(s), Mams, Ms(s) and please, or thank yous have you heard from the young people of today?

Come on down to texas, evertime they say it to me i wanna punch em
I AINT OLD DANGIT!!!! ;p

Not old my friend, mature maybe.  No, that ain't it.

Gray4lines

I always use sir, ma'am, Mr., Ms., or Dr, please and thank you.  It gets awkward with professional degrees, as some professors prefer first names, others prefer Dr.  I am very much in the habit that it's always Dr.  Even my old teachers and bosses whom I'm now more of a colleague   than subordinate.   

First_Warrior

Hel- I'm 68 and still call any mature woman (maybe 35 on up) Mam. Here in the south it's a mark of respect.

Dark_Roast

I was brought up to say please and thank you. I always hold a door open for an incoming or exiting individual whether female or male. And when I was a kid i was expected to say "may I please be excused from the table" after dinner. Alas these  forms of manners have gone by the wayside. I try to teach my kids to be respectable of all but they are impressed upon by their friends and I cannot be everywhere they are. I just hope they realize we all deserve a level of respect for each other and that is what keeps all happy and content.   

raisindot

First_Warrior said:

Hel- I'm 68 and still call any mature woman (maybe 35 on up) Mam. Here in the south it's a mark of respect.

Little secret learned the hard way: Calling a "mature" woman "Ma'am" may be a sign of respect, but calling these women "Miss" totally makes their day. 

SM0K3Y

raisindot said:

First_Warrior said:

Hel- I'm 68 and still call any mature woman (maybe 35 on up) Mam. Here in the south it's a mark of respect.

Little secret learned the hard way: Calling a "mature" woman "Ma'am" may be a sign of respect, but calling these women "Miss" totally makes their day. 

#truth, I go with miss , or if theyre smiling "young lady" nothin wrong with flattering compliments, you get more ants with sugar etc, etc