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I was born near the KY/TN border in 1980 and was not raised to say it nor was I ever chided by any adults for not saying it. One shows respect by one's actions, not by some hollow pleasantry tacked onto the end of a sentence and said out of habit. Just my 2 cents.
Besides Florida, I haven't been to the south-are kids down there still taught to say it, or is it becoming less and less common? What areas is it the most common in?
I was born near the KY/TN border in 1980 and was not raised to say it nor was I ever chided by any adults for not saying it. One shows respect by one's actions, not by some hollow pleasantry tacked onto the end of a sentence and said out of habit. Just my 2 cents.
yeah, no adult ever got on to me for not saying it either. I always associated it with strict parents. I picked it up eventually and now I say it, but I know plenty of people who never say it. And I agree that it doesn't automatically make a person more respectful. It's a cultural thing.
yeah, no adult ever got on to me for not saying it either. I always associated it with strict parents. I picked it up eventually and now I say it, but I know plenty of people who never say it. And I agree that it doesn't automatically make a person more respectful. It's a cultural thing.
No adult ever got onto me for saying it but my parents taught me to say it. When I was a kid we went to Nashville when the amusement park was open there during an event about NASCAR and my parents actually got complimented when I used "sir". This would have been in the mid 90's. Not sure if it is more expected in Southeast Missouri or not but I never had that happen anywhere else really.
No adult ever got onto me for saying it but my parents taught me to say it. When I was a kid we went to Nashville when the amusement park was open there during an event about NASCAR and my parents actually got complimented when I used "sir". This would have been in the mid 90's. Not sure if it is more expected in Southeast Missouri or not but I never had that happen anywhere else really.
It probably has to do with rural vs urban. In urban areas in the South it's not as common or expected because there are a lot of transplants. I grew up near a military base and many of the kids weren't from the South, so they didn't say it. Yeah, you'd expect military kids to say it, but they usually didn't. I always associated it with strict, very Christian families
I was raised/taught early to use such terms when addressing adults, especially with strangers...along with "please" and "thank you" and "you're welcome."
In fact, so ingrained is the habit, that I still naturally do it today, especially with older folks.
And I taught my own children (now grown with kids of their own), to do the same. And for my son -- when he was just a little boy -- to shake a man's hand firmly, and look in him in the eye, and say something like "nice to meet you, sir". And my daughter to say the same, sans the actual handshake.
*shrug* Some might call it "outdated" or "stuffy"...but lots of us in Texas/South just consider it "Good Manners"
I was raised/taught early to use such terms when addressing adults, especially with strangers...along with "please" and "thank you" and "you're welcome."
In fact, so ingrained is the habit, that I still naturally do it today, especially with older folks.
And I taught my own children (now grown with kids of their own), to do the same. And for my son -- when he was just a little boy -- to shake a man's hand firmly, and look in him in the eye, and say something like "nice to meet you, sir". And my daughter to say the same, sans the actual handshake.
*shrug* Some might call it "outdated" or "stuffy"...but lots of us in Texas/South just consider it "Good Manners"
I was raised to use ma'am/sir, to say "please" and "thank you" and to hold doors open for people, and to always respect my elders.
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