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As a child, it was pretty much drilled into me that I should respect my elders. It seems as if everytime I try to be polite and formal to strangers by addressing them as Sir, Ma'am, Mister "Jason", or Miss, they prefer not to be addressed that way, but instead their first name. It becomes a habit that's hard to break for me.
If something like this was supposed to sound, polite, formal and professional, why do people prefer not to be addressed that way?
I have noticed that regions where people say "sir" and "ma'am" frequently are also tend to be regions where they say, "please," "thank you," "excuse me," and even...."pardon me, you go on ahead."
Children in the South are brought up to say ma'am to older adults. It's manners. I thought it was wonderful and so polite until I became one of those older adults and now I get ma'am'ed. lol
I have noticed that regions where people say "sir" and "ma'am" frequently are also tend to be regions where they say, "please," "thank you," "excuse me," and even...."pardon me, you go on ahead."
Hmmm, I live in Philly and at my local Wawa, for example, everybody does that. And they hold the door for people every single time, all the time - even, gasp, letting people go ahead.
But they rarely say mam. We could out anecdote each other all day. AFAIC, most people are polite, regardless of where they live or the specific verbiage, on average.
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