I have a cousin who has a knighthood and he hates it when I call him ‘sir,’ so I do it to annoy him. He’s a physicist. (He was much more honored by winning an Ig Nobel Prize.)
To be fair, I would be too. He told me the queen asked him what he was there for and when he tried to explain it in brief, she just looked confused and moved on.
I’ve lived in the southern US a good portion of my life, where a lot of parents go by “sir” and “ma’am” and you are expected to call others in public as “sir” and “ma’am” respectively. So, while I see what you’re saying, the father in this case may agree unironically.
There are two types of people I call “Sir”: People I respect, and people I detest. I know the difference. I care not whether the detestable can figure out which category they occupy. That they false believe they have my respect serves me more than their belief I hold them in contempt.
Make it a point to call everyone “sir”. Cashiers, Waiters, people providing you with services, pets, inanimate objects, digital assistants…
Most importantly: your friends.
When an honorific is used for everyone, it ceases to be an honorific.
I have a cousin who has a knighthood and he hates it when I call him ‘sir,’ so I do it to annoy him. He’s a physicist. (He was much more honored by winning an Ig Nobel Prize.)
To be fair, I would be too. He told me the queen asked him what he was there for and when he tried to explain it in brief, she just looked confused and moved on.
I’ve lived in the southern US a good portion of my life, where a lot of parents go by “sir” and “ma’am” and you are expected to call others in public as “sir” and “ma’am” respectively. So, while I see what you’re saying, the father in this case may agree unironically.
There are two types of people I call “Sir”: People I respect, and people I detest. I know the difference. I care not whether the detestable can figure out which category they occupy. That they false believe they have my respect serves me more than their belief I hold them in contempt.