This thread has me laughing at work. Depending on the person & context I would say being called “buddy” could be a slight dig at the person.
I have stuck to the tried & true classic “man” - it has stood the test of time moreso than “dude”. I’ve got an annoying co-worker who does call me “buddy” but in the annoying donkey like braying tone “Haaaaaay buddaaaayyy” type of opening. Annoying as hell. I’ve taken to calling him back “budday” & I think he’s caught on & just shut up.
The other coo-worker (South African) uses “bro” in almost every sentence. Had to squash that as well.
Sorry to break the chain of quotes above. Carry on, good sirs.
As I said, I tend to refer to people as sir, or ma’am. If it’s a teenaged kid, I don’t use any title, really. I’ll give a greeting or acknowledgement, and remain respectful. Now, with a small child, I’ll relax a bit more. I’ll call a boy “lil guy” until I learn his name, and for girls, I’ll use another term of endearment.
I don’t hear ma’am very often around here but when I was doing some phone support a some years back there were a lot of military guys, often with southern accents that always called me ma’am. It made me giggle like a schoolgirl. I always responded with sir. I loved working with those guys. So polite and friendly always.
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Up here in the NYC area, some women offended by ma’am. One complained that she’s not a ma’am because she’s not that old. She was probably early 30’s. I have a friend to that doesn’t like sir because it makes him feel old. He’s like 35.
I call most guys “man” and buddy. Indians around here loving using “boss”. Not sure where they picked it up, but pretty much all of them use that. I don’t mind when they say it; anyone else, and I give them a 2nd look to see if they’re fucking with me.
I call people ‘chief’ all the time, I don’t mean it in a condescending manner, that said, when I was doing basic training (a lifetime ago), I knocked a guy’s teeth out for calling me ‘sunshine’, I think it was just the stress of the situation, but I felt at the time he was ‘shining me on’.
Afterwards I was known as the ‘Battlefield Dentist’, which although I pretended otherwise, I quite liked! ha ha
I like calling people bub. Picked it up from reading X-Men comics in my youth (Wolverine). If it’s a tall guy (and I mean really tall because I’m 6-2 myself) then I might call him high pockets. I think I picked that up from The Avengers.
If it’s a girl whose name I’m not sure of, I call her shawty. I picked that up from hip hop. If it’s guy and bub or high pockets doesn’t seem to fit, I might call him playa. (I’ve learned a lot from hip hop LOL.)
All of this can work if you say it with a smirk and the right tone of voice. Without that, you might get some valuable practice for your fight skills, but that’s OK too.
[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:
I know a guy who uses the word “partner” when addressing a stranger, salesperson, or waiter.
Whenever I hear him say it, I always think, “WTF?.. did I somehow suddenly end up in the Old West?”[/quote]
The Jamaicans in NYC used to use this all the time. But it sounded cool the way they said it. They’re pronounce it Pahd-nah.
[quote]Beast27195 wrote:
I must really come from a different generation or something. Whatever happened to “sir” or “ma’am”? If I don’t know someone, then I address them as sir or ma’am until names are exchanged and such. I’ve never used the term “buddy” when addressing someone. Just seems wrong to me. Now, if you are conducting yourself in a rude manner, then I’ll use a more appropriate term. Just sayin…[/quote]
So if you’re paying for some gas and the cashier is a 16 year old kid, whose name you don’t know, you’re going to say, “thank you sir” ? I doubt it…those are the cases I’m most likely to use the term buddy.[/quote]
As I said, I tend to refer to people as sir, or ma’am. If it’s a teenaged kid, I don’t use any title, really. I’ll give a greeting or acknowledgement, and remain respectful. Now, with a small child, I’ll relax a bit more. I’ll call a boy “lil guy” until I learn his name, and for girls, I’ll use another term of endearment. [/quote]
I don’t hear ma’am very often around here but when I was doing some phone support a some years back there were a lot of military guys, often with southern accents that always called me ma’am. It made me giggle like a schoolgirl. I always responded with sir. I loved working with those guys. So polite and friendly always.
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No southern accent here. I’ve always said sir or ma’am. Well, to clarify, I learned to say it from my great aunt when I was 6. You tend to remember the lesson taught when you have to pick out your own switch off of a tree for the first time!! Ever since then, it stuck. It was only reinforced as I grew older. [/quote]
This…where I live anyone more than a few year older than you it’s sir or ma’am…and for most women I use ma’am regardless of age. I’m hard headed so it took a few more times than the first switch, but yes the lesson sticks.(no pun)