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PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   30571 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of September 22, 2025

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Never heard this. If someone I worked for told me "yes sir" I'd wonder what kind of mind games they were playing and how quickly I was about to be fired. Regional difference, maybe? Class?

At my white collar office, "yes sir"/"thanks sir" has become so overused I wouldn't be surprised if women are saying it to each other.

It's like a weird intersection of young people imitating "business speak" combined with frat dude culture combined with some actual respect, but taken to pantomime levels.

At my white collar office, "yes sir"/"thanks sir" has become so overused I wouldn't be surprised if women are saying it to each other.

Some kids occasionally say "yes sir" to me, I can't tell if they're joking or not. I keep trying to get them to use "ma'am," but they just seem confused, like they've never heard it before.

I pretty regularly use sir/ma’am with strangers, especially in commercial/business settings as a middle class American in the Midwest.

Sir and maam are the default for a formal, professional interaction. I'd rather keep the cops on that level. My boss calls me sir all the time- it's just a mark of professional respect.

Again I think there is a huge of difference between just calling someone "sir", and the specific phrase "yes sir". One is polite, the latter is subservient.

I could tell you "yes sir" in a way that's subservient, or exaggerated to absurdity, or contemptuous, purely based on tone.

I don't agree with this. If calling someone "sir" is not subservient, then saying "yes sir" is not subservient. It's simply giving an affirmative answer while showing respect.

My boss answers the phone with 'yes sir' to show he's paying attention and treating the interaction professionally.

I'm guessing you're a yankee, assuming you're American.

I'll say 'Yes sir' and 'Yes ma'am' to the janitor and maid, or anyone similar. It's basic politeness. So I'd say this is a definite regional thing.

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