Man, I gotta stop using “¡Man!”.
I’m at a retiree trailer park right now and all I get is sideways look when I use this affectation. “Dude” is right out of the question.
Ask me about the end times bible study, here. :smack:
Maybe the retirees would prefer “old-timer.”
Maybe “Bub” would work.
My vote goes to ‘Fella’!
Call 'em all Hank. And call their husbands Billy Bob.
Call them “My China!” and make a “safe” sign while you do so - guaranteed coolness!!
Grim
Once when my mom called, I think my husband was expecting someone else when he answered the phone, because he said “Yo, man!”
I think mom thought it was pretty cool, after she got over the initial surprise.
‘Sweetie-pie’ and ‘honeybun’ are right out, then?
Call them Pops, or oldsters. They love that.
Once when I was shopping, I crossed paths with this very suave, debonair, elderly black gentlemen.
“Hey, fine lady” he said.
“Hey, Papa Smooth”, I said.
He laughed and went on his way.
How about “Bill,” or “Billy,” or “Mac,” or “Buddy?”
I always call people man. “take it easy” …“yeah, you too man.”
I’ve dabbled in calling people dude or brother or bro but never “yo” And one day it’'ll come around to being fashionable again and I’ll already be there man.
I worked at a public service desk for a hundred years. I called everyone between 6 and 106 “Sir” or “Ma’m”. Still do.
Me, too. I have Southern Mother Syndrome…not using Sir or Ma’am results in an involuntary, Pavlovian cringe, awaiting the (now imagined) onslaught that was sure to come.
Come to South Africa, you’ll fit right in. Everybody calls everybody else “man”. Even my mother-in-law says “man” to me. Guess it’s our equivalent of “mate”.
I’m firmly in the “sir” and “ma’am” camp here.
I don’t usually use forms of address like that. I worked at a summer camp for many years, and the kids liked it when I referred to them as “Man”, like “Hey, Man, hows it goin’?”, made them feel grown up. Anyone older than myself will not be referred to that way. I usually use their name. In a few cases, I’ve addressed a boss as “Boss”. One boss I addressed as “Sir”, and followed this with a snappy salute. That was done out of sarcasm.
I thought only my beast of a mother denied the childhood whacks! “OH! I never did that to you boys!” It’ll come back on her someday, just you wait.
As for “Hey, Man!” now I’ve got that kink David Bowie’s Suffragette City buzzing in my noggin!
Nah, I meant an onslaught of dirty looks, with maybe a “no son of mine…” or a “I didn’t raise you to be some rude yankee” thrown in for good measure. Since I’m all grown up and living in yankee-occupied N. Va, I only imagine the oncoming onslaught anymore. I haven’t managed to call someone “Youse” yet…
Well. Imagine my embarassment. 
Dude, I’ve got some bad news for ya’ll…