# Woah.. Strange new thought on my respect for Cecil **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 20, 2002, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-strange-new-thought-on-my-respect-for-cecil/109958 "2002-05-20T16:17:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-strange-new-thought-on-my-respect-for-cecil/109958/1 "2002-05-20T16:17:28Z")
I just realized that there are only two people who I’d ever call sir, my boss and Cecil. And the only reason I say sir to my boss is because I need employment. Cecil Adams is the only person who I’d call sir out of respect. ---
**Author:** ![Why\_A\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@Why\_A\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_A_Duck)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-strange-new-thought-on-my-respect-for-cecil/109958/2 "2002-05-20T16:34:46Z")
Where’s that new brown-nosed smilie? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-strange-new-thought-on-my-respect-for-cecil/109958/3 "2002-05-20T16:57:32Z")
What about Lancelot? ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-strange-new-thought-on-my-respect-for-cecil/109958/4 "2002-05-20T17:42:41Z")
Well, at the age of 63 I still use the term on occasion. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-strange-new-thought-on-my-respect-for-cecil/109958/5 "2002-05-20T20:22:42Z")
Oh, yeah? Well, Cecil is the only person I’d let father my children. And I’m a guy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![flyboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4da419/32.png) [@flyboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flyboy)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-strange-new-thought-on-my-respect-for-cecil/109958/6 "2002-05-20T21:51:56Z")
I use “sir” too many times each day to keep track. But then, I also have a lot of people saluting me each day, which is kind of cool. As much as I love Cecil, I don’t think I’d ever call him “sir.” He’s to _cool_ to be a “sir.” ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-strange-new-thought-on-my-respect-for-cecil/109958/7 "2002-05-20T21:58:06Z")
That’s just poor manners, \*\* clayton\_e\*\*. You obviously weren’t raised with Southern Charm. I say “sir” and “ma’am” as well as “thank you” and “please” to the teens working the windows at the drive-thru. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-strange-new-thought-on-my-respect-for-cecil/109958/8 "2002-05-21T03:23:42Z")
Well I do always do things like say “please” and “thank you” to strangers, but the term “sir” in my area (a town in the north) has since died almost completely out of existance. It’s used in VERY formal occasions. I’m a very polite person, I thank anyone who does any small thing for me, but the term “sir” never really seemed to be one that was used often in my area. It’s just if I ever met Cecil (this is obviously a hypothetical situation) it would feel strange not to say “Sir”. I don’t know why, he’s a person I’ve never met, never talked to, never seen and I honestly don’t know if he (although I do believe he does) exists. It just seems like that’s what I’d call him if I ever met him. ---
**Author:** ![raz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@raz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raz)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-strange-new-thought-on-my-respect-for-cecil/109958/9 "2002-05-21T03:38:09Z")
If I hear someone repeatedly called “sir” then I’ll start calling them that too. ---
**Author:** ![kitarak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kitarak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitarak)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-strange-new-thought-on-my-respect-for-cecil/109958/10 "2002-05-21T11:32:06Z")
I don’t like saying sir to people. I used to do it by habit to teachers, but something about using it irks me. It’s not so much implying respect as implying that they are in some way superior to you. Perhaps it’s just me being arrogant, but I don’t like doing that. 🙂 I’m perfectly happy to admit that people may be better than me at specific things (often many things), but superiority is something else… Besides which, I am of course superior to everyone, so there’s no need for me to say sir. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-strange-new-thought-on-my-respect-for-cecil/109958/11 "2002-05-21T14:27:10Z")
> [@](#): > > a town in the north Damn impolite Yankees. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woah-strange-new-thought-on-my-respect-for-cecil/109958/12 "2002-05-21T16:56:58Z")
I’m in the same boat as you, **flyboy**. I have to call people ‘sir’ and ‘ma’am’ every day. But I also get called ‘sir,’ so it evens out. Jman