The use of the term 'sir'

[Javanewt]

Wow, I did not know that the military referred to women as sir. When did this happen? I'm not really into the gender stuff, because I don't care. I know women are at least equal to men. However, with so many women's libbers and people wanting an androgynous word for the generic "he," I'm surprised this happened.

[Johnny Hughes]

In these parts, we say Mam, the same as Sir. Some women object. I have never heard a woman called Sir unless it was an unfortuate accident based on her masculine clothing.
You say, "Yessss, Mammmm" real slow and it has an attitude about it. If you follow it up with some stolen flowers and cinnamon incense, you are half way home.

[synlube]

[ QUOTE ]
Wow, I did not know that the military referred to women as sir. When did this happen? I'm not really into the gender stuff, because I don't care.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, when did this happen? I'm not around many female officers, but I've never heard one called "sir."

[That Foreign Guy]

[ QUOTE ]
I should probably come up with a different way of berating the berators.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have recently started using "Save it for the book, Hellmuth"

And WTF at calling female officers sir. I got three days extras for that at OCS (different army though).

[Fishhead24]

[ QUOTE ]
I am old. I like to be called Sir and think highly of the people who are courteous at the poker table. Young people fresh out of the military have a definate career advantage because they know how things work.

I play live poker in West Texas and there is zero trash talking. That might provoke barking iron and the pungent smell of gunsmoke. There is ribbing or teasing but not after a pot. You do not rib a loser. Just calling someone else fish means you are one.

Fossilman Raymer did a ton for civility and good manners. Our West Texas code is to act with no emotion after a pot whether you win or lose to show you are a man. A man. You are expected to act like a man around a poker game. That would not make for good television but did you young folks ever hear of a poker face??? If you practice having no emotion regardless of the outcome of a hand, it helps you not to have tells. Never, ever let them see you are in pain. Take it like a man. Stand up. Same goes for you women.

You are not supposed to insult the suckers in any way, ever. They bring in the money. They are the customers, the good players are the salesmen. I was playing a cheap 20/40 limit game at Mirage one night. This rich Frenchman with a retinue sat in the game and he did not even know how to play Texas Hold 'em. I had two aces, Hickory Nuts, and he and I raised it back and forth until we each had eight hundred in the pot before the flop. When it is down to two, you can raise all you want. Only he is doing this macho thing, slamming his chips, "I'll raise YOU." I caught on and staring saying, "I'll dare you to raise that." I won it.

The next pot he raises back and forth again against A,K and goes broke again. He's down nearly a thousand in two pots in forty dollar limit. He does it again. Now this silly woman wants to see his hand. She says she was in the pot for forty and she has a right to see what he is doing all this stupid raising on. A floorman is called. She wins the argument and he hops the game. Do not run off the fruit!

It is to your advantage as a poker player to be well-liked by your opponents for a number of reasons. Do you agree???

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I nomintate this post for the TWOPLUSTWO post of the year!!!

[Harv72b]

[ QUOTE ]
I have never heard a woman called Sir unless it was an unfortuate accident based on her masculine clothing.

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The trick in the army was to call them by rank if you weren't sure about gender. In a civilian setting...I dunno, "friend"?

I do think that most times you see "sir" typed in an online game, it's pronounced "cur".

[LadyWrestler]

[ QUOTE ]
I am old. I like to be called Sir and think highly of the people who are courteous at the poker table. Young people fresh out of the military have a definate career advantage because they know how things work.

I play live poker in West Texas and there is zero trash talking. That might provoke barking iron and the pungent smell of gunsmoke. There is ribbing or teasing but not after a pot. You do not rib a loser. Just calling someone else fish means you are one.

Fossilman Raymer did a ton for civility and good manners. Our West Texas code is to act with no emotion after a pot whether you win or lose to show you are a man. A man. You are expected to act like a man around a poker game. That would not make for good television but did you young folks ever hear of a poker face??? If you practice having no emotion regardless of the outcome of a hand, it helps you not to have tells. Never, ever let them see you are in pain. Take it like a man. Stand up. Same goes for you women.

You are not supposed to insult the suckers in any way, ever. They bring in the money. They are the customers, the good players are the salesmen. I was playing a cheap 20/40 limit game at Mirage one night. This rich Frenchman with a retinue sat in the game and he did not even know how to play Texas Hold 'em. I had two aces, Hickory Nuts, and he and I raised it back and forth until we each had eight hundred in the pot before the flop. When it is down to two, you can raise all you want. Only he is doing this macho thing, slamming his chips, "I'll raise YOU." I caught on and staring saying, "I'll dare you to raise that." I won it.

The next pot he raises back and forth again against A,K and goes broke again. He's down nearly a thousand in two pots in forty dollar limit. He does it again. Now this silly woman wants to see his hand. She says she was in the pot for forty and she has a right to see what he is doing all this stupid raising on. A floorman is called. She wins the argument and he hops the game. Do not run off the fruit!

It is to your advantage as a poker player to be well-liked by your opponents for a number of reasons. Do you agree???

[/ QUOTE ]

Good post!!!

I have never used the term "sir" in any way that was meant to be disrespectful, online or off. I guess that means I am now out of touch, sooo...if "sir" is now disrespectful online, what should I replace it with to show respect?

[Headblader]

[ QUOTE ]

I understand your point, but I think it's now standard (and if not, certainly very common) in the military and similar organizations to use "sir" regardless of gender

[/ QUOTE ]

I witnessed somebody do that in the military by mistake because he was nervous. He didn't call her sir ever again ;P

[TankerLTC]

23 years in the Army and I never said "sir" to a female officer, always "ma'am."

To Johnny Hughes "NH, sir"