[lit-ideas] Re: Possible reason why
- From: John McCreery <mccreery@xxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2004 14:24:18 +0900
On 2004/09/15, at 13:50, Eric Yost wrote:
>
> Sir, ma'am, guest, and customer are distancing terms.
Could we stop for a moment and distinguish between terms of address
(e.g., "Sir" and "Ma'am") and descriptions (e.g., "guest" and
"customer")?
* The latter become relevant only in advertising/marketing statements,
e.g., "We treat our customers as our guests."
Could we also consider the type of store or other establishment in
question?
*To me at least, hearing "Sir" at a bespoke tailor or luxury car
dealership or "Ma'am" in an upscale department store would seem
perfectly natural and part of the intended experience. "Hey, dude" or
"How ya doin' lady" would seem entirely out of place. Switch the scene
to a funky surf shop, disco club or casual bar, the language would
change accordingly.
John
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