Exactly this. Fear is very, very effective.

The GOP were spewing the same rubbish in 1960, when Kennedy was running for president. ‘A Catholic could never be president cause he’d take his orders from the Pope.’

Yes, I would like it explained to the whole communities (many of which are POC communities)in which these kind of honorifics are extremely important.

I agree with the bit on gendered honorifics, but I like the idea of honorifics in general, maybe because I’ve been submersed in Japanese/Korean culture for so long. It makes it really clear really quickly what your relationship is with someone...like if you don’t use honorifics, it means you’re very close to that…

Thank you. I hoped someone was going to make that point.

Yes. This. Also, historically, for centuries no one called any black people by any honorifics at all. Racist whites called our grandparents “boy” or “gal” no matter how old they were or how educated or how respected within our own community. So it’s a big deal to call someone “Mr. or Ms. So-and-s0,” and I was ALWAYS…

I’m curious why that one trait would make you write them off completely?

I think it’s mostly a cultural thing. I grew up with a traditional Black parent and my grandparents were from Oklahoma where you used honorifics to be respectful. My mother always told me to call my friend’s parents by their last names plus the honorific and thus, even though I’m 29, I still say Mrs./Mr. Lastname when…

that's what I did as a kid :D

100%.

That makes me think of like.... kindergarten teachers lol.

Ok, this made me laugh hard. Possibly because a friend told me I was being “a real fucking Adolf Loos” last week while shopping for office supplies.

See, this is why the “everyone is an auntie or uncle” convention works. You don’t run into that problem as you get older :)

I’m 27 and I hear you. It’s stupid but we gay guys are as youth obsessed (maybe more so) than straight guys. I know on some level it’s kinda sick but...

The very first time someone younger calls me “sir” or “mister” I’m going to go home and cry for three days.

Interesting. During my middle-school years in the late 80s, boys and girls all had to do BOTH home ec and shop. But then, it was also Maryland.

perfume? WUT?

Suburban Utah, too. I had to do the same. They ended up with a “gotcha”, though. I was the only kid in school who didn’t have a class called “released time”, where they all crossed the parking lot to go to Mormon Seminary. They put me in sewing class, anyway.

This cat is my best friend