A lot of TV sons call their dads "sir" which is just weird.
Alexander addressing Worf as "Sir"
- Thread starter Ragitsu
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What's weird about calling the guy who sired you sire/sir? That is literally why the word exists
The we'll just do away with "father", "dad" and all other forms of address for your sire then.What's weird about calling the guy who sired you sire/sir? That is literally why the word exists
What's weird about calling the guy who sired you sire/sir? That is literally why the word exists
And if the meaning and common usage of words didn't change over time you might have a point. But they do. So...
Well said, sire.What's weird about calling the guy who sired you sire/sir? That is literally why the word exists
Since they're still in common contemporary use how so?
Sir is in contemporary use as well, just as much as captain & lieutenant. Lot of people in here lamenting how weird it is though. I'm just not necessarily seeing how it is. I have a coworker in her 60s, who other coworkers & acquaintances & likely some of her own family call Ms. Patricia (In her case it tends to be kind of a low key African-American cultural observance) Elders are shown some level of more formal respect & there's really nothing that weird about it. Some might argue it's a rather civilized behavior.
I'd think calling Worf "Father" sounds more awkward than calling him sir, which I've heard him do too. As I joked in my 1st post, sir is literally what Worf gets called constantly on that ship. Having that practice spill over to his son there doesn't seem too out of place imho
Lord knows Worf isn't the most relatable father for that kid, which is a discussion on its own. It's actually kind of fitting that the kid would tend or be steered toward a more formal term. Worf only ever gets called 3 or 4 things that his kid would ever hear, sir, lieutenant, Mister & Worf, most of which have specific uses that don't apply for him, & it's a fair assumption that Alexander might never hear anybody call their father dad. It's not like he's exposed to a lot of other father/son relationships
I think especially in this case, it's a practical expectation, from a narrative point of view. TNG is also nearly 30 years ago now. It was a lot more prevalent even in our society then
I'd think calling Worf "Father" sounds more awkward than calling him sir, which I've heard him do too. As I joked in my 1st post, sir is literally what Worf gets called constantly on that ship. Having that practice spill over to his son there doesn't seem too out of place imho
Lord knows Worf isn't the most relatable father for that kid, which is a discussion on its own. It's actually kind of fitting that the kid would tend or be steered toward a more formal term. Worf only ever gets called 3 or 4 things that his kid would ever hear, sir, lieutenant, Mister & Worf, most of which have specific uses that don't apply for him, & it's a fair assumption that Alexander might never hear anybody call their father dad. It's not like he's exposed to a lot of other father/son relationships
I think especially in this case, it's a practical expectation, from a narrative point of view. TNG is also nearly 30 years ago now. It was a lot more prevalent even in our society then
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Not just African-American; it's a U.S. Southern custom (probably dying out today) to address an unmarried woman as Miss Firstname (e.g. "Miss Scarlett" O'Hara). But the Southern accent makes "Miss" sound like "Miz" -- or "Ms." (a title that only came into general use in the 1970s).
That's true. It's morphed though, because Ms. Patricia is married... & we all live in upstate New York lol. To be fair, in our area's case, a lot of families like hers aren't far from having been transplants from the south
Because Worf was an emotionally unavailable father who refused to mentor or instruct his son properly and raised a complete fool of a son as DS9 shows. An experience a lot of genxers and millenials could relate to.
What an odd thing to say. First of all, why would you consider Alexanders as shown on Deep Space Nine a “complete fool”? I mean, he obviously was unsure what to do with his life and which path he should follow, but a fool? I didn't find it surprising at all that he was at a point in his life where he tried to live up to his father's expectations. And in the process he seemed to find a place and a purpose for himself. Now why would that make him a “complete fool”?
And secondly, why do you put the emphasis on gen-xers and millennials? Do you think “emotionally unavailable” fathers weren't a problem with earlier or later generations?
Also consider that Alexander was spending his formative years on the Federation flagship, where he would regularly hear people addressing their superiors (male and female) as 'sir.' I remember him using 'Father' more often than 'sir.' But in the South, I regularly hear (especially) sons use sir with their dads. Heck, my own 8 yr old boy got in quite a bit of trouble for something a few weeks ago, and I was cracking up internally because he called me 'sir' the rest of the day, because he knew he had F'ed up. Usually I'm Dad or Daddy.
Sir is an indicator of good manners, respect, and subordination. I realize, in our loosey-goosey culture of equals today, that subordination is looked at askance by some, but I see no issue with children understanding that they occupy a different role from that of their parents. I think it is a positive for children to know their parents are in charge and parents to feel the weight of responsibility for their offspring.
Sir is an indicator of good manners, respect, and subordination. I realize, in our loosey-goosey culture of equals today, that subordination is looked at askance by some, but I see no issue with children understanding that they occupy a different role from that of their parents. I think it is a positive for children to know their parents are in charge and parents to feel the weight of responsibility for their offspring.
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I was referring to children and parents being on much more of an equal footing than they were historically. I should have expressed myself better. I am very much in favor of equality in the sense it is usually understood.
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