People Are Addressing Me by "Mr. Steve"

fmdog44

fmdog44

Well-known Member
Location
Houston, Texas
Steve is my first name. When I make contact for the first time in person or on the phone in the past year or so they take my full name then immediately call me Mr. Steve. I don't get it and it happens everywhere I go. Is this happening to anyone else lately?
 

No. Isn't it an old southern thing?

Now I think about it, even in the south, a man was always addressed by his surname. You'd hear young ladies being called Miss Lulabelle or whatever, but a man was always Mr. Jones (or whatever).
 

fmdog44 said:
Steve is my first name. When I make contact for the first time in person or on the phone in the past year or so they take my full name then immediately call me Mr. Steve. I don't get it and it happens everywhere I go. Is this happening to anyone else lately?
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Yes, I have noticed an increase in it.

In the South (parts I am familiar with anyway) it has always been common practice. Particularly for kids addressing adults or talking to one's boss or superior. It was informal, you only called people you or your family knew well by Mr. or Mrs. first name. More formally we used last names. In Louisiana the Cajuns had lots of nicknames, I can remember a Mr. Shorty and a Mr. Fatty.
 
It is a southern thing. I have been called Miss Terry forever and my sister is Miss Darlene. We are used to it as we have been called it all our lives. We do the same thing when I visit her and we run into old friends in the little shops we visit.
 
fmdog44 said:
Steve is my first name. When I make contact for the first time in person or on the phone in the past year or so they take my full name then immediately call me Mr. Steve. I don't get it and it happens everywhere I go. Is this happening to anyone else lately?
Click to expand...
 
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It just happened again! This time from my medical specialists office but she didn't call me Steve she called me Mr. Steven. I think it is code from alien invaders.
 
Still think its mostly Southern because when I visit friends in the North I never get it. I don't hear it that often here in Houston but you go to a small town where you grew up and its every where. My sister and I are used to it down there. We go to the post office and its"Miss Darlene you have a package from your brother today" to "Miss Darlene, Is that Miss Terry with you"? "Have not seen her here in years". This is from a post office in a small community of 600 people. Everybody knows your business.
 
My reply is not quite on point but here it goes ...

When I was barely in my 20s I started what turned out to be (if I may say so) a rather successfully amateur sports coaching career in recreational level baseball and softball (including slow pitch). When I started coaching the kids, their parents, and some opposing coaches addressed me by my surname using the term "Mr". In fact, I was so respected that even some of the umpires called me "Sir".

Today, I notice that kids address their coaches by their first name. What? Their first name?? Yeech. Coach are to be respected and, to me as an old schooler, should be addressed exactly as school teachers are. He should be addressed as Mr _____________ . Not by first name or nickname or whatever.

This past Summer I watched as some distracted kid sat on the dugout bench playing a video game rather than watching the ballgame. This would have been unimaginable back in the 60s and 70s. When the coach saw that he yelled out real loudly. Kid never repeated that mistake for the rest of the season. All too often kids today just don't pay strict attention to their coaches like we did in the old days. Am so glad I'm not coaching anymore. I just sit on the sidelines screaming at players especially when they catch a ball with only one hand rather than two. Coaches from the neighborhood know me and they appreciate the Old Man's baseball/softball wisdom. ;)
 
terry123 said:
It is a southern thing. I have been called Miss Terry forever and my sister is Miss Darlene. We are used to it as we have been called it all our lives. We do the same thing when I visit her and we run into old friends in the little shops we visit.
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Yeah, but when I lived in the south (Alabama, primarily) I only heard the "miss" thing used with women, usually by younger people addressing an older lady as a form of respect. I never once heard the "mr. first name" thing used in addressing men. I also never heard "mrs. first name" used for women, only "miss." "Missy first name" was used for children.
 
It's always been my habit to introduce my, when asked, as Taylor, which is my surname, I then give my first name initial, followed by what it stands for. Just before the lockdown I gave my name in that way to a young man who worked in one of our company suppliers. This was a face to face meeting, not over the phone. When I said Taylor, he said: "That's a girl's name." My look must have caused consternation, an older colleague came over and took charge of the situation.
Apparently there is a famous singer name of Taylor Swift. I don't know which of the two of them looked more surprised when I said, "I've never heard of Taylor Swift.
 

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