Thanks, boss
- Thread starter bucky
- Start date
Yes this is fairly abundant in the UK, I get it occasionally too. It seems to have caught on in the English language quite well, i was surprised to hear it is commonly used in America too as I thought it was only present in the UK.
It's part of a wider urbanisation of language, removing the old gentrified norms and replacing them with more mundane or common versions that urbanites can agree with and that doesn't appeal to higher ideals of the past. This goes alongside the fist-bumping and other examples where it stems more from black culture than white culture, and shows how integrated the black culture is in our modern forms of communication. I get the impression saying "boss" is popular among immigrants and the natives who are integrated with them or live alongside them, particularly those who live in the large cities.
Perhaps we could also say this form of greeting is a reflection of a heavily urbanised/mechanised environment as well, as I don't think using this term gels very well with a rural setting out in the country on a homestead, for example.
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I find it annoying too and am interested in the origin. Boss, chief, or when a girl calls you hon or honey irks me.
Waiting for the "Thanks, maam" thread in the women's forum. Ever 'maam' an attractive woman?
Waiting for the "Thanks, maam" thread in the women's forum. Ever 'maam' an attractive woman?
I don't like it. I always carry gospel tracts in my wallet so maybe I will start responding to a guy "bossing" me by handing them a tract with a "Jesus died for your sins, chief."
I think I have. If I see a woman drop something in public, and I want to get her attention to tell her, I'd call her ma'am to get her attention.I find it annoying too and am interested in the origin. Boss, chief, or when a girl calls you hon or honey irks me.
Waiting for the "Thanks, maam" thread in the women's forum. Ever 'maam' an attractive woman?
I'm very polite.
I find Filipinos like to call people "boss".
I think it's just a cultural thing.
Other than that, I find it a little strange.
Is addressing someone as “sport” a compliment to their athleticism? Of course not. It’s how you talk to a five year old, and even I don’t do that to my own son as I perceive it to be patronizing and demeaning. Do that to a 35 year old, and you may as well just address them as “retard.”
Do an experiment. The next time you encounter a black working a service job, or the same if you work a service job and see a black customer, address him as “king.” It’s a term of respect, right? How do you suppose that’s going to work out?
I think I have. If I see a woman drop something in public, and I want to get her attention to tell her, I'd call her ma'am to get her attention.
I'm very polite.
Yeah, or miss.
I'm thinking of terms that are very commonly appropriate for a man to call another man. There's obviously "sir," and there's also "man" and "dude." "Hey, man... Hey dude..." "Buddy" is generally good but depends on tone/context.
It seems the most appropriate are terms that refer to another man as an equal. Man, buddy, sir, bro, dude, are seen as such, with sir generally older (for whatever reason). It's a bit paradoxical but terms that elevate the other man can come off demeaning. Chief, boss, etc. And then there's "son," demeaning both literally and figuratively.
This. Anyone who thinks "boss" shows respect should try elevating it to calling other guys "champ." Because being a champion is even better than being a boss, right? See how that goes.
As you note, I'd much prefer someone just be direct and call me d---head or something like that.
This thread did remind me that my grandpa used to call me "tiger" when I was a little kid, which made smile. Of course, that's another one that would come off very differently as an adult from a stranger.
Chief is definitely an insult where I come from. A lot of times "buddy" is as well depending on the situation.
All you have to do is try to respond in kind, whether it's returning the favor, getting a little bit confrontation/rude/dismissive.
If they double down and come back with an attitude you either dealing with a bad actor [a-hole/criminal/scammer/etc.] or someone whose trying to emasculate you for what ever reason.
If they get taken aback then they had no ill will and you can drop the issue.
It's not so much an insult but an opportunity to vet people around you.
Funny you post this. The boss thing was always a pet peeve of mine, I thought I was the only one who felt that way.
I always considered boss just a slang form of sir.
I love to be called sir. I think people calling you boss are just trying to be hip and respectful at the same time. Sir is rather formal, and our society today is anything but.
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I love to be called sir. I think people calling you boss are just trying to be hip and respectful at the same time. Sir is rather formal, and our society today is anything but.
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But this is interesting. There's a cultural difference, because if you'd use ''buddy'' or ''friend'' in a certain way here in the Netherlands that would come off as very disparaging, especially if you don't know the person.
I prefer tiger
"What can I get you boss?"
"2 beers tiger"
I'll use that from now, can't wait for someone to "boss" me around.
See, if someone calls me boss and gets me two beers, I'm not even mad. Getting two beers makes me feel like a boss. I like beer, I like being served.I prefer tiger
"What can I get you boss?"
"2 beers tiger"
It's good to be the boss.