Post #1595329
2025-12-27 21:23 UTC
@zeborah @leadore @considermycat
Yeah I think a simple "Excuse me!" would always be acceptable. I'm from Australia so you're likely to get called "mate" a lot, which I definitely like better than "sir". "Mate" traditionally has more masculine connotations but tends to be used very generically in Australia so you could use it for women too. It's a handy little word.
I will say though that I haven't lived in Australia for some years and the culture has become very Americanised.
Replies (1)
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@leadore@sunny.garden 2025-12-27 21:34
@dazzlepansy @zeborah @considermycat I can see how "mate" would be a handy word if it's used by everyone like that and is not likely to offend, like calling someone "Buddy" or similar might do here. One thing I should probably point out is that in the US (at least the part I'm from), using sir or ma'am isn't thought of as "bowing and scraping" or being subservient at all--it's just a polite form of address for someone whose name you don't know (except that some women don't like to be called ma'am because they consider it to be a term used for older women, so think you're implying that they are old!).