Letter to the Times
A recent letter to the Times bemoaned the habit of businesses addressing potential customers by their first names and I felt obliged to reply as follows:
Sir,
Mr.Muir (22nd Feb) has my full support when asking for a civilised approach to modes of address.
In the late 1940s, fresh out of the Forces, I had occasion to visit my local GP. .
He greeted me with "Yes Goldstein, what can I do for you ?" to which I tartly replied "If you've no objection, I'd prefer being addressed as Mr.Goldstein or Ron"
To his credit, he laughed, said "Sorry about that, I was an MO until recently and old habits die hard" and it was always Mr.Goldstein from then on.
Ron (to my friends only) Goldstein
Sir,
Mr.Muir (22nd Feb) has my full support when asking for a civilised approach to modes of address.
In the late 1940s, fresh out of the Forces, I had occasion to visit my local GP. .
He greeted me with "Yes Goldstein, what can I do for you ?" to which I tartly replied "If you've no objection, I'd prefer being addressed as Mr.Goldstein or Ron"
To his credit, he laughed, said "Sorry about that, I was an MO until recently and old habits die hard" and it was always Mr.Goldstein from then on.
Ron (to my friends only) Goldstein
posted by Ron Goldstein at 9:21 am
4 Comments:
Ron
You shouldn't be so touchy. If Dr Jones greeted you with "Yes, Goldstein, what can I do for you?" you should have replied "Well, Jones, it's like this ..."
Funny, I never seem to get anyone addressing me by my surname. :)
Peter - don't know why you are surprised - it's a real mouthful -
I too get a bit touchy on this as we now have all sorts of people addressing me as Thomas instead of the more usual "Hey You "... especially if they want money !
just received a letter from our local council - Dear Property Owner
they want me to employ a plumber to ensure that I have a shut off valve on my connection point before they turn on their new water service -this is a scam as their water service pipe is NOT connected to my house but they still want me to spend $150:oo for a plumber and permit to dig up my lawn.....just who is the crazy one here ???
Talk about patronising Doctors - had an occasion once in Highcliffe when I had an altercation with a receptionist - this young double barreled named doctor heard this and so when I was ushered into his presence - he didn't even lift his head but said -= "if you had been where I was last month - you wouldn't have gotten away with that "
"oh I said - and where was that -?'I asked
"You wouldn't know as it was in Northern Canada" he replied !
"really - would that be North of Prince George ?"
it dawned on him that here was someone who knew a bit of geography
and so he said " actually - I was locum in Kitimat"
So I crushed him by saying that the next time he walked into the Hospital in that small Aluminium making town - he should take a good look at the Bronze plaque in the entrance hall - and he might find my name on it !
he wouldn't of course but it still crushed him as I often visited that town ! !
"Ah" Ron, what a difference a word makes. Had you risen to the dizzy heights of WO1 you would have been called Sir, Mister, RSM, ASM.
The officers called you Mister and when a 2nd Lt called me ASM in the hearing of the CO he found he had another orifice which the CO tore for him with appropriate wording which even made me blush.
This Gentleman is mister to you now and ever apart from when you are receiving singing lessons on the square and then he is SIR and you should be quaking when you say it.
We have hundreds of spare 2nd Lt's but only one Mister MEE and you are not a fit person to lick his boots.
When the 2nd LT scrambled away with his tail in his new orifice I congratulated the CO on his vocabulary. "AH" Mr Mee, I learned that in my own singing lessons under the Black Prince a well known WO1, it is something you do not forget. These young officers come out of OCTU thinking they own the world they need to be levelled.
A little courtesy goes a long way and costs nothing. I am happy to report my grandsons school teaches courtesy from the age of four. It looks as if the kickback has started at last.
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