COS Movie SPOILER Re: Question about British/American difference -

[David]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., "Kimberly Davison" <kdavison at s...> wrote:
> Hi, I think this would be the right list to post this question 
to...  I have
> noticed at least twice on separate occasions where someone mentions 
how odd
> it would be for a British child to use the term "sir"...  I had no 
idea this
> was uncommon in England, could anyone elaborate on this a bit?  Is 
it
> considered rude?  Or disrespectful?  In America it is a term of 
respect, and
> I had no idea it was different over the pond!  :-)
> Kimberly Davison
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Is this to do with Harry calling Vernon 'Sir' in the movie?  That is 
indeed unusual (as well as uncanonical).  While you could argue that 
it would be in character for the Dursleys to make Harry call 
them 'Sir' and (presumably) 'ma'am', there's no particular reason to 
make them do so in the movie as it's not in the book.  It didn't 
strike me as ironic, either.

Children haven't called their fathers or uncles 'Sir' for over fifty 
years at least, I would guess.  Even then I think it was an upper 
class sort of thing to do.

David