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

[bluesqueak]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., "David" <dfrankiswork at n...> wrote:
> --- 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

I think it was being used to imply the lousy relationship Harry has 
with his Uncle Vernon - that there is so little of a normal 
Uncle/nephew relationship that Harry actually calls him 'sir'. Also 
that Harry is a little frightened of the Dursley's. 

After all, prisoners often have to call their warder's 'sir'.

Pip