Why don't Americans use titles?

• Cynic wrote on 2011-10-17 02:07
  It's something I've always been curious about. I had a Japanese acquaintance back in Middle School, and since he knew I was interested in and somewhat educated in Japanese culture, we would refer to eachother with traditional Japanese titles; I would call him "Sugihara-san" and he would call me "Chesmer-san".
  
  Now, when my friends first noticed how we greeted eachother in the halls/class, they were like "Uhm WTF why are you using your last names and weird titles?" I tried to explain it's a respectful way to call someone you hardly know, not to mention a timeless tradition, but since Americans are so loose with how they refer to people, they never understood.
  
  There is a similar system in Germany in terms of how you refer to people; you don't just use "he", "she" and their name. How you refer to people depends on their title, how close you are to them, etc.
  
  Why did Americans never adapt the system? Sure, we modeled a lot of things after England and Europe, but I imagine that Japan and Germany can't be the only places with a 'title' system.
  
  Frankly, I think it's a really nice system and let's you show your intimacy levels with a person better. I've always wondered why we never even considered making such a system.
• Skye wrote on 2011-10-17 02:09
  I think we lost it when we broke away from England a few hundred years ago...?
• MareneCorp wrote on 2011-10-17 02:10
  I call everyone by their last names. Hello, how are you, Wong. Good day, Parker.
• Kazuni wrote on 2011-10-17 02:12
  Mr, Mrs, Ms.. well those are technically titles. *shrug*
  
  Instead of calling someone <first name> you say Mr/Miss <last name>.
  
  
  Also, suddenly having a japanese-style title thing going on in america would be too weird. If you do that right now it's like a, "WHAT THE HELL YOU WEABOO" kinda thing.
  
  It adds a whole other side to social levels and definition, too.
  
  Not everyone needs a title system.
• EndlessDreams wrote on 2011-10-17 02:14
  There is stuff like "Sir" and "Ma'am" that are similar to titles. "Mr."/"Ms."/etc. is the same thing as -san.
• Sumpfkraut wrote on 2011-10-17 02:23
  I guess it's because most Americans historically have an underclass background without a comparatively strongly developed bourgeoisie until, I don't know, industrialisation? Just guesswork based on total lack of information.
  
  
  Personally I really don't care whether people use formalities or not, but I don't see a system as the Japanese implemented, particularly because such a system is based on a far different culture.
• Lan wrote on 2011-10-17 02:30
  Canadians for the most part only call people by Mr, Ms/Mrs. (For teachers in my experience) In church we use brother or sister as titles too but that's pretty much it to my knowledge. Not sure why we would have need for me, other then addressing Doctors as Dr. or Professor as Professor. (Well then again you address nurses by their title too, and police officers as Officer.Blob)
• paladin wrote on 2011-10-17 02:37
  When we broke off from england in the American revolotion
  Among many things pissing Americans off were how they were seen by England as low class
  Since english had all the titles
  So in the spirit of freedom and equality and all that similar reasonings behind the revolotion
  Titles got the toss expect for judge
• Cynic wrote on 2011-10-17 02:47
  We do have titles like "Miss, Mr., etc" but I've seldom seen them used by every day people. I'm talking about a universal title system, not just one people with some respect toward others use.
  
  Hell, even if you hate someone in Germany/Japan, you still use a proper title toward them because it's tradition.
  
  Integrating one into America now would be bothersome indeed, but I always thought it would have been nice to have one around the time the country formed -> now.
  
  I've always hated saying "this is my friend *their name there*" or something because I like some people more than others. By saying "This is my friend, Firstname-san", it shows far more intimacy than "This is my friend, Lastname-san", for instance.
• Sumpfkraut wrote on 2011-10-17 02:53

  Quote from Cynic;623780:

  you still use a proper title toward them because it's tradition.

  
  You shouldn't forget that it's usually learned behaviour, not a rational choice that is autonomously made.
  
  If I call someone I despise Sie it's usually either simply because I've internalised addressing strangers/bosses/non-friends formally or because I want to express distance.
• Cynic wrote on 2011-10-17 02:54
  That's what I meant, QQ. It's like a tradition that is so far integrated into society that it's like a second nature.
• Sekwaf wrote on 2011-10-17 03:09
  We do use titles. Mr., Mrs., Ms., Miss, Doctor, Professor, President, Colonel, ect. Perhaps they don't indicate how well we know somebody but they're still titles. I personally don't like the fact that in Spanish (not sure about many other languages, but Italian for sure) you have to change the verb depending on who you're talking to, so english simplified that at least.
• Chockeh wrote on 2011-10-17 03:12
  Does Miss, Mister, Sir, Mam count? They are honorifics o-o. They don't have such titles in french, unless you mean stuff like madame or monsieur. In Tagalog, the equivalent to oni-san is Kuya and onee-san is Até.
  
  EDIT: Now that I read the thread, I see you people came up with the same conclusions xD. The Mister, Miss, Sir, Mam is used quite often here in Canada o-o. Like when I call out for a teacher, we say SIR (we even have a in-class meme to say "SIR IT'S BURNING" all the time since somebody accidentally mixed up vcc and gnd and their circuit board burnt.) or when I bump into somebody or help somebody older than me, I use mam/sir.
• Cucurbita wrote on 2011-10-17 03:22
  Why doesn't Japan drop it?
  
  You have no idea how inconveniencing this is.
• Bride wrote on 2011-10-17 03:25

  Quote from Sekwaf;623802:

  We do use titles. Mr., Mrs., Ms., Miss, Doctor, Professor, President, Colonel, ect. Perhaps they don't indicate how well we know somebody but they're still titles. I personally don't like the fact that in Spanish (not sure about many other languages, but Italian for sure) you have to change the verb depending on who you're talking to, so english simplified that at least.

  
  that's what i was thinking :o