Hi Buddy

[SoothingDave]

I can't say for sure what is happening to you. I can only give you my best understanding of how the culture and language works.

Certainly, it is more polite to be called "sir," but if you are expecting that in your day-to-day interactions with sales people in a shopping mall in the US, you are going to be unhappy.

So, you can choose to take offense where I believe none is meant, or you can take the occasional "buddy" or "pal" as a gesture of friendliness.

The next time you encounter this, try lingering around and see how the sales person interacts with other customers. If he gives them the same treatment, then you will know that he is not trying to offend you.

On the other hand if he calls everyone else "sir" or "ma'am" and only calls you "buddy," then I would have a word with his manager. Maybe he is condescending to foreigners.

Overall, I think you are finding unintended offense in a cultural difference.

 

[Barb_D]

Please do not hijack threads by asking a new line of questions, even if they arise from responses in the thread.

If you want to understand "still" better, start a new thread please!

The thread became horribly tangled with the responses and further questions on THAT topic instead of focusing on the original topic.

 

[david11]

Please do not hijack threads by asking a new line of questions, even if they arise from responses in the thread.

If you want to understand "still" better, start a new thread please!

The thread became horribly tangled with the responses and further questions on THAT topic instead of focusing on the original topic.

I am sorry for hijacking the thread by asking questions off the topic but I did have the habit of posting questions that arise from the existing thread on that thread itself.Once I stared a new thread for a doubt arised from already existing thread but one of the moderator closed that thread and told me to ask the question in the same thread.See https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/ask-teacher/161280-understanding-sentence.html
(I will start a new thread for my question)

 

[billmcd]

Every now and then, I come across macho strangers who reply to a simple "Hi" greeting with a "Hi Buddy", in a condescending tone.

In AmE, how to politely let such strangers know that you don't like being addressed as "Buddy", and still carry on with a conversation without making a big deal out of it?

This is one of those posts that seems to be "getting legs", but here are my "two cents" (i.e. opinion). I don't recall that anyone has ever greeted me with "Hi buddy" (lucky me, I guess), but I have heard it and, I must admit that I have actually used it . But my use/experience has been that it is used when an older person (like me) greets a younger or much younger person and particularly a child (boy). However, if 'greenisgood' resides in a part of the U.S. where it is a common greeting heard among many persons, get used to it. If, on the other hand, it is one person that you encounter on a regular basis, that is the "macho man", speak with the person and inquire politely whether he greets everyone (men) in this way and if so, lighten up and let it go. But if it's only you that he greets in that way, politely suggest that where you come from it is too familiar to use such a term and that a simple "Hi" would be fine.