Wednesday, 8 December 2004

Missing manners

So prisoners now have to be called "Mr". I wouldn't mind this so much if other government departments called me Mr Farrer instead of "Dave" or even "mate" as with the Inland Revenue yesterday. Considering that I had to speak to five of my other civil servants before I was put through to the correct one at the Revenue I didn't feel too matey with them anyway.
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1 comment:

  1. David Farrer3:58 pm, November 04, 2012

    Comments made on previous template:

    Laban Tall
    Theodore Dalrymple wrote about this a year or two back ... 
     
    http://www.city-journal.org/html/eon_7_11_02td.html

    11 December 2004, 20:51:50 GMT
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    Squander Two
    When I worked on the phones for British Gas, I once spoke to a customer called International Master Reid, who insisted that I use his correct title for the entire conversation. It was awkward.

    10 December 2004, 14:35:46 GMT
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    Milo Thurston
    That reminds me of a strange telephone conversation with an officious bureaucrat. Upon introducing myself as 'Dr. Thurston' the bureaucrat then addressed me as 'Mr. Thurston'. I corrected this, but was then told that 'Mr.' was the correct form of address as "You're not _my_ doctor!".

    9 December 2004, 11:14:15 GMT
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    Stuart
    Andrew 
    -"I'm with the prisoners." 
     
    I know that you tend to be a bit of a liability, but I didn't realise that it had gone that far.

    8 December 2004, 15:46:24 GMT
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    Andrew Duffin
    Actually I do have a serious comment. 
     
    My father was a senior manager in industry until he retired about twenty years ago. He ran a big research facility that employed 200-300 people, I can't remember exact numbers, and he called EVERYBODY Mr, or Mrs, or Dr, or Prof, or whatever it was. Everybody, from the highest to the lowest. 
     
    And guess what - they loved him for it, especially those who just got a barked surname from other big bosses. 
     
    I'm with the prisoners. Courtesy costs nothing.

    8 December 2004, 12:18:37 GMT
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    Andrew Duffin
    I think I'll get first comment in here, just to sort of break the pattern that's emerging. 
     
    Nothing to say though.

    8 December 2004, 12:15:01 GMT

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