Black Belts Like Candy?

[singularity6]

This thread took an interesting turn. Related to some of the above posts:

Our instructors are not very strict about titles. Our master instructor is fine if folks call him "Mr. Dennis," even though Dennis is his first name. At a tournament, an instructor from another school chastised someone who called him Mr. Dennis. I do not recall if it was one of our students, or a student from another school that knew him. The other instructor insisted that the title "master" be used. Dennis did not stand for that. All that matters to him is that we address him with respect.

[Lupin1]

This thread took an interesting turn. Related to some of the above posts:

Our instructors are not very strict about titles. Our master instructor is fine if folks call him "Mr. Dennis," even though Dennis is his first name. At a tournament, an instructor from another school chastised someone who called him Mr. Dennis. I do not recall if it was one of our students, or a student from another school that knew him. The other instructor insisted that the title "master" be used. Dennis did not stand for that. All that matters to him is that we address him with respect.

I say to each their own. My school has gotten very lax with it over the years. When I was a kid all black belts were Mr. or Ms. LastName. Now since our new head instructor works with the kids all day (we run out of a youth center) and they know him from there as Mike, they just call him Mike. Our other instructor is still Mr. Lee (his last name) because something about him just kinda encourages formality. I even call him Mr. Lee even though adults are allowed to call everyone by their first name. And for me they go back and forth between Devin and Miss Devin.

I will say that the drop in formality has come along with a drop in respect overall, but I don't know if that's causation or just correlation. I think western society in general has grown less respectful and deferential.

[Spartacus Maximus]

Teaching titles used in martial arts and social forms of address are two different things. Both of them should be used in the context in which they are appropriate. Unfortunately, this is not understood correctly by everyone and it is what causes the confusions, misuses and excesses discussed here.

Too much informality can lead to problems in social relationships. This is the reason for the saying that “familiarity breeds contempt”. There was a time not too long ago when people where taught early(school and parents) and expected to address each other with the appropriate form or title whenever known.

Now that it is not as generalized as it once was, people find it strange and awkward to call someone “Mr”, “Mrs” or “Ms”. Some even find it “old-fashioned”.