Old pplz dun lieks bein kalled "unties"

I wanted to go Mosaic today. But I didn't. Sad face.
Hopefully I can go this Thursday or Friday. Maybe I can see Goodfellas without being duped again.

Instead I shall rant about a little dispute going on in the Straits Times the past few weeks.

This issue is so serious it has broken down the ST community into two hostile camps. What started as a candid discussion about something ordinary became a full-blown world incident. Petty squabbles has evolved into ham-fisted expletive-filled verbal arguments, which took a turn for the worse and developed into full fledged physical combat. Lawsuits have been made, and what was initially thought to be a small case in the Subordinate Courts has risen all the way up to The United Nations Supreme Court. However, speculators are fearing for the worse as we embrace for military combat between private armies and meceneries in a fight to the teeth.

Issue: People in Singapore being called "Uncles" or "Aunties"

Some people have wrote in to ST, complaining that the Singaporean/South-East Asian quirk of a younger person addressing an elder as Uncle or Auntie is offensive and rude. They have associated these words as terms to describe pedophile cheek0 peks and those loud Ah Sohs that annoy you in the bus with their loud voices.

They say that younger people should properly address their elders like other "cilivised" countries do: using "flattering" words like Mister, Missus, Miss. Some even went as far as saying that the correct term should be "Sir" or "Madame".

I say bollocks to this.

The term "Uncle" and "Auntie", when used properlly, is a term of respect or politeness. A person who addressess a person clearly in their mid 40s or older is adknowledging the seniority of the addressee. They are showing respect and they refrain from calling the addressee by their first name alone.

One ST reader wrote in and gave the best response so far. This is not her exact words, but its close enough.

"Those who have issues being called "uncle" or "auntie" have self-esteem problems. Foreigners who feel offended by this should understand that this is part of our Asian culture. Live with it"

To me, the term "mister", "missus" or "miss" can appear condescending and convulated in a Singaporean context, especially if you do not know if the lady you want to address is married or not. Sure, we can call everyone "sir" or "madame" if we all want to turn our country into a nation of departmental store assistants (no offense to them) or ACS students addressing their teachers (offense allowed to be taken).

One day i will be cursed to suffer the same fate, unless I die young. Face it. People call you uncle or auntie because you're old. Or at least you look old. Live with it, you fogey.