The history of saluting

[Duane Campbell]

On Mon, 2 Aug 2004 15:47:20 EDT "James A. Landau"

> In the saluting ritual US Army-style, the enlisted man salutes and
> says,
> "Good morning, sir" (or "afternoon" or whatever).  The officer
> returns the salute
> and says "Good mroning."  Note that the major asymmetry in the ritual
> is not
> the salute itself (which the officer also performs), but the fact
> that the
> enlisted man has to use the word "Sir".

I find it interesting that the lower rank initiates the exchange. In
many, if not most, casual encounters any exchange is initiated by the
person of higher standing or doesn't happen. The extreme example_ You do
not speak to the Queen unless she first addresses you.

As I think about this, though, I'm not so sure. Is there some cut off
point involving the social distance of the two people? I live in a small
town where everyone considers everyone else to be of equal standing, at
least in our popular mythology. There is nobody I would run into on the
street here that I don't know by first name, and I don't have a boss. In
a university setting, if an instructor approaches the university
president on the quad, who, if anyone, would speak first, if at all?

D

I am Duane Campbell and I approve this message.