Here’s another of my pet peeves -- correspondence I end up dealing with that starts out “Dear Sir.” It used to annoy me back when I did hiring as a restaurant manager. Cover letters that started that way rarely got scheduled for an interview. These days, I come across it several times a day while sorting the mail we get for Letters to the Editor.
Why “Dear Sir”? Is a woman incapable of being an editor (or a restaurant manager)? I know it’s done as a gesture of courtesy, but “Dear Sir or Madam” wouldn’t bother me at all and still shows courtesy.
Don’t assume you’re just dealing with a man. We’ve come a long way, baby.
My pet peeve is when I get a letter or an e-mail that says: "Dear Friend." If it's an e-mail, I reply: "When did we become friends?" They never reply so I guess they can't remember when.