Moderator boundaries: When is it too much?

I’ll get straight to the point:

Why is it that whenever moderators step in, they always address members using "you" in such an informal, singular way?

Here is my reasoning:

I am specifically talking about those moments when moderators are actually carrying out their official duties—issuing warnings, handing out strikes, or enforcing bans based on the site's rules. Shouldn't the enforcement of formal regulations be handled with a certain level of professional decorum? Wouldn't it make more sense for moderators to use a more respectful, pluralized tone when addressing users, perhaps showing a bit of that basic courtesy that should ideally be the foundation of any decent community?

Supposedly with "You"🤷

I am in complete agreement with this proposal.

Usually, we don't do the whole formal "Sir/Ma'am" thing on these forums.

If the goal is just to act super official (especially on an informal site) to show respect, then that energy should go both ways.
I mean, if the rule for respecting moderators is addressing them formally, then it’s only fair and right that regular users address mods and admins with that same level of courtesy in PMs or on the community boards.

I am withdrawing my support for this proposal.

Honestly, the mods shouldn't just be using formal titles; they should probably switch to feminine ones too *Dear user Brandon Lopez6, you wrote on the thread regarding... there you wrote...* 😬

Just kidding. Honestly, I don't think we need all this formal "sir/ma'am" stuff on the forum. Not between users—I mean, sure, some people here could be my parents for all I know, but how am I supposed to guess someone's age if they haven't put it in their profile? And it shouldn't matter between users and the mods either. Sometimes, when things get heavy or serious, I find myself accidentally slipping into formal mode. If someone is being dead serious, responding with "hey you" just feels wrong. It makes me feel way older than I actually am, and it gets awkward fast 🤷

But yeah, I don't think the formality is necessary. If someone wants to be polite, fine. If they want to keep it casual, cool. End of story. 🙂

amen