John,you are right about the cultural difference especially regarding the way you address your elders or your father.In the East and particularly in the sub-continent you would not dare to call your father "old man"at least not to his face.Around here we still stand up when our father enters the room and dare not speak to him in a loud tone,not that he is a tyrant or that we are afraid of him but because of the respect that we have for him for what we are today is because of him.Similarly uncles and other elders are treated in the same manner.
The West may be far more advanced and may have a lot of good points but as far as respect to elders and family values are concerned it has a lot to learn from the East.