As like an extension of the "royal we" Well they had that in Spanish too but it went a different direction
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All these formal servant idioms that are now part of everyday language - "con su permiso" ("with sir's permission", ie "excuse me"), "a su servicio" ("at sir's service", ie "yeah that's me" on the phone)
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English speakers don't seem to realize that the expression "Mi casa es su casa" is originally a servile expression, not a friendly one It's in the formal register, not informal ("Mi casa es tu casa") "My home is sir's home"
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All of this checks out except for the conclusion. Spaniard racists mostly make fun of non-Spanish accents. It's not about being polite, it's about sounding different. And "usted" as a default is also present in some places in Spain proper.
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The word used for "you" in Spanish is very regional. Sometimes it changes in the singular and plural, there are three or four different words. And the reason it's what it is, which you described correctly, also applies to other latin languages like French and Portuguese.
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