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I am down south and down here we refer to someone we respect as Mr. John, Mr. George, Mr Mark, Miss Barbara, Miss Sally, Miss LeAnne or Mr/Miss whatever their name is.
If you're from up north and don't like it then I suggest you keep your pompous ass up north!
A short while ago, I was working in an office building that was closed for the day, when I heard a knock at the door.
I looked through the door glass and saw a young girl of maybe 10 or 11 years old, with an adult ma'am standing a few feet behind her. I opened the door, and before she could speak, I said, "Yes, ma'am?"
She asked if she could use the bathroom, as the adult ma'am behind her smiled.
I thought about it for a second, and concluded that since I had already respected her, I was obligated to follow through with further respect, and so I said, "OK", and let her in.
The adult ma'am said, "I'll wait outside."
Everything went fine. I'm only sharing this story to show that one respect could very well lead to another.
You would get a ma'am from me if we ever met. I use sir for any man older than me, unless we are on friendly/informal enough basis that sir can be dropped. Ma'am is used by me for ladies 8-88, along with greeting/addressing ladies with Ms. Miss, and Mrs. before their first name. Because of my upbringing, those things are as natural to me as breathing.
Regards,
billy
added: nicet4 nailed it, for me it is also done as Mr. John, Mr. George, Mr Mark, Miss Barbara, Miss Sally, Miss LeAnne or Mr/Miss whatever their name is (and for ladies, that it used by me regardless of age, from toddlers up to the oldest.
This ^^^
I call everybody sir or Ma'am.
I am in my late 20s, many say I look 18 - 21. I am "young lady" in veterans' hospital. ma'am or miss everywhere else.
I have two God sons, one white, one Asian/white mixed. Both call me by my first name.
Don't take it personally. Like another poster said, it is more about them perhaps.
If you are 30 but look younger, it's more than likely nothing to do with your race, and everything to do with people not knowing if they should call you "ma'am" or "miss".
I'm very white, and I also do not look my age. People still don't know which one to call me, so they usually don't call me a thing, while they do call others "ma'am".
Don't take it personal, it's not about you, it's about them.
On a few (very rare occassions) I've been called "miss." I really wanted to inform them that I was in my 30s, not in my early 20s.
I know it may seem odd to care about such things, but now that I'm getting older, I want to be referred to as Ma'am, because it denotes a certain level of respect.
I had a job a few years ago where I dealt with the public. I would call male customers 'sir' and invariably got a positive reaction. I called female customers 'ma'am' and quickly noted that the reaction was not so appreciative. Ma'am is a harsh-sounding word, and while appropriate in some circumstances, I don't believe most females enjoy being called "ma'am."
I switched to calling all females 'miss' whether they were 8 or 80, had a ring or not, and the clouds parted. I never had a female customer frown at being called 'miss,' which is a beautiful word. Moral of the story..."ma'am" does not necessarily convey respect and affection.
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