Don't Ma'am Me

dlsc

Cathlete
I was in the supermarket today for a few things, I didn't need a basket. (I was buying the ingreds. to make the pb pudding/oatmeal) I dropped a box of pudding a nice male customer (older than myself) picked it and handed it me and said can I get you a basket ma'am? I know he was just being kind but it made me feel not so good.:-( I'm still looking forward to my oatmeal though.:)

Linda
 
I call some people ma'am to be as polite as possible before I mow them down with the stroller :p


"you miss 100% of the shots you never take"

Debbie
 
Oh My Gosh ,I'm 43 and Yesturday for the first time in my life some Man called me Ma am . Oh my gosh my chin about hit the ground LOL. Shoot it just burst my bubble ... from my son 16 (almost 17) said a few of his friends told him "Your Mom Is Hot " My chin about hit the floor with that one too !!!! LOL... The Ma am Thing I cant handle ....LOL:) :) :) Too Funny
 
I've always told my kids to not say yes ma'am or no ma'am to me. I would prefer a simple yes or no. But definitely not yeah,or naw.

now if they are somewhere else they are to answer in the way that person wants to be adressed. Everyone has their own way of what they want to be answered.


Don't naw me, cause that is what a dog does to a bone!!


kim
 
Down here in the south I get the "ma'am" this and that often. Makes me smolder inside cuz I am actually a very young 18 year old woman inside this almost 38 year old body and feel every bit 18. I think I get called ma'am when I am with my children, etc., but hate it.
So what do you all say to someone that says this?

Charlotte~~
 
UGH I HATE that! What can you say though? Although I usually manage to come up with a bone chilling stare. x(
 
ha. this is a funny thread. ;-) Maybe 'cause I usually get called Miss, but I have also gotten the "ma'am", on occasion. It doesn't bother me though.

What bothers me is "lady". grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr I hate that. "hey, lady!" yuck! I picture Jerry Lewis, or someone from the Sopranos yelling that. LOL But, I guess it's still better than being called "woman". If anyone said to me "excuse me, woman", I think I'd punch him. ha

On the other hand, I wonder how young men feel about being called "sir". What else can you call them? "Excuse me, guy"? or "excuse me, man"? or "excuse me YOUNG man" (LOL, sounds like something my grandmother would say!).
 
I also hate ma'am!!! I live in the south so it's not uncommon, as several other posters have mentioned but I'm 25 years old for crying out loud!!! Miss would be ok but not ma'am.

My biggest pet peeve is when someone younger than me calls me "hon". I don't like it no matter who says it but especially people who are my age or younger!!! That's really irritating.
 
Well I can confess that I am a big "hon" person. I also call people "sug". It is something I have picked up from my family. Some people are offended by me calling them "hon", so I respect their wishes. But I do not stop it all together because it is a habit I have. Plus a lady I work with at school who is a older lady said she thinks when I call her "sug" it sounds cute.


I guess its the country girl in me.


kim
 
Sug and hon seem affectionate to me. Ma'am is aging. No two ways about it. But, to me, coming from Britain as I do, where there is no "ma'am-ing", it also seems respectful. I don't think I would mind it so much.

Clare
 
I like hon too. I do not like Ma'am. I'm 35. Anything but Ma'am.
My husband calls guys Boss. Thanks Boss. What's up Boss? That's better than Ma'am. Sir doesn't seem as bad as Ma'am. Men always have the upper hand.x(

Kali
 
>On the other hand, I wonder how young men feel about being
>called "sir". What else can you call them? "Excuse me, guy"?
>or "excuse me, man"? or "excuse me YOUNG man" (LOL, sounds
>like something my grandmother would say!).
>
>
>
Seems like a lot of seemingly parallel terms don't have the same connotations. "Sir" sounds like either mature or old. "ma'am" just sounds old!

I've been "ma'am"ed several times, and it takes me aback. (I CAN'T be a ma'am. I don't feel that old!). Mostly checkout clerks (I don't know which is worse, the "ma'am" or the Walmart clerks who used to call me by my first name when I wrote a check. Thank goodness they seem to have stopped doing that. I thought it was very offensive for some stranger to assume they were on a first-name basis with me.)
 
>
>
>
> Well I can confess that I am a big "hon" person. I also call
>people "sug".

I hate it when strangers (ie: check-out clerks) do the "hon" or "honey" thing. But at least it makes THEM seem older instead of me!
 
I think the ma'am thing is pretty common here in the south. I think it is intended as a sign of respect although it does make you feel older than dirt when you are called it.

My DIL calls me Miss Jane.... **sigh**.... she is from the New Orleans area in Louisiana and apparently they are taught this from a young age as a sign of respect. I asked her one time not to call me that, to just call me Jane but she was offended and said she couldn't do that because it was not respectful. **big sigh** I feel like Miss Jane from the Beverly Hillbillies when she calls me that.
 
I HATE the ma'am thing too!!! It's like nails on a chalkboard to me. Come to think of it, I'd prefer to hear nails on a chalkboard.
 
OMG Heres a good one, My 11 year old step son has been calling me WOMAN instead of Mary Latly !!!! OMG I about Clobber him . He's a product of his pitaful home life and I figure his step dad calls his mom this ... Its always in that disrespectful mode too !!! I talk til I'm blue to him about this .. HELP ... LOLx(
 
I had a french teacher that I didn't like. Well one day she just got on my nerves and I said "allright woman". I thought Her eyes were going to pop out of her head! Yeah, the word is a no no!



kim
 

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top