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[QUOTE=Nancy1999;3617989]How about when someone comes up to you in a store? What do they say, may I help you . . .?[/QUOTE If you don't know the person's name, saying "May I help you?" is 100% correct. Saying "Ma'am" in the NE (New England) is considered negative. |
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As for Miss or Ma'am...I don't notice what people call me...lol I will notice next time! :) |
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It is depressing to me when I am called ma'am, especially by someone younger than me. :( I guess because I don't feel like I am 30. I see people on t.v. that are 30-ish and always wonder if I look that old. ;) Of course, as a teacher, I am used to being made to feel old by my students. I remember last year my 10 year olds thought the Smurf's were new. I took in a picture of me wearing my Smurfette sweatsuit on Christmas 1986. |
Well I am proud of being southern. I think it is disrespectful for a child to call an adult by given name. As I said, putting the "miss" in front is a way of showing respect but more familiarity than addressing with Mrs. Or Ms. And last name. My daughter friends, bf etc called me miss shinja or mrs. Xxxxxx. I think the ma'am is a way of addressing or answering someone in a respectful ways. Like many terms the inflection or body language can change the meaning. There were many times my teenage daughters said. " yes ma'am" and they were not thinking love and respect. I would only use sir or ma'am to address someone when I can't think of another way to address them .. "excuse me ma'am" sounds odd. Maybe I have been out of the south too long:(... Miami is not known for it's manners.. Or polite people. But it still amuses me that the students address the female teachers as " miss" ..they don't even used the last name. |
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LOL!!! My husband suggested "the mummy" - which would indicate being well-preserved. ;) |
Usually people 30 and older call me Miss, and really young people, like the 16 to 18 year olds that work at the Dunkin Donuts drive thru, call me ma'am. I HATE that! I am 34.... but I am not married, no kids, dress fairly fashionable, I have no fine lines or wrinkles yet, most of the time people think I'm only in my mid-20s, so I don't know why I get called ma'am. I think if I lost 20lbs I'd be back to being called Miss by everyone. I think getting heavier ages you. **SIGH** another reason I NEED to lose weight. :) I had a VERY sad moment last summer..... when I went for my physical and my DOCTOR was younger than me! :( That was a first for me. I'm used to being the baby .... my ex I was with for 10 years was 2.5 years older than me, so all his friends were too. My boyfriend now is 8 years older than me, so even his youngest sibling is 3.5 years older than me. My coworkers are all at least 5 - 10 years older than me, if not more. I'm usually the baby so its weird when Im the oldest. |
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I always thought people with a bit more meat on them looked younger. The "fluff" unwrinkles the wrinkles. :) Bf's cousin and wife lost a bunch of weight and now they both look so old. |
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They're not even in their 40s yet. They're about the same age as me, early 30s. :eek: |
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I work on an Air Force base so everyone calls every woman "ma'am" but out in the real world I get called "miss". :D |
2 Attachment(s) We use Miss here in business situations mostly. Outside of that everyone who is older is Aunty or Uncle. That's just a custom in Hawaii. I have asian in me too. Everyone assumes I am a lot younger than I look. When they find out I have a 20yr. old son they are like :eek:. They think my mom is still HOT. LOL Here is a pic of me and my mom when I was little. My mom honestly still looks the same...she now has just a few more laugh lines. :) I get carded for liquor all the time if the person doesn't already know me. I'm going to be 38 this month. :D Last pic is one of me for halloween last year...was trying on false eyelashes. LOL |
I am Miss Misty to friends children (and sometimes to patronizing old men) and Miss Jenkins to consumers at work. All the children within my family (neice and cousins children) call me Mimi. My coworkers, friends, and mom just call me Misty. I am called ma'am many times a day. None of the above is at all offensive to me. In fact, in Mississippi, if someone doesn't say "ma'am" when speaking to me it's kind of offensive. To me, if you work in a position dealing with the public, then ma'am and sir are proper regardless of whom your speaking to because it's polite and respectful. Outside of work everyone I speak with who is older than me (my mom and grandmother's friends or some older coworkers) I call Miss "Insert First Name". |
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Yeah if you came here, in no time local people you make friends with and their kids will call you Aunty. :D It goes something like this... "Eh Aunty(or even Sistah(sister) how you doing?" lmao Our english is very terrible here. And we do it on purpose. LOL |
A friend of my son's who is from GA got a job on Wall Street after graduating from college. He had never been to NY, and was a little concerned. He asked me if I could suggest anything to help his transition go smoothly. I told him, "Whatever you do, do not say 'Ma am.'" He called me a few months later and told me that he slipped and said "Yes ma'am" to someone in front of most of his co-workers, and to this day is still trying to live it down. He has a southern accent, but saying that was the icing on the cake. He told me that when he went out to happy hour, his friends ordered him a Mint Julep, as in Gone With the Wind. |
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Oh wait......they are talking to MY DOG :rolleyes::bigeyes::sfunslap::hide2: |
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