Thread: Etiquette!
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Old 01-02-2005, 12:25 PM
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honeychile honeychile is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by AGDee
The whole "ma'am" thing cracks me up! We had a Leadership Consultant (AGD travelling consultant) from Texas here in this area this past semester and the first time I spoke with her on the phone, she called me "ma'am". It was cute, but made me feel old initially. We went out to dinner and she called the waitress "ma'am" also, so then I didn't feel so badly! She was so adorable. You just don't hear ma'am up north much. A "ma'am" is old (like an adult to a 3 year old)! So, when someone calls you ma'am, you feel old. This one is a regional/cultural thing I think!

Dee
It's definitely a cultural thing. When I was a child and said, "Yes" or "No", my parents would ask "Yes or no who?" I've also noticed that, for the most part, the African American community is better at enforcing this than others - at least, around here.
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