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I've heard you northern folk actually consider the use of "ma'am" to be sarcastic, patronizing, or insulting, especially when a younger person like a student addresses a superior. Is this true?
Posts: 1945 | Registered: Jul 2005
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It can be used sarcastically, but is needs not be sarcastic. I use it all the time, sincerely.
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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My wife was mightily confused when I would say "yes ma'am" to her when we started dating. On reflection it probably wasn't helpful to use a term usually reserved for elders or interactions with strangers. Posts: 4287 | Registered: Mar 2005
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quote:I've heard you northern folk actually consider the use of "ma'am" to be sarcastic, patronizing, or insulting, especially when a younger person like a student addresses a superior. Is this true?
In the Great Lakes area, "ma'am" is used sarcastically about half the time.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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I like to play it safe and stick with "miss". Makes them feel young. Unless she's obviously in her upper ages, then "ma'am" it is.
Posts: 247 | Registered: Jun 2008
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I try to be polite to the customers I deal with- and so I say sir and ma'am quite a bit. I've worked both in IL (about 1 hour south of Chicago) and in TN (about 30 minutes north of Nashville) and no one has ever gotten mad about me calling them ma'am.
Posts: 980 | Registered: Aug 2005
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I'm about 45 minutes north of chicago (In moderate traffic) Where I live there are very rich jewish people and they are all very snobbish (not saying jews are snobbish) if you use ma'am they take offense.
Posts: 1574 | Registered: May 2008
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I use ma'am in the "unidentified elder woman" sense of it. Such as "Ma'am, you dropped your purse." and I've never had anyone take offense to that. I'd use miss for anyone young, and ma'am is very easy to use patronizingly or sarcastically in michigan, especially among friends(basically only use among them..) Sir is the same way, only for men.
Posts: 655 | Registered: May 2005
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