ChatterBank1 min ago
A 'lady' in USA
12 Answers
Can someone please help me out here ?
Is calling someone a 'lady' in the United States considered pejorative or offensive ?
I ask because an American acquaintance seemed to be quite put out when someone referred to a friend of hers as a 'lady'. I found the word totally innocuous and in fact if anything more polite than referring to her as a 'woman'...
Thanks
Is calling someone a 'lady' in the United States considered pejorative or offensive ?
I ask because an American acquaintance seemed to be quite put out when someone referred to a friend of hers as a 'lady'. I found the word totally innocuous and in fact if anything more polite than referring to her as a 'woman'...
Thanks
Answers
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I wasn't the person who said it...in fact it was written in a reference that the friend had provided...something along the lines of 'I have known this lady for a number of years and have always found her to be trustworthy...etc etc' The American really seemed to think that calling her 'this lady' was insulting in some way that I could not work out.
Thank you for your answer, I'm hoping to visit the States later this year and really would not like to offend anyone.
Thank you for your answer, I'm hoping to visit the States later this year and really would not like to offend anyone.
It's entirely possible that the American person who objected to the term 'lady" was a member of the radical feminist movement here in the U.S. I've been berated (I live in the western U.S.) for using the term "Ma'am" when a ddressing a member of the fair sex. That's a regional term here in the West but always known as a term of defference and respect.
The radical feminist would have every reference to differences in sex eliminated. "Person-hood" is their accepted term. To which I'm likely to respond in the same manner as I witnessed many years ago as a child.
I had the opportunity to accompany a train load of cattle, part of which had been produced by our family ranch, on it's marketing trip to Omaha, Nebraska. (at that time the reigons center of cattle marketing). I was able to achieve a ranch kids dream of going to the "big city". The ranch foreman was "Old Gus" (I never did know his real name). On arrival, we checked into the Radisson Hotel... finest place west of Chicago. It was at least ten stories tall and had an elevator.
On the ride up with Gus a most profound 'one act play' took place. On the elevator's second stop, two young women entered. Standing behind Gus, I noticed he took of his ever present Stetson hat. The women were talking as they came on, and they both became engaged in a conversation laced with profanity. Gus didn't say anything, but, almost unnoticeably (except to me) he put his hat back on. Obviously his statment that he recognized he was not in the presence of ladies. Never forgot that incident...
The radical feminist would have every reference to differences in sex eliminated. "Person-hood" is their accepted term. To which I'm likely to respond in the same manner as I witnessed many years ago as a child.
I had the opportunity to accompany a train load of cattle, part of which had been produced by our family ranch, on it's marketing trip to Omaha, Nebraska. (at that time the reigons center of cattle marketing). I was able to achieve a ranch kids dream of going to the "big city". The ranch foreman was "Old Gus" (I never did know his real name). On arrival, we checked into the Radisson Hotel... finest place west of Chicago. It was at least ten stories tall and had an elevator.
On the ride up with Gus a most profound 'one act play' took place. On the elevator's second stop, two young women entered. Standing behind Gus, I noticed he took of his ever present Stetson hat. The women were talking as they came on, and they both became engaged in a conversation laced with profanity. Gus didn't say anything, but, almost unnoticeably (except to me) he put his hat back on. Obviously his statment that he recognized he was not in the presence of ladies. Never forgot that incident...
Thank you Clanad....it's certainly a possible explanation.
Good for Old Gus...I totally approve of his action!
So, generally, I will not be offending anyone, except perhaps some people that I don't care about offending , if I use the word 'lady'. That has put my mind at rest.
Thanks again, ladyalex :-))
Good for Old Gus...I totally approve of his action!
So, generally, I will not be offending anyone, except perhaps some people that I don't care about offending , if I use the word 'lady'. That has put my mind at rest.
Thanks again, ladyalex :-))
Just be careful you don't address a female dog as ' a bitch' LOL. I did that when walking one of mine in Cambridge (UK not Mass.) and caused some concern to an American mother with a young daughter. Yelling " Behave, you stupid bitch!" at the misbehaving hound, besides not being out of the dog whisperer manual, prompted an aghast look before the lady realised and said, in a relieved tone, 'Ah, you meant the dog!"
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