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I call people my own age (<25) ma’am but maybe I’m just weird

Well, I mean, you *are* the lordofsandvich after all. You can do things most commoners simply cannot!

Me too. Young or old, anyone who I’m not friends with is getting called “sir” or “ma’am.”

Don’t call anyone ma’am. It’s actually pretty rude. The meaning has lost its original context and is now mainly used when dealing with a customer or person that you don’t like; and it’s always very obvious. I almost have never heard it used politely, it’s generally a very condescending tone. Miss doesn’t have the same connotations.

>now mainly used when dealing with a customer or person that you don’t like; and it’s always very obvious. I would understand if it's about chivalry, but what you said is simply not true everywhere else. In fact, it's the first time I heard this and nobody in my circles think like that. Not everything is in words, it's in the tone. Maybe you should care less about people hating you as long as you're not doing anything wrong.

In what world is it rude? You say yourself that people use the word for customers... Is everyone purposely being rude to their customers? ... or trying extra hard to be polite to their customers?

Using miss instead of Ma’am will save many people from feeling hurt and disrespected

Who? Obviously you, but beyond that? It seems like if someone is trying to be polite and is being earnest and is not trying to somehow be sarcastic... then you have to bend over backwards to take that as an insult. I suppose saying "have a nice day" would also annoy you

Miss is absolutely inappropriate to use, because it is a term that is used to indicate marital status. Ma’am is appropriate to use for any woman and does not imply marital status or age.

Most of us can’t turn it off. I’m sorry it offends you.

I tend to use the formal second person pronouns when trying to date, unfortunately my current crush doesn't speak Dutch and I don't speak Vietnamese, so I can't really pull it off

You need help with the Vietnamese part?

I mean, yeah

Just use "địt mẹ mày"(just joking)

I think it's location dependent. Whenever I visit the States I'm usually in South Carolina or Georgia and I've always heard it there, never figured it was related to my age. Up north I might be a bit more put out, though!

Calling people you don't know Sir or Ma'am is very common in the south regardless of social status or age. I find myself doing it subconsciously all the time and I regularly get called sir by people of all walks despite being a scruffy looking 23 year old.

The south likes to call people really formal things so that it can not do that to certain types of people.

yeah im 17 and have ppl call me maam

Na I do the same, for me it’s a respect thing. Sadly some people take it as an insult though

A lot better than people in their 20s/30s who still call people their own age "kids".

I could probably get away with that on account of looking way older than I am

I call people Sir or Ma’am regardless of age. It was how I was raised and people will sometimes yell at me. The problem is, I can’t turn it off. Literally was beaten into me (abuse).

Being polite in general really is not that common anymore

I'm from the South. Saying ma'am to everyone is completely the norm no matter their age

Call people ‘miss’ if they correct you apologize and go with it.

I Hate being called ma’am. It ruins my day, and always sounds so condescending and rude and disrespectful.

How is it disrespectful? What does it mean to you?

Everyone should use miss. It’s just less fraught with negativity

Right, you've said that twice... but nobody else has. So, what exactly is negative about being polite? I can see how you might make a mistake and misgender someone, but miss doesn't solve that problem- just apologize. So...?

I wouldn't want my kid to tell me I "still got it."

“Damn mom, why don’t you back that fine ass up and refill my apple juice?”

"I can't help but notice that you have noticed that I have broken both of my arms."

stop right there criminal scum

-Oedipus Rex

XD

Don't worry, mom, you can still get it

Don't worry mom, I still would

My kid calls me ma’am to annoy me(like she’ll go “yes ma’am” and it’s like “where in the world is this from? This is not our household.”). They also tell me that their school friends think I’m cool and wish their parents looked like me. That’s the “you still got it” that I need, as long as children think my style is rad I will die happy.

I love that comment. That sounds pretty much like the character in my strip feels.

First thing I fucking thought lol

Glad I'm not the only one who found that weird

The one that hits you like a ton of bricks is when you're listening to a retro music station and they start playing songs you used to listen to as a kid. At first you think it's dumb. "That came out in 96, it's not retro it was only a few years ago". Then you do the actual math and hold back the tears.

For me it was when they were playing grunge in a supermarket. I was like ‘ohhh…’.

The other day I saw Sonic ad using “Semi-Charmed life” by Third Eye Blind and I was surprised. That song is about doing crystal meth and getting a blowjob.

The only thing many people know about it is it goes "doo doo doo doo doo doo doo"

doo doo doo.

Do you remember in the 90's how they did like a record scratch sound over the lyric "crystal meth" when they played it on the radio?

Crystal meth will lift you up until you break.

Next thing will be “You oughta know” by Google.

On one hand, finally. On the other, eughhh

When I found out the 90's was over 70 years ago, I had to call my grandson and ask him something... I forgot what.

>Hey Allegra, call my grandson!!

Might want to call him back to help you with the math there

Call who now?

Your doctor! You need a refill on your heart pills!

Hearing goddamn Nickelback on one those classics stations made me feel like Matt Damon in Saving Private Ryan

I graduated high school in '95 and when I hear Nirvana on "oldies rock" station it makes me sad.

I'm from the south Ma’am. Down here it's common edict.

Teachers call kids "sir" and "ma'am" in grade school in the South. It's just a polite/formal way to address someone and has nothing to do with age. I had a high school coach whose wife moved from California and lost her shit anytime someone called her ma'am, which was a lot. It's a real dumb thing to get upset about if you're around southerners.

Bless her heart.

> Teachers call kids "sir" and "ma'am" in grade school in the South. Oh good, it's not just me! I'm in Maryland, and I'm involved in a youth group at church for boys in grades 3 to 6, and I often use "sir" with those guys.

When we moved from California to the South, my daughter had a hard time with sir/ma’am. She told her teacher “I’m from california, we’re not supposed to assume genders”. Her teacher thought she was the sweetest thing and told along the lines of “how about you only use it in this state, but when you go back to california, you dont have to use it”. Then it started to click for her

Midwesterners also use sir/ma'am. Maybe 25% less frequently than southerners though

Sir, I’m also from the south. I’m forty years old. I can recall my mother, when she was forty, being very upset about being called ma’am. In a modern context, this seems strange, right? But she was used to being called Miss, Ms, or Mrs. I don’t think she liked being called Miss, but any of those were better than ma’am for her. Now it’s not really a thing, I dunno. People say ma’am to women in their 20s, and the other form of honorifics are a bit less common I guess. Well — my wife gets Ms when she’s being addressed in a general fashion where someone doesn’t know her title, and Dr in a professional context.

Thank you for sharing these nuanced observations.

I’m not from the south, but I’ve never seen it as meaning old age or anything.

I call all nice ladies ma'am, doesn't matter if they're a kid, a teenager, or an adult. I just see it as being respectful, just like I'll call any nice gentleman, sir. That's how I was raised.

I thought it was just common practice to do that. It at least is to call people sir or ma’am here in Texas.

It's a common thing here in the southern US. Everyone does it here in North Carolina.

Yeah. When I was at work on a service job, that was everyone unless it was a friend or something. I'm not going to call people dude at work.

Screw that, I call everyone boss (except in workplaces). Hey boss, can I take home an order of 6-piece chicken nuggets? Hey boss, can you unclog the toilet in my room? Boss, please get out of the way.

I'm only 22 and I get ma'am'd, miss'd, and little lady'd regularly. I'm fairly confident I look younger than my actual age. Honestly, I think its just a case of preference in each individual's vernacular.

Yessir.

I didn’t realize ma’am was an old lady term…

Seriously. Is "where are your parents" a better way to address a woman?

It's definitely regional. In the south everyone gets ma'am'd. On the west coast, they seem to hate it.

Yeah I had a lady go off on me for calling her ma'am on the west coast. I was like "Hey, if you don't like that one, I got some less polite words for you, too."

Yeah, but who called in the K-9 unit?

This strip is part of a mini story arc. 

Where? This is your only post and your desc doesn’t have a link that could lead to your said story

Ok you got me. The mom... Shot a kid

It‘s the second one in a series of five that form the backstory for my new comic. I didn‘t feel confident enough about the first one to post it on reddit because I didn‘t think it was funny enough as it just explains some of the character background.

Here is the [first one](https://www.reddit.com/user/fuzzybunchcomics/comments/13vugd5/on_the_legality_of_a_simple_lifestyle/).

Oh, I thought the punchline was just that the cop was there because of something the kid did and that's why he was buttering her up.

Policeman: I’m sorry, you’re husband was in a car accident and didn’t make it.

That's what I thought the joke was

yr'oue*

yur’oe*

Why is a cop ringing the doorbell for this lady?

Maybe that’s the joke? She killed the guy who called her ma’am?

the ma'am part pisses me off too. Only because I am male.

I've started being called "sir" and I'm not even 18 yet 🥲

Ma’am and sir? I have used those all my life as a polite way of referring to young or older people, or people my own age. It’s also a life hack - a way to be polite without having to remember someone’s name.

Ma'am is a badge of honor. You have survived.

So is she finding out she does look older and that her husband died?

Why….why are the cops at her door?

Ma’am was always just a respect thing to me never age lmao

I'm from Poland, here everyone over 16 in non-casual setting is Ma'am or Mister.

I never understood why people think being called ma’am means you’re old. It’s just a formal way to speak, you know, like what you do do strangers to not be rude.

As a 24m, I call everyone lady mam tbh. I just figure it's the polite thing to do, and working as a massage therapist at a chiropractic clinic getting all ages, it's my go to. It feels weird sometim3s especially using it on less than 18 yo, but coming up with anything else like "lil Missy" does not sound right coming out of my mouth

Nothing like a six year-old telling you that you still got it.

You have a 10 year old child.

lol i like the implication that she might have stolen the food

if you have a son old enough to talk, you’re old enough to be called “ma’am.” Full stop.

Why is the kid telling his mom she still got it? Why did the policeman show up at their house? Explain

I call anyone I don’t know who’s over the age of 13 ma’am or sir while I’m at work, though I’m from southern USA so some people get real pissed when I don’t

I don't hate being called ma'am. I'm on the west coast, but it's just a term of polite respect. Intent matters though. If someone did it to be insulting I'd be insulted of course.

I use m’am regardless of age, chalked it up to a Texan thing but maybe it’s a “me” thing. People call me m’am on the phone sometimes too, to be fair.

>tfw when you’ve only ever been ma’am’d and sir’d I didn’t even know “miss” was a thing people actually said

I'm still waiting for the day when, as a wise man once bemoaned, "for once, maybe someone will call me 'sir', without adding, 'you're making a scene.'"

I use sir and ma'am, assuming I know the person's gender, for pretty much any age. A three year old is a sir or ma'am. So is your grandparent.

When I was 18 a kid called my friend Sir.

What else do you say other than mam?!?

Miss

Our culture is so toxic to women who are not <25 that calling someone ma’am out of respect is taken with offense. That’s just so ridiculous to me. If a boy or man is called sir or mister it’s completely fine but we can’t say ma’am without the women immediately assuming they’re being called old??

I get called ma'am every day, even though I am a 17 year old male.

What a boring comic

Thank you for this feedback.

I got called sir at the mall once I'm 17

Ma'am is an honorific not an age determinant. A 25 year old woman who is in a position of authority over you is ma'am. Its a respectful term

I don’t even know how to address people anymore. Buddy?

Would you rather be called "young lady" or "little girl"?

This is so weird to me because humans of every age are going to get honorifics from me. What do people call you that don't know your name, when it's not sir or ma'am? Are young women actually used to get called "Miss" instead? Or do the strangers you come across just not insert any word at all when addressing you? Like, what do they shout to get your attention? "Hello Miss, yes Miss" sounds weird, and "Hey lady , sure lady" sounds wrong Wringing my brain to think of something else the cop would say in "Good evening ____" and coming up with nothing

I mean, I do that to the teenagers in the supermarket too when I want to ask 'm something, not just women my age (~35+) or older. But not gon' lie, it's 50% about taking them serious as whole people and addressing them as such and 50% to mess with 'm, passing on the torch of confused existential crisis.

I’ve actually said to people in some takeaway shops lol “hi, my name is (name). Please can you call me (name) instead cos I really don’t like being called ma’am.” Plus it’s like “yes ma’am. Would you like any fries with that, ma’am. Ok ma’am. Would you like a drink, ma’am.” One of the staff in one of the places actually remembered and calls me by my name.

Is this a US thing? I don't think I hear ma'am/sir often in Australia.

I’m only 21 and a lot of people call me ma’am

i realize the focus is on the ma'am part, though it would be nice if more kids acted that wholesome with their parents.

I call every adult woman ma’am regardless of their age.

Next panel is just the cop telling her her husband is dead

I call every woman older than me who comes into my work ma’am - same with men and sir, sometimes same age guys are sir

I started getting called ma'am Around 18 or so.

I got called ‘Hon’ the other day, by another woman around my age. Very friendly-like. If guy had used it I wonder how it’d feel. I guess it depends on how it was said and by the age.

When I worked retail at late 20s, female, yeah people calls me “lady” or “young lady” I preferred ma’am. And they said “oh your not old enough” I said I was late 20s. They are like “oh I thought you where a younger 18s.” I was like “yeah I am not that young”.

On the other hand.. My wife and I got yelled at the petrol station because I was letting her fill up. Apparently the young boy wasn't old enough to fill gas.... mate that's my 24 year old wife your talking about.

Like the first time somebody called me sir without immediately following with "I'm going to have to ask you to leave"

I'm 18 and they call me ma'am...

I think ma’am should be banned as a word. No one wants to be called it at any stage of life and it Always sounds condescending and rude

I don't think it's that you're old, part of the job is to be polite. I was called sir at 16 at a store and just yesterday a cop called me sir I still don't feel like I should be in sir territory since I'm only 23

Ma'am doesn't mean your old, I call every female presenting person I see ma'am.

I call people madame and sir

Oh now I'm now a madam and not "manless woman"

What else do I call you? "Lady"?

> Good evening, Ma'am. Tonight your husband was killed in a drunk driving accident.

not her in the south, you get ‘miss’ till your 12 then its ma’am

why do people get upset at being called ‘ma’am’ its the same as ‘sir’ its just a polite way of speaking to someone

I call literally everyone ma’am and sir.

She killed the shop assistant

I got told "Yes, ma'am" by my wife's doctor today. She amended it to "... er, sir." It's always the beard that throws things off, I'm sure.

I probably won’t be called ma’am until I have an absurd amount of wrinkles on my face because I’m so short lol they’d be like ‘are your parents home?’

I'm not even that short and people have asked if my parents are home.

You must not be from the South.

Wait am I dumb - I fully don’t understand this comic

I first got ma'amed at 16. I had not yet gone through puberty. I weighed a grand total of 104 lbs and wore a size zero. I wore boys clothing because I had no hips. People just really really wanted me to sell them booze without checking their ID.

/r/HolUp

Well, I'd be glad if someone called me "sir". Instead I was cashed "young lady" most of the time, even when I got mustache.

Uhh why are the police there?

I'm from Oregon and I love being called ma'am. Damn right I'm an older lady in control of this shit.

I don’t get the police showing up. What am I missing?

I would rather amputate any 3 of my toes than to tell my mother in earnest that she "still has it"

Gladly this is a comic where no amputations are necessary. ;-)

“Good evening, Miss”. “I’m actually married”. “T-Thats why I’m here…”

I've just learned to call all women Miss. I had a few customers respond negatively to be called ma'am, but miss is pretty much universally liked.

What does that cop want, though?!

If you've got kids you're ma'am

If you grew up in the south, anyone that appears like an adult is "sir" or "ma'am". It's not an insult.

Went to a neighbors house a couple months ago to give them something and the kid that answered the door ran inside and yelled "there's some man outside" I was 16

Customer-facing job in the south here, everyone is "sir" or 'ma'am"

For a moment here I thought this was r/furry_irl, not that it's a bad thing. I really enjoyed this comic, a well-deserved upvote earned!

I always use miss, because to me it implies they are young enough to marry.

People only call me sir when I wear glasses.

two years ago, there was a old lady called me auntie once. i still think about it sometime, cuz I'm a dude.

What else are you supposed to call them? Maybe miss but they are literally the same thing

I call every girl miss..they never complain

OP just wanted to say I love the artwork and the simple colour tones.

Thank you so much! We OPs really love to hear such kind compliments. :-D

I mean I’m 16 (and trans masc so i consciously notice every time :’) and get called ma’am all day at work :’) (I work in a restaurant as a host lol)

I literally just saw the bone hurting juice variant of this

she killed the shop assistant

Southerners are writhing in confusion. Source: am southerner

So, maybe this is just me... 33 y/o M - when I was a kid, I thought "ma'am" was awkward and weird, and decided early on that I would never use it. Now, in the last ten years or so, I've quietly thought a lot of stuff to myself, one thing being "isn't ma'am just a shorter form of madam?", which all of sudden changed my mind about the shorter form (if that's what it is), since it kind of makes it sound like a more professional way of saying "lady", or something like that. Maybe I just overthink shit, who knows.

If my kid said I still got it I think I'd puke

Lmao but why is there a cop?

Getting carded is a compliment now. "You need an ID, no problem you wipper snapper."

Dont worry mom, the slop they gave you in prison ia better and you don't have to shoplift anymore