Wait… This is a big deal?
I find it increasingly funny that I’m late 30s and people still guess I’m in my early 20s. I’ve tried most of my life trying to look older (it helps in academia) and if it wasn’t for “Dr.” behind my name I think I’d have a hard time getting people to take me seriously.
Although to be fair they probably shouldn’t take me too seriously, lol.
People really get in their heads about this being because they’re aging but really it’s just because you’re not a child and you’re talking to a person at their job who is being polite to you.
Before I read your comment I honestly thought it was a trans woman coming to the realization she was passing without even trying. Did think the expression in the last panel was a bit odd XD
Or you live anywhere in the south and are a woman
People expect themselves to be children until the world proves them wrong.
I have two feelings about this:
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This is why I call everyone “boss/captain” when I can
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Having lived in the US South, this wouldn’t even register for me because EVERYONE who looks 16+ gets called sir/ma’am by everyone else. Hell, I’ve seen the usage extended to kiddos to teach them universal respect through example, too.
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Many men will remember the first bit of mail they received with Mr <Surname> on it and it wasn’t for their father, but I also remember being cut to the core being referred to as the subject of “watch out for that man” as a child escaped its parent and barrelled obliviously in my direction. To them I was merely an NPC.
My thoughts were along the lines of ’ “That man”?! Me?! Well… I suppose so. But, “man”? What? No. I’m just me. ’
I mean, I’m sure as heck not a woman, nor am I non-binary, but “man” is way too strong a term. “Adult male human” doesn’t even feel right, because much of the time I’m who I was at 7 years of age, just in a shell that’s 7 times that age.
But er, maybe that’s just me.
That’s so real.
I can’t be a man, I’m just a guy
I once had a supermarket cashier apply a senior citizen discount to my transaction without prompting. I mean, I’m not young but I’d like to think I don’t look like a senior citizen just yet.
I spent my 20s next to a booze store where this old lady worked who LOVED me for some reason and would give me and anyone I was with the senior discount all the time. Then she got in trouble and had to stop. Then she stopped giving a fuck and did it anyway, despite me and my friends telling her not to.
I hope she’s still around and still a fuckin G
In my later days of working at a supermarket, knowing I was going to imminently give my two weeks, I used to apply all sorts of discounts to people. “You get a senior discount”, “You get a student discount”, “You get bonus points”, “I can’t tell if these are the organic tomatoes so I’ll just charge for the cheaper ones”, etc.
On my last day, I loaded up the savings card of my last customer with bonus gas points equivalent of having spent $1000 in groceries (basically just $1 off per gallon of gas). Curious to know if I ended up causing a stir after leaving, I asked a friend of mine who still worked there if anyone made a fuss. No one ever noticed or complained.
The store probably loses an order of magnitude more each day just on the amount of expired food they throw away. Yet the corporate propaganda wants their employees to feel like they just robbed a bank if you so much as scan a coupon that the customer didn’t bring with them.
Discount though, nice. Hopefully you didn’t say anything :p.
Oh, no complaints from me.
I AM MAM
Is a good name for a horror movie.
I was at the airport going through security several years ago and there was this gal in front of me, probably out in her early twenties. She was dressed in quite a glamorous way and clearly took pride in her appearance. Seemed like a nice enough person too. For reference I was probably old enough to be her father.
As she’s walking away I realized she had left her hand bag or some other personal item. I called out to her but for some reason I had a brainfart and said “excuse me ma’am” instead of “excuse me miss”.
She didn’t my seem to notice my faux pas and was appreciative that I had let her know. But I sometimes wonder if after she walked away this was her “oh fuck, I’m a ma’am?!” moment. Which was definitely not my intention.
I dunno, I’ve been called sir since I graduated high school basically. It wasn’t a crazy “I’m getting old” moment at all.
It’s different for women. “Miss” implies youthfulness but can also be used as a snide way of implying nobody wants to marry her, whereas “ma’am” implies deference on the part of the speaker but can also be used cruelly to imply she’s old and matronly. There’s basically no situation for a woman in which something neutral or positive can’t also be used as a way of making a dig at her for not being as good as a theoretical ideal woman.
Yes mistress
Yeah I was taught only to call someone “Miss” if she is 100% confirmed single otherwise it’s an insult. So I never use it.
I didn’t know “Ma’am” was an insult for old people.
Ahh, I suppose that’s true. I’ve always throught it was weird that women have miss/ma’am instead of just ma’am, so I forget that miss exists haha.
Yeah I never felt that either but that’s probably because my mom called me miss ma’am a lot growing up.
she’s old… and passing
I thought this was a passing comic at first and couldn’t figure out the last panel.
Same!
