SoDO they say ma'am in Oklahoma?

[Alpo]

Here in the south, where I was raised, you called men sir and women ma'am. And it really didn't matter how old they were. I've called little girls as young as four ma'am.

 

But up in Yankee land they think ma'am means little old lady, and get offended when you call them ma'am. I'M NOT OLD ENOUGH TO BE A MA'AM!!!

 

I recall on an NCIS many many years back they had Ziva getting upset, because someone called her ma'am.

 

But the episode I'm watching currently, Bishop got upset. But Bishop supposedly came from Oklahoma. That's not only south, but that's West. They say that.

 

Don't they?

 

Yeah, yeah, I know. Television. But still, I'm curious if this was a normal television writers "don't know their donkey from a hole in the ground", or if people in Oklahoma really don't say it.

[Subdeacon Joe]

I think not just regional, but also generational differences.  

About using Sir and Ma'am, until recently I felt uncomfortable when someone obviously older than I am called me Sir.  Women that look to be late teens early twenties I call "miss." For youths I'll say "young sir" or "young miss."

[Texas Joker]

Talked to a fella from Ardmore ok today that kept calling me sir til I told him I work for a living, then he laughed and called me sir again. So I figure they do but that's a sample size of 1

[Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001]

some of us do , BUT at times ya get lazy and just use Darlin' or Dear 

 

 always fun to see the response 

 

  CB 

 

  

[Alpo]

I remember back when Grits was in the White House there was a book come out called HOW TO SPEAK SOUTHERN. It was basically a glossary of Southern terms.

 

One word in the list was DOLLIN'. It said that it was a term of affection used by Southern men to many different women. Said that Jimmy called a waitress that (thank ya Dollin') while he was on the campaign trail, and the newspapers had a field day.

[J-BAR #18287]

I live an hour’s drive from the Oklahoma line. All the folks who belong here (!) use Ma’am and Sir. 
 

If you don’t use Ma’am and Sir, please go somewhere else.

[St. Louis Suomi SASS #31905]

Howdy:

 

My family and the Sgt I had for basic instilled in me the thought that every male  should be addressed at SIR and every female was to be addressed as Ma'am regardless of rank or age.  It was just a way of saying "I respect you."  I  my taught my children to do that  I still do that.

 

STL Suomi

[Yellowhouse Sam # 25171]

Those of us here that knows whats good for us do.

[Doc Moses]

Born bred and buttered in Oklahoma, lived there for 53 years b4 moving to Texas. We say ma'am.

[Buffalo Creek Law Dog]

Up here in Alberta we use sir and ma'am.  I was in a store one time and a male customer called the female clerk, Madam.  She came back with, "I am not a Madam, I'm a married woman, thank you."  I told the following story on this site a few years back.  We had very few female officers in the Air Force at that time, and I actually served on two bases where there were none. On this one base I was O i/c MP Section and as I was walking through the Base HQ, a female Captain called me as I walked past her office, when I walked in she said, "Lloyd, would you please tell your MPs to stop calling me sir.

[Alpo]

2 minutes ago, Buffalo Creek Law Dog said:

"I am not a Madam, I'm a married woman, thank you." 

I thought that was the difference. Madam was married, while mademoiselle was not.

 

Like senoraSEÑORA and senoritaSEÑORITA, or Frau and fraulein.

[The Shoer 27979]

I am from California and have used ma'am and sir forever(my parents come from Oklahoma  and Texas plus a lot of family in Kansas  and Tennessee)till somebody disrespects me then I call them every name I can think of

[watab kid]

back when i was in oklahoma they did and as noted above darlin was used quite frequently but on base i seldom heard darlin used , there were a number of female pilots around but i always heard them addressed by rank 

[Linn Keller, SASS 27332, BOLD 103]

Actual conversation with a physician, some years back:

The Doctor: 

"My father's name is sir."

Me:
"My apologies, sir, habit is a hard thing to break."

[Alpo]

2 hours ago, Linn Keller, SASS 27332, BOLD 103 said:

"My father's name is sir."

I've never heard either of these in real life, I hear them frequently on television. And I'm always glad that it's on TV and not in front of me, because if someone actually said that to me I would be tempted to bitch slap him.

 

"Don't call me sir, I work for a living." This one, I understand, is normally said by non-commissioned officers and former non-commissioned officers. The implication is that commissioned officers, who are referred to as sir, sit around and don't do anything leaving all the work to be done by the ncos.

 

"Don't call me Mr Jones. Mr Jones is my father. I'm Bob."

 

This one deserves more than a bitch slap. This one deserves a baseball bat up side the head, followed by a severe rib kicking when he's down on the ground.

 

As best as I can tell, this one is used by grown men that have not accepted the fact that they are grown.