Friday, May 29, 2009
Week #2 Eureka Moment
Well, I was in the grocery store a few days ago and had a little trouble grabbing a particular can from the top shelf. One of the employees was very kind and rendered help, but phrased it in a way that bothered me a little. He came over to me and saw me struggling and ignorantly said, "need some help lil lady?" I know I only stand at 5 ft 2 inches but I am sure he wouldnt have said that if I was older. He made the comment because he knew I was obviously older than a teenager but was not in my 30s. Two points came to mind. #1. He should not have referred to me as such considering I was a paying customer. and #2. I would have still been upset if he had called me "ma'am" or something of that sort. The main point is he could have easily just asked "Do you need some help?", without any reference to my gender or size or age. Do you think it is necessary to acknowledge one's gender when speaking directly to them? Do older people disregard age when addressing the younger generation at times?
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It's funny that you had an issue with him calling you "lil lady".. he may have said it jokingly but I could see how it may have offended you. Sometimes we as humans are a little sensitive to certain subjects age and height maybe two of the most common ones that I know of. My husband is 6'4" and he's gets a little touchy everytime people ask him does he play basketball as a profession (as an example). Also... one day when I was in the store some younger girls were passing by me and said "excuse me maam" and I thought jeesh, I'm not that much older them! Am I starting to look old ?!? At what age does the younger generation think that your a "maam" or "sir". As far as acknowledging one's gender when speaking directly to them I belive that traditionally it was done out of respect. You'll still get a lot of that in the south so I guess it's dependent upon location and I do think older people disregard age when addressing younger people that younger people do to adults.
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