[Lynne19799]

I grew up in the Detroit area, but I moved to Florida in my 20’s and have been here over 20 years. Ever since I got here, in some circumstances I have been called ‘Miss Lynne’. It isn’t a form of address used only by women or only by younger people to older ones. It’s also used in situations where ‘Ms Last Name’–and yes, they do know and use the title ‘Ms’ in the South–seems too formal, and just a first name might be thought too casual. Or it can be an affectionate way to speak to a friend, similar to calling a man buddy or bubba or brother. In the South, social behavior does tend to be somewhat more formal than in other parts of the country. I am sure there are some Southerners who might agree with you that it’s low class and unliberated and ignorant behavior, but most of them would just think it polite, and most other people, too–there are a lot of Northern transplants down here, and I don’t think I’ve ever come across anyone who finds it offensive. If you were in Japan, would you ‘have a beef’ about being expected to remove your shoes when entering a building? I think you’d probably just accept that that’s how it’s done there.

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Name : Lynne19799, Gender : F, City : Gainesville, State : FL, Country : United States, 

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