Don't Call Me Ma'am: Senator Boxer

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GuilewasNK

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http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/us_world/Dont-Call-Me-Maam-Senator-Boxer.html

Don't call me ma'am, Senator Barbara Boxer (D.-Calif.) barked at him as he started to explain delays in repairs to New Orleans's levee system.

"Do me a favor," she continued. "Could you call me 'Senator' instead of 'ma'am'? It's just a thing. I worked so hard to get that title, so I'd appreciate it, yes, thank you."

The Hot Air blog points out that Walsh had addressed Senator David Vitter as "sir," not "Senator," in the same hearing.
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Well, she's wearing her balls on the outside isn't she?

I REALLY can't stand people like her.
 
when colbert was in iraq he interviewed a guy and a girl from the army, that girl pissed me off in the same way.. steven mentioned something about her winning a medal for something and she's all "i earned a medal", and she made a few feminist comments as well

i dont quite know how to describe that personality type.. it's not really arrogance, but it's like, cocky douchebag pride.. which i guess is sort of arrogance.. but it's not.. let's just call em douchebags
 
My mother, who would kill me if she knew I was comparing her with Barbara Boxer :)lol:) was the same way.

She would very sternly inform people that she was NOT "missus." She was "doctor."

I don't see why this is a big deal, unless you're going out of your way to dislike someone the media tells you to dislike. how would you feel if we referred to "mister obama," or "mister bush."?

Indifferent, perhaps? So why is the converse such a big fuckin' deal?
 
"mr. obama/bush" would seem inappropriate to me but for a different reason.. it's just customary that our presidents are always referred to as "President " or "Mr. President", less is disrespectful because it shows intent to go against custom formality, implying that you feel the formality is unwarranted

If someone called Obama "sir" that'd be 100% fine, and he'd be a douche if he turned around and said "Don't call me sir, call me President Obama"
 
[quote name='Koggit']"mr. obama/bush" would seem inappropriate to me but for a different reason.. it's just customary that our presidents are always referred to as "President " or "Mr. President", less is disrespectful because it shows intent to go against custom formality, implying that you feel the formality is unwarranted

If someone called Obama "sir" that'd be 100% fine, and he'd be a douche if he turned around and said "Don't call me sir, call me President Obama"[/QUOTE]

exactly what i was going to say.
 
I had yet to hear about this, but I can understand. This is similar to working your ass off so you can be Dr. Soandso just to have some chump kid call you Pops one day. I don't have a problem would this, even though it does come off a bit condescending.

I thought this was going to go the other way -- "Don't call me ma'am! I'm not old!" I've had waitresses say that to me with a stern look on their face, needless to say those people don't get tips.
 
calling a doctor pops is disrespectful unless youre the doctors kid. but calling a doctor sir or ma'am, isnt bad at all.

dr: have you had these symptoms long?
you: no sir.


see thats fine.
 
[quote name='Koggit']If someone called Obama "sir" that'd be 100% fine, and he'd be a douche if he turned around and said "Don't call me sir, call me President Obama"[/QUOTE]

Perfect example.

Although, I detest the word douche and douchebag. A douche is a useful hygiene product. The description "arrogant ass" is more appropriate. The fact she even stopped the man to correct him shows she has an overvalued sense of self IMO. I mean, the guy addressed each senator as "sir" or "ma'am" not "senator".
 
I'm thankful that none of my professors have ever demanded to be called by any titles, they were all really informal, even the older ones.

Seems like titles only matter to people who really wanted them in the first place.
 
God, imagine being married to that witch. As a follow-up I'd like to see what the General calls her after she loses her seat because of this debacle. :lol:
 
Kind of fits in her pattern. "Haughty" is as good a word as any. She's the kind of person who would sigh audibly when someone said something she disagreed with, like Gore did to Bush in 2000.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']My mother, who would kill me if she knew I was comparing her with Barbara Boxer :)lol:) was the same way.

She would very sternly inform people that she was NOT "missus." She was "doctor."

I don't see why this is a big deal, unless you're going out of your way to dislike someone the media tells you to dislike. how would you feel if we referred to "mister obama," or "mister bush."?

Indifferent, perhaps? So why is the converse such a big fuckin' deal?[/QUOTE]

I knew you wouldn't understand. In fact, as soon as I read the first post I just knew everyone but you would recognize the absurdity of the situation. It also doesn't surprise me that your mother acted this way.
 
Sure, it's a little arrogant/cocky I guess, but I don't see how it's a big deal. It isn't like she didn't earn the title.

Same as the earn vs. win on Colbert - any jackass can win something, but earning takes effort (at least in common parlance).

I get what you're talking about, but it's basically like "sure, she earned the title, but if I don't address her by that and she says something, then god dammit she's a bitch." And while I wouldn't get worked up about something like that, if someone earns a title, and wishes to be addressed by it, then so be it. That's also something I wouldn't get worked up about.
 
[quote name='SpazX']Same as the earn vs. win on Colbert - any jackass can win something, but earning takes effort (at least in common parlance).[/QUOTE]

speaking of yourself that you "earned" any sort of commendation is cocky as hell, and

win
to succeed by striving or effort: He applied for a scholarship and won.
 
[quote name='Koggit']speaking of yourself that you "earned" any sort of commendation is cocky as hell, and

win
to succeed by striving or effort: He applied for a scholarship and won.[/QUOTE]

Somehow I knew the definition game was coming (maybe I started it), hence my aside at the end:

common
widespread; general; ordinary

parlance
a way or manner of speaking; vernacular; idiom

Nobody says they "won" their paycheck or "won" that promotion or raise. You win the lottery, or a match in Halo. It has a different connotation, so I can see where somebody might want to say they earned something rather than winning it.

In any case I'll continue to only get pissed if somebody is cocky about something that they didn't work for.
 
Right after the chick said that steven said "Yeah, sorry, you earn medals and I win emmys" or something like that..

you don't think it'd be weird if steven said "i earned two emmys"? an awarded commendation for job well done.. same thing.
 
[quote name='Koggit']Right after the chick said that steven said "Yeah, sorry, you earn medals and I win emmys" or something like that..

you don't think it'd be weird if steven said "i earned two emmys"? an awarded commendation for job well done.. same thing.[/QUOTE]

Haha that's why you don't try and one-up a comedian. The comeback game is their home-turf.
 
[quote name='Koggit']Right after the chick said that steven said "Yeah, sorry, you earn medals and I win emmys" or something like that..

you don't think it'd be weird if steven said "i earned two emmys"? an awarded commendation for job well done.. same thing.[/QUOTE]

Weird for the same reasons I was talking about.

I just watched the segment on Hulu and I don't know exactly what "combat badge" she was awarded, but I think people would view it more along the lines of "paycheck" than something like an emmy, which is essentially PR. And Colbert and the woman he was interviewing (and perhaps the audience of soldiers, from their reaction) apparently view it that way. Though technically she wasn't correcting him from "won" to "earned" but from "won" to "awarded" which apparenty carries a weight more similar to "earned" in her opinion.

Paychecks are payment for a job (assumed to be well done, otherwise no payment), and promotions are commendations and bigger paychecks given for a job well done, but I still don't think you or anybody else would quite categorize them the same as an emmy, and hence wouldn't describe them with the same words, even if "won" and "earn" can be interchangable strictly by definition.

This got really long.
 
This entire story should have been shut down since military procedure is to use Senator, sir, or ma'am. He did not break protocol.

All this nonsense over having to respect a flaunted title makes me think of how we have to call Elton John "Sir" despite the fact his knighthood doesn't mean shit in the absence of a monarchy. The King of Pop has more power than the Queen of England.
 
[quote name='camoor']I knew you wouldn't understand. In fact, as soon as I read the first post I just knew everyone but you would recognize the absurdity of the situation. It also doesn't surprise me that your mother acted this way.[/QUOTE]

Just like I knew you'd fall in line with the rest of the numbskulls here and act like this is something that fucking matters.

Look at the quote in the OP. What is such an asshole thing about what she did that it warrants the kind of venom all the uptight males who post here have towards her.

Double dog dare you - triple dog dare you to tell me what she has said or done of significance that y'all have such a venomous, poisonous attitude towards her. Without googling - if you find yourself having to google her to find out why you dislike her, then I hope you discover how pathetic you are in so flagrantly starting with your conclusion - that you hate boxer - and searching for reasons to support the baseless attitude you started with.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']Just like I knew you'd fall in line with the rest of the numbskulls here and act like this is something that fucking matters.

Look at the quote in the OP. What is such an asshole thing about what she did that it warrants the kind of venom all the uptight males who post here have towards her.

[/QUOTE]

In her case I see it like this...

A jackass personality trait is a jackass personality trait and being a woman doesn't excuse her from being criticized for it IMO. She was treated very respectfully with the use of ma'am and basically said it wasn't good enough for her. First impressions speak volumes. Could my opinion change? Sure, but she'll have to get her ass off her shoulders first.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']
Look at the quote in the OP. What is such an asshole thing about what she did that it warrants the kind of venom all the uptight males who post here have towards her.

[/QUOTE]


I was at the doctor one time waiting in the lobby. Some older woman and her husband went in before me. The doctor greeted them "Hello Mr. and Mrs. X" (I don't remember their last name). The husband became a complete douchebag and was like "I'm a doctor. I'd appreciate it if you called me Dr. X". He said it in a real snotty way too. IMO the guy needed to chill the fuck out and relax about the whole thing. How is the doctor supposed to know that he was a doctor too? It's one of those things you overlook unless you're insecure about yourself or something. I just find it bizarre she had to stop the discussion just so she can address the guy and put his ass in check, rather than just ignoring the whole thing.
 
[quote name='Blackout']I was at the doctor one time waiting in the lobby. Some older woman and her husband went in before me. The doctor greeted them "Hello Mr. and Mrs. X" (I don't remember their last name). The husband became a complete douchebag and was like "I'm a doctor. I'd appreciate it if you called me Dr. X". He said it in a real snotty way too. IMO the guy needed to chill the fuck out and relax about the whole thing. How is the doctor supposed to know that he was a doctor too? It's one of those things you overlook unless you're insecure about yourself or something. I just find it bizarre she had to stop the discussion just so she can address the guy and put his ass in check, rather than just ignoring the whole thing.[/QUOTE]

Snobs, that the word I was looking for.

Snobbish behavior is offensive regardless if it a senator, a doctor, or anyone else.
 
I don't know that I see snottiness in the choice of words she used, whether or not we agree that this is something that should be bickered over.

I think it's a stretch to take bitch out of "Could you call me 'Senator' instead of 'ma'am'? It's just a thing. I worked so hard to get that title, so I'd appreciate it, yes, thank you."
 
I just hope that somebody asks the same of her, just to see if it pisses her off. That probably won't happen just because nobody else seems to care as much about it as she does.

Seems to me that people of equal rank and title usually are more informal with each other anyway.
 
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