- Calling Names - Where You From? - Rootbeer - and Charms

[aprilgc at ivillage.com]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., Rita Winston <catlady at w...> wrote:

> Dr Pam wrote:
> > I also insist that my children call adults by 
> > title+surname (which can be difficult because 
> > nobody around here seems to have a consistent 
> > family name) 
 
> > and expect their friends to address me as Mrs. 
> > Hugonnet.   I frequently find the reactions to 
> > varies along  ethnic lines:  African American 
> > children are much more likely to address me 
> > either as Aunt Pam or Miss Pam; 
> 
I stepped onto a soapbox about the whole name thing when I was a child, 
and I haven't changed my mind since. I started calling my mom by her 
first name (I asked her permission) when I was nine, and from that 
point addressed her brothers and sisters (all younger than she) by 
their first names as well. One of my aunts complained (told my 
grandmother on me <g>), to which I replied that if she believed she was 
so superior that we couldn't relate on a first-name basis, I really had 
nothing to say to her anyway. Once she realized that I was completely 
serious, she didn't insist that I give her a title (and it didn't hurt 
that I was calling her big sister by name -- as long as her own 
children didn't get any ideas).<g>

I developed an "attitude" problem (read a problem with other people's 
attitudes <g>) early on. I didn't have a problem calling teachers 
"Mrs./Mr. Last Name", but objected strenously to the required "Ma'am" 
and "Sir", and refused to comply. As in:
Teacher: "Any questions."
April: "What does it mean when..."
Teacher: "It means xxx. Do you understand now?"
April: "Yes."
Teacher: "Yes, what?" (Required answer, "Yes, Ma'am", because sometimes 
teachers must remind children who forget.)
April: "Yes, I understand now, thank you." (Which generally shut them 
up, because they couldn't punish me for being "impolite" in the 
presence of all that politeness. Which is exactly what I intended. <G>)

I moved out of the south and to more relaxed atmospheres, and had 
forgotten about all that till my aunt (another one, 5 years older than 
I) came to visit and brought two of her friends. She introduced them to 
me by their first names, and I referred to them by their first names. 
If they had a problem with it, I guess they got over it; nobody 
mentioned anything to me. I didn't think anything of it until the next 
time she introduced me to one of her friends. She said, "Debbie, this 
is my niece, April. April, this is my friend, Mrs. Lastname." lol

That whole "respect your elders" deal has always disturbed me. Sure, if 
I'm sitting on public transportation, I happily give up my seat to the 
standing "elder" - that's a matter of me being physically better 
equipped for standing (no tomatoes from the physically fit elderly, 
please - I think we all know which seniors I'm speaking of; not the 
ones who're in better shape than I am <g>). As I told my grandmother 
when she fed me that line on that long-ago day, an old person is not 
necessarily a person worthy of respect. Murderers, child molesters, and 
wife-beaters age, too (part of me still can't believe either that I 
said it, or that I'm alive to tell the tale). There are a lot of people 
younger than I am who have accomplished or given more that's worthy of 
respect than I have; how could I demand respect from them based solely 
on the fact that I've occupied space on the planet longer?
::sheepishly and apologetically stepping off the box::
<snip>
> The closest I've come to encountering the Mr/Miss Firstname in real life
> was reading in newspapers about Miss Lillian (Jimmy Carter's mother),
> but I seem to have assigned it to at least the Malfoy part of the
> British wizarding world... 
> 
Maybe it's a southern thing. The Miss/Mr. Firstname is big in Louisiana 
and at least parts of Texas.
<snip>
Oops, I deleted the part about where you come from. I can relate to the 
difficulties there - I was an army brat. <G>

Benjamin, Rootbeer = GOOD stuff, Benjamin <g>. Actually, (this is a 
REALLY good place for another "Benjamin" - sorry, I saw your post about 
the name <g>) in the south they make it at home, as an uncarbonated 
drink (like you'd make iced tea, but with less hassle). You just buy a 
bottle of "rootbeer extract", pour a couple tablespoons into a pitcher, 
add water, sugar, and lemon juice - the directions are on the bottle. 
I'm not in the south now, or I'd send you a bottle. <g>

Charms ...

Would the magical person or persons in charge of the healing remedies 
please step forward. The anti-blister charms that I tried to do didn't 
work, and I've got to walk 7 miles on Saturday. (wishful wishing) <g>

...the brevity charm also seems to have failed. <vbg>

Magically yours,
Lady Leprechaun