So I'm buying some props for my Edinburgh show. (Gratuitous plug: If you've coming to the festival and still don't have tickets for Apes Like Me please buy some here) and the website says it charges more if you order by phone so I use the online form and I get a choice of "Mr", "Mrs", "Master" or "Miss". What century is this? How can the internet age have come upon us and yet "Master" is a more likely form of address than "Ms"? They may in fact have stabbed themselves in the foot because my credit card is in the name "Ms" and I'm quietly hoping it'll be declined. It's rude to expect to define women based on their marital status. Whose business is it but mine what my family set-up is? And I don't care if "Ms" doesn't stand for anything or if it isn't clear to you how you should pronounce it, just use it, it's about respect. Grrrr. (I'm cross and so is my elephant!!).
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Wrongly Addressed
So I'm buying some props for my Edinburgh show. (Gratuitous plug: If you've coming to the festival and still don't have tickets for Apes Like Me please buy some here) and the website says it charges more if you order by phone so I use the online form and I get a choice of "Mr", "Mrs", "Master" or "Miss". What century is this? How can the internet age have come upon us and yet "Master" is a more likely form of address than "Ms"? They may in fact have stabbed themselves in the foot because my credit card is in the name "Ms" and I'm quietly hoping it'll be declined. It's rude to expect to define women based on their marital status. Whose business is it but mine what my family set-up is? And I don't care if "Ms" doesn't stand for anything or if it isn't clear to you how you should pronounce it, just use it, it's about respect. Grrrr. (I'm cross and so is my elephant!!).
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Virgin Mobile used to have a list of 30 titles you could choose when signing up with them, but not Ms, annoyingly. So I became "Rabbi Foster" for the entirety of my contract.
OMG there are really companies that don't even give you the *option* of Ms?
I have noticed recently that, although I definitely use Ms (I always do and have done for years) I am getting correspondence to Miss. How rude is that? Either these people are too thick to know the difference or are deliberately being rude. Debenhams for one have lost my business.
yes ink - it is a golden rule of "small acts of feminism" that if there is a list of options and "ms" ain't there - you choose the most ridiculous one. i have had parcels delivered to "princess", which is always nice if you have to sign for them, you can then take offense if the post-person doesn't curtsy!!
i am always amazed actually when mail from friends comes addressed to "miss". i mean i just use "ms" for everyone unless they've expressed a preference. and most of them are well aware that i write feminist stuff and talk about feminist issues on the radio and on tv a fair bit. you would think something would click some time...
Post a Comment