Since when is saying ma’am bad?

The other day I read a letter in the Dear Abby column that nearly floored me.

Did you know that addressing women as ma’am is considered bad to many women?

Why?

I always thought it was a touch of southern hospitality and an expression of respect.

What I learned is it’s used in the military to address women of power. But I also learned that some see it as a form of degrading women and keeping them in their place – much like the name Mammy is associated with cooking.

Before long, we’ll have gone through the entire dictionary and made something derogatory out of every single word.

Miriam Webster would be turning over in the grave!