Hey Ladies!!!

I think I have figured out one of the reasons for the gender divide, at least in English-speaking cultures.

It's the use of the words "sir" and "ma'am."

Sir, obviously, is masculine and can denote a male of any age whom one does not know the name of. Respectful, quick, and easy. It's perfect.

Ma'am, on the other hand, denotes maturity, which can be a problem for some members of the female population, and is at very least, politely avoided by anyone with the smallest amount of tact, (or someone in a cab, trying to get a tip.)

Even the derivatives of Ma'am; Miss, Mrs, and Mizz are just as, if not more, off-putting. From there you can only reduce it to "Lady." Which, depending on your generation, conjures memories of either Jerry Lewis or the Beastie Boys screaming, "Hey Lady(ies)!!"

So what's a poor cabdriver to say when he wants to get the attention of a 30 something female whom he doesn't know the name of and needs to communicate the confirmation of a pick up time from across a parking lot to?

Hey You!!!

Naw, only joking, I used, "excuse me," but it made me wonder if there was anything to the argument that women have no identifier that is respectful yet still not age-identifying.

Oh well, not a big deal as far as gender politics (or anything for that matter) go, just a general observation.

Not unlike the observation made by drunk-dub regarding the unseasonably nice weather, "Well, this Global Warming thing is turning out to be alright, ain't it?"

He was serious. Guess he didn't hear (or rather doesn't care) about the Polar Bears.