I have no issues with miss and none with ma'am either.
My issue lies with "Ms." I hate the word. Absolutely despise it. If someone calls me "Ms." I correct them with a "Miss". ...at least, I used to. I've spent a lot of time in small towns now so I'm usually greeted with either "miss," "ma'am," or my name. The fact that I so vehemently despised "Ms." (at some point in my life at least) is what stayed with me. I would honestly rather be mistaken as a "Mrs." and be able to say "Miss" rather than deal with a "Ms." I think it's because I don't like the way "Ms." sounds with my last name. Although I will admit to adoring an 8th grade English teacher who went by the name "Mz. Dennis." For some reason using a z instead of an s makes all the difference in the world for me.
And I believe I skew your results as to who we tend to befriend, Elizabeth. I have always been more drawn to friendships with guys than friendships with girls. Possibly because the girls were much, much crueler to me than the boys were (all of that two-faced-ness and gossip and all of that). I actually have about half as many girlfriends as guy friends.
On the Miss/Ma'am conversation, among other things
My issue lies with "Ms." I hate the word. Absolutely despise it. If someone calls me "Ms." I correct them with a "Miss". ...at least, I used to. I've spent a lot of time in small towns now so I'm usually greeted with either "miss," "ma'am," or my name. The fact that I so vehemently despised "Ms." (at some point in my life at least) is what stayed with me. I would honestly rather be mistaken as a "Mrs." and be able to say "Miss" rather than deal with a "Ms." I think it's because I don't like the way "Ms." sounds with my last name.
Although I will admit to adoring an 8th grade English teacher who went by the name "Mz. Dennis." For some reason using a z instead of an s makes all the difference in the world for me.
And I believe I skew your results as to who we tend to befriend, Elizabeth. I have always been more drawn to friendships with guys than friendships with girls. Possibly because the girls were much, much crueler to me than the boys were (all of that two-faced-ness and gossip and all of that). I actually have about half as many girlfriends as guy friends.