# Don't call us "ladies"! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 23, 2025, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-us-ladies/1021223 "2025-07-23T15:22:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-us-ladies/1021223/1 "2025-07-23T15:22:42Z")
> **[Judge dismisses suit brought by educator who lost superintendent job after...](https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2025/07/22/judge-dismisses-suit-brought-by-educator-who-lost-superintendent-job-after-calling-women-ladies/)** > > Vito Perrone sued when his job offer for superintendent was abruptly rescinded after he referred to a group of women hiring him as "ladies." ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-us-ladies/1021223/2 "2025-07-23T15:31:42Z")
I get the feeling that there’s a lot more going on here than made it into the story. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-us-ladies/1021223/3 "2025-07-23T15:34:17Z")
This sounded familiar. It turns out we talked about this when it first happened: > [@Easthampton school superintendent job offer abruptly rescinded](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easthampton-school-superintendent-job-offer-abruptly-rescinded/982248): > > Easthampton seems to be in New Hampshire. A guy was offered a job as the school superintendent. The offer was rescinded when he used the salutation, “Ladies and Gentlemen” in an email. It seems the term “ladies” is a sexist micro aggression. As for myself, I always use “Ladles and Jellyspoons.” It seems more polite. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-us-ladies/1021223/4 "2025-07-23T15:37:40Z")
Well, how do you formally address a group of women? Madams? Y’all? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-us-ladies/1021223/5 "2025-07-23T15:51:47Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I get the feeling that there’s a lot more going on here than made it into the story. The rest of the story is in the article. The committee was discussing a job offer with Perrone. Perrone wrote a letter to the committee asking for more pay and more time off. The committee told Perrone they had decided not to hire him. Perrone then claimed that the reason the committee chose not to hire him was because he addressed them as “ladies” in his letter. Perrone then filed a lawsuit which a judge has now dismissed. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-us-ladies/1021223/6 "2025-07-23T16:05:26Z")
OK, I guess “lost his job after he referred to the hiring committee as ‘ladies’” is technically true, in that one event chronologically came after the other. But it’s wholly irresponsible of the newspaper to phrase it in such a misleading way, because it implies, against all evidence, that that was the reason. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-us-ladies/1021223/7 "2025-07-23T16:07:27Z")
In 1990, at the hearings for soon-to-be \*Justice David Souter, Sen. Strom Thurmond referred to a group of women as “lovely ladies,” one of whom was Molly Yard. It had probably been a while since Yard had been described thus. Regardless, they were not amused or flattered. \*Who just died two months ago, I see. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-us-ladies/1021223/8 "2025-07-23T16:13:44Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > OK, I guess “lost his job after he referred to the hiring committee as ‘ladies’” is technically true, in that one event chronologically came after the other. His tombstone will say “post hoc ergo propter hoc”. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-us-ladies/1021223/9 "2025-07-23T16:21:33Z")
You mean he’ll die from it? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-us-ladies/1021223/10 "2025-07-23T16:40:10Z")
27 dopers in the room, anybody know “post hoc, ergo propter hoc”? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-us-ladies/1021223/11 "2025-07-23T16:42:11Z")
OK ! OK! I hoid youse broads in da foist place! ---
**Author:** ![FrenchDunadan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frenchdunadan/32/5449_2.png) [@FrenchDunadan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrenchDunadan)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-us-ladies/1021223/12 "2025-07-23T16:47:28Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > anybody know “post hoc, ergo propter hoc”? After that so because of that ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-us-ladies/1021223/13 "2025-07-23T16:54:52Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > 27 dopers in the room, anybody know “post hoc, ergo propter hoc”? Sorry, I don’t speak Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-us-ladies/1021223/14 "2025-07-23T17:02:20Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > In 1990, at the hearings for soon-to-be \*Justice David Souter, Sen. Strom Thurmond referred to a group of women as “lovely ladies,” Which is distinctly different from “ladies and gentlemen” as a general, if possibly old-fashioned, greeting term. > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > 27 dopers in the room, anybody know “post hoc, ergo propter hoc” Yup. After something, therefore because of that something. A logical fallacy. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-us-ladies/1021223/15 "2025-07-23T17:34:33Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Well, how do you formally address a group of women? “Good afternoon.” ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-us-ladies/1021223/16 "2025-07-23T18:49:12Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > But it’s wholly irresponsible of the newspaper to phrase it in such a misleading way, because it implies, against all evidence, that that was the reason. That’s the way journalism is done now. It’s called clickbait. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-us-ladies/1021223/17 "2025-07-23T18:50:55Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > 27 dopers in the room, anybody know “post hoc, ergo propter hoc”? Of course. It’s the logical fallacy that one (incorrectly) assumes that something is related just because it followed the other thing sequentially. Like vaccines cause autism. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-us-ladies/1021223/18 "2025-07-23T18:56:29Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Well, how do you formally address a group of women? Madams? Y’all? Dudes. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-us-ladies/1021223/19 "2025-07-23T19:27:45Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > > [@Reply](#): > > > > Well, how do you formally address a group of women? Madams? Y’all? > > Dudes or Guys. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-us-ladies/1021223/20 "2025-07-23T20:04:32Z")
And Dolls. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-us-ladies/1021223.md?page=2)