Can the Anglo-American phrase “Ladies and Gentlemen” apply to our society?

Explore the meaning of respect in the Anglo-American phrase “Ladies and Gentlemen” through your experiences as a Catoosa volunteer, homestay, and traveling in Europe. Explain how the phrase is more than just a greeting, but indicative of social respect and manners, and discuss its applicability to our own society.

 

The phrase “Ladies and Gentlemen” is often heard in movies and foreign media. Its direct translation, “ladies and gentlemen,” is also familiar to us. We used to accept these phrases without any special meaning and sometimes used them as greetings. However, a few Anglo-American experiences have made me rethink the meaning of “Ladies and Gentlemen”. My service in the U.S. Army as a KATUSA, two homestays, and a visit to the United Kingdom while backpacking through Europe in college gave me the opportunity to experience Americans and British people and understand their lives and cultures. Through these experiences, I realized that the phrase “Ladies and Gentlemen” is not just a way to make someone feel good, but a way to give each other a sense of entitlement based on a culture of respect. In this article, I’d like to take a look at the differences between the culture of respect in the U.S. and Korea based on my experience.
The phrase “Ladies and Gentlemen” actually originated in the United Kingdom. A quick look at the etymology of Lady and Gentleman reveals that they are related to social status and have a noble connotation. Historically, it also referred to the status of having the right to vote, and as a result, men and women were given the right to vote equally, and the phrase “Ladies and Gentlemen” became a keyword for social manners and respect. The phrase has social and historical connotations of respect. The United States has also been influenced by the British and uses this phrase often. I’ve noticed a lot of social and cultural differences in respect between the U.S. and Korea, and I’d like to share some of the common ones I’ve experienced.
I spent 21 months living with American soldiers while serving in the military as a catwalker. I did office work with them, trained with them, ate with them, and worked out with them in my free time. I saw a lot of “respect” in them, especially in their gym habits. I’d been to several gyms before joining the military, but I noticed that American soldiers had a habit of wiping the sweat off their seats after working out. When you use a gym machine, you’re bound to leave sweat marks where you sat or laid down, and almost all of them wiped them clean afterward. This was a voluntary act of consideration for the next person.
This respectful behavior was also seen in the mess hall and offices. When soldiers lined up to eat at meal times, they would do the same if an American officer was present, and they would eat first in line. Regardless of rank, they entered the mess hall and were served first. Although rank is important in the U.S. military, I could feel the respect on a human-to-human basis. Even within the unit offices, handoffs were organized, and while I can’t speak for all of the U.S. military based on specific instances, institutionally and culturally, there was a good sense of organizing materials and creating documentation for the next person.
My two American homestay experiences were a great opportunity to experience their culture. During the summer and winter breaks of my sixth grade year, I stayed with a host family in Simi Valley, near Los Angeles, California. I was impressed by their basic expressions: “I’m sorry,” “Excuse me,” “Thank you,” “Please,” and “Please” were so common and habitual. At first, I tried to be conscious about using them, but after a few days, I found myself using them naturally. Using these expressions made me feel more apologetic, grateful, and polite.
During my homestay, I had many opportunities to travel by car. During this time, I noticed some cultural and customary behaviors that are different from Korea. First of all, it was customary to wear seat belts in the front seat. In Korea, seat belts are not often worn when sitting in the back of a car, but during my homestay, I was criticized for not wearing my seat belt. Also, if there is a “stop” sign in the middle of the road, you stop even if there are no cars around. Even if there was no one around to observe, they still did. These behaviors were seen as a sign of law-abidingness and respect for others.
In the U.K., I had a different experience than in Korea when I was riding the subway in London and bumped into people during rush hour. They expressed their apologies by saying “Excuse me,” “I’m sorry,” “I apologize,” and “I apologize. Hearing these expressions made me feel less offended and more grateful.
When starting a conversation or greeting Anglo-Americans, it is customary to ask how the other person is feeling or what’s going on with greetings such as ‘How are you’, ‘What’s up’, ‘What’s going on’, etc. Culturally, this was seen as a gesture of respect, and it often resulted in people actually listening and taking an interest in the other person’s answer.
In many of these instances, I was reminded of the “respectful” attitude of Anglo-Americans. I believe this habit is due to decades and centuries of history, and the attitude of respect has been ingrained in their minds and bodies. This show of respect and consideration made the other person less offended, and sometimes even warmer. There are many qualifications for a gentleman and a lady, but I think respect, manners, and consideration are the most basic and important ones. This culture gives Anglo-Americans the right to give and receive the phrase “Ladies and Gentlemen,” and I believe it is the basis for respecting and developing their culture and various fields. I would like to see Korea become more like a true gentleman and lady to be able to use the expression ‘ladies and gentlemen’ with confidence.