Ladies and Gentlemen

Mark Sherman

lady一词自带淑女优雅光环，仿佛被冠以lady之称，就必须举止大方得体、言行温柔娇弱、礼貌礼节完备。而现在，虽然lady一词的使用远没有gentleman频繁，但人们仍然总将它与善良、优秀这些品德联系在一起。相比之下，gentleman真的都是绅士吗？事实也许并非如此。

Once upon a time (you dressed so fine, threw the bums a dime, etc.1. bum: 流浪汉；dime: 一角硬币，10美分。)—I’m sorry, but every time I hear or say“Once upon a time,” I can’t help but think of Dylan’s“Like a Rolling Stone”2. “Like a Rolling Stone”: 《像一颗滚动的石头》，是美国创作歌手鲍勃·迪伦（Bob Dylan）1965年的作品。—we didn’t have to worry about every word we said. For example, words like “lady” and “gentleman”were fine. I think “gentleman” still is, but “lady” (with the possible exception of Lady Gaga) is often frowned upon by feminists, who see it as disempowering.3. frown upon: 不赞成，反对；disempowering:失去重要性或影响力的。

The problem is that lady has the implication of ladylike behavior, which implies a certain kind of femininity and delicacy, one that seems to have little place in today’s highly competitive world.4. 问题在于，lady这一称呼意味着行为举止要像淑女一般温柔、娇弱，而在当今这个竞争如此激烈的社会中，这样似乎很难立足。implication: 含义，暗示；ladylike: 像淑女一样的，端庄的；femininity: 温柔，女性化；delicacy: 娇弱。Google “ladylike” and the first thing you get is “appropriate for or typical of a well-bred,decorous woman or girl.”5. well-bred: 有教养的；decorous:有礼貌的，得体的。Who wants to be well-bred and decorous today? Keep in mind that “decorous” means “in keeping with good taste and propriety; polite and restrained.”6. propriety: 礼貌，规矩；restrained:克制的。

《唐顿庄园》里的绅士和淑女形象

Actually, questions about the use of“lady” to mean an adult female have been around for a while. Consider this quote:“The regret has, of late, been made very manifest in polite circles as to the fastdisappearing usage of the old-fashioned and courtly word of ‘lady’…7. of late: 最近，近来；manifest: 明显的；courtly: 有宫廷气派的，威严的。Upon this renewal of attention to the word have followed discussions of the perplexing8. perplexing: 复杂的。question of the proper use of the term ‘lady’ and that of ‘woman.’” That quote is from an article inThe Ladies Home Journal, written in 1895!

Keep in mind that many years ago both “ladies” and“gentlemen” were used to refer to people of the upper crust9. the upper crust: 上流社会。.There was a clear classist ring to them, and even though the words later became much more widely applied, I don’t think thatDownton Abbeyflavor has ever fully left them.10. classist: 有阶级偏见的；Downton Abbey:《唐顿庄园》，由英国ITV电视台出品的时代剧；flavor: 特点，特色。But while their use became more democratized, it has always carried the implication of politeness and graciousness11. democratized: 民主化的；graciousness: 亲切，有礼貌。—especially for“lady”—as in the old, and not very good, joke:

“Who was that lady I saw you with last night?

“That was no lady, that was my wife.”

While these days I don’t think we’re hearing “lady” (and“ladies”) as much as “gentleman” (and “gentlemen”), when we do hear “lady,” it still carries an aura12. aura: 光环。of goodness. But this association with goodness seems to be much more the case for lady than for gentleman.13. 但是，与gentleman一词相比，似乎lady更容易与善良、仁慈这样的品德联系在一起。“Gentleman” is still widely used simply as a synonym for “man.” For example, on the local news,often when a witness is referring to a crime, he’ll refer to the perpetrator14. perpetrator: 犯罪者。as a gentleman. He’ll say, “So then this gentleman walked in…”

Yes, then this gentleman walked in and hit the store owner over the head with a gun. That’s a gentleman? I kind of made that one up,but it’s based on numerous times I’ve heard that kind of statement on the news. Here’s an example from not simply an eyewitness, but a victim. This is from a woman, on a local news website in Seattle earlier this year, describing her experience:

“I had this purse on my shoulder like this; however, the zipper15. zipper: 拉链。was facing outward. So this gentleman came up from behind me,bumped into16. bump into: 撞上。me really hard once and I didn’t think anything of it because it was really crowded. It was Happy Hour time17. Happy Hour time: 减价供应饮料等的时间（酒吧间术语）。so everyone was literally shoulder to shoulder,” Kathy said.

But then Kathy said the man bumped into her again.

“That’s when I noticed his scarf was hovering over my straps so I thought he was trying to get access to the scarf so I leaned forward to let him do that,18. hover: 徘徊，盘旋；strap:（衣裙的）肩带，吊带。not knowing at that time he was using that as a cover to stick his hand in my purse and steal my wallet,” Kathy said.

This woman has her wallet stolen, and the guy who stole it is a gentleman? I’ve never committed a crime, so if he’s a gentleman, I must be a super-gentleman!

Actually, given the way men are often talked about today, perhaps Milton Berle’s famous opening line on his incredibly popular early TV show, a line which was ultimately used by lots of comics, was closer to what some(not me!) see as the truth of masculinity.19. Milton Berle: 米尔顿·伯利（1908—2002），美国电影喜剧演员； comics:漫画；masculinity: 男子气概，阳刚之气。“Good evening, ladies and germs20. germ: 细菌，病菌。,” Berle would announce. I actually do remember that from my childhood. What I didn’t recall, but found when I looked up his obituary21. obituary: 讣告。, was that he often followed that line with “I mean ladies and gentlemen. I call you ladies and gentlemen, but you know what you really are.”

Finally, I leave you with this. Why are there ladybugs22. ladybug: 瓢虫。, no gentleman bugs? To get down to brass tacks23. get down to brass tacks:言归正传，开始谈正事。here, without gentlemen bugs,how can we even still have ladybugs?