Originally Posted by
MarkBastable
As Brian Bean's post about behaviour suggests, the terms 'lady' and 'gentleman' aren't merely about gender - they're about judgement. To those who use the terms or would like to be referred to in that way, not all women are ladies and not all men are gentlemen. There's a codified and, frankly, pretty snobbish set of values that distinguish ladies and gentlemen from ordinary men and women.
In other words, anyone who refers to a woman as 'a lady' is making a moral and social assessment of her worth. And I don't see how that differs in principle from making the same assessment and then referring to her as 'a b*tch' or 'a slut'.
Which is why I don't use the words 'lady' and 'gentleman'. They represent the practical application of a high-handed and condescending presumption.