Unmarried Women Not Allowed to Register M8?

[wparsonsgisnet]

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When I was first employed by an american company their HR records computer wouldn't accept anyone without a middle name/initial. Henceforth I was known as Robert R Parsons Jnr. to add insult to injury.

 

Bob.

 

So, you couldn't use Nmn as your middle name?

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[michael_b_elmer]

So, I went to register my M8 at Leica's website, and the form required that I choose an honorific.

 

Here's where we run into a problem. There are only two choices: "Mr." or "Mrs." I am neither a mister nor a missus. I'm a "Ms." or a "Miss" or, hell, "Village Idiot." I do not wish to lie, so I guess I'll have to forgo free IR filters for my European holiday, which is in two and a half weeks, and send in a registration via snail mail.

 

Bummer.

 

Perhaps Leica might add an additional choice or two to the list. Like "Dr.?"

 

Dear Mrs. Maggie,

 

Please happy that you do not seem to have anything more serious to worry about in your life. I think the tendency in English speaking countries moves towards using the same title for all women in order not to have to distinguish between women that are married, have never been married or have been but no longer are married. In practice, It seems that the title is pronounced msssss in every case, and in writng this might be stated as Mrs.

 

It is much easier for men, of course. In the old days, men could be lucky to change the title Mr. into Dr. or even Dr. Dr., but nowadays even this privilege is rapidly disappearing.

 

Things certainly aren't what they used to, and that is certainly not Leicas fault and not so bad at all! The M8 is a fabulous instrument to contemplate life in its ever changing form. I hope you will enjoy the M8 in this way also.

 

Tjänare!

 

Michael

[Guest stnami]

This narrow and somewhat sexist form of thinking is typical of male dominated companies who still perceive women as housewives of factory fodder........Leica seems to follow that line................. it's no longer 1923 Leica!!!

[TEBnewyork]

Hi Maggie,

 

I too had a good laugh when trying to register for filters! In my case no matter what box i check a significant portion of my mail is always sent to Mr. So Mrs. Is somewhat of an improvement. Now I just need to get my records at Leica straightened out so they don't send me 3 copies of publications!

[Philippe D.]

Hi.

This narrow and somewhat sexist form of thinking is typical of male dominated companies who still perceive women as housewives of factory fodder

And i would say, it is (or in this case could be) exactly the contrary.

Why should a special mention be given to an unmarried women, when it is not given to a men ?

In some German schools i know, all women are called "Frau" and never "Fräulein", doesn't matter if she's married or not.

This is a small tribute to the equality between men and women.

 

Cheers.

Ph.

[marknorton]

The importance attached to middle initials in the US has always surprised me - as in George W Bush. I do not know if Gordon Brown has a middle initial (and I certainly don't care) but here in the UK, we make no reference to people's other initials. It gets even weirder in the US when a person wants to be called by other than their first name. There used to be an IBM executive called T Vincent Larson (or some such).

 

An anally retentive IBM project manager I once worked for insisted that the name of the programmer in a module header should include that person's middle initial. "What if there's no middle initial?", I asked. "That's easy", he said, got up and wrote on the white board "John (NMI) Doe".

 

The project was late and subsequently cancelled. Can't imagine why.

[gdewitt]

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When I was first employed by an american company their HR records computer wouldn't accept anyone without a middle name/initial. Henceforth I was known as Robert R Parsons Jnr. to add insult to injury.

 

Bob.

 

Traditionally recorded in the US as NMI (No Middle Initial).

[dugby]

Maybe the expectation is that unmarried women would not see "red" over the filter order issue.........(p.i.)

[jrc]

When I was first employed by an american company their HR records computer wouldn't accept anyone without a middle name/initial. Henceforth I was known as Robert R Parsons Jnr. to add insult to injury.

 

Bob.

 

I saw somewhere a story from WWII where a GI did not have any first name or middle name, just initials -- R. B. So the clerk put him down as R (only) B (only) Jones. For the rest of his Army career, he was known and paid as Ronly Bonly Jones.

 

JC

[jrc]

The importance attached to middle initials in the US has always surprised me - as in George W Bush. I do not know if Gordon Brown has a middle initial (and I certainly don't care) but here in the UK, we make no reference to people's other initials.

 

So do you refer to the famous British war historian A.J.P Taylor as "Percivale?" Or maybe simply "Al?" How about J.R.R. Tolkien?

 

Actually, Gordon Brown's middle initial is "G" for Gordon. His first name is James.

 

Harry S Truman, properly written, has no period after the S, because it's not an abbreviation. His middle name is "S" (the Wiki gets this wrong, by the way, and somebody with Wiki abilities should fix it. The Wiki does mention that his middle name is S."

 

JC

[Guest guy_mancuso]

This narrow and somewhat sexist form of thinking is typical of male dominated companies who still perceive women as housewives of factory fodder........Leica seems to follow that line................. it's no longer 1923 Leica!!!

 

Obviously you know very little about leica's workforce. As I toured the factory in Solms it was very obvious to all of us there were many women employed in all levels of the company. For the record the executive in charge of the R line is a lady who is single and frankly drop dead gorgeous to boot and about 30 years old. So your housewive comment is completely off the mark and the man in charge of the M line is maybe in his late 30's early 40's and single. They have a young and hip team and not some old porch sitting pipe smokers.

[miami91]

The importance attached to middle initials in the US has always surprised me - as in George W Bush.

 

In this case, its rather important, if only to distinguish him from his father, George HW Bush. Electorally, we yanks seem to have a fascination with ruling families at the moment. So merely referring to President Bush, or likely next year, President Clinton could very possibly lead to confusion!

 

Jeff.

[grober]

Maggie, we love having you on the forum! Welcome!!!

 

-g

[Olsen]

It is a compliment, Maggie!

 

I would guess that there is only 'Herr' and 'Frau' in German 'handelskorrespondanse' and that it is meant to be polite. - Politeness means a lot to germans. (No wonder americans - or we scandinavians, have problems understanding that). A 'Fraulein' is a 'small frau'; that is a small girl, or how the maid was adressed in the old days. I would guess that all young german women, old enough to submit a tax return form - or buy a Leica are 'Frau' and are adressed as such in official correspondance.

 

They don't want to see you married (for heaven sake, no!). They have 'up-graded' your title 'politely and respectfully' to something far 'higher' than the chamber maid.

[carstenw]

If the Mrs. still bothers you, I would advise you to fill in the German form, since Frau doesn't mean Mrs., but Ms, Mrs. and Miss all in one.

[ptomsu]

So, I went to register my M8 at Leica's website, and the form required that I choose an honorific.

 

Here's where we run into a problem. There are only two choices: "Mr." or "Mrs." I am neither a mister nor a missus. I'm a "Ms." or a "Miss" or, hell, "Village Idiot." I do not wish to lie, so I guess I'll have to forgo free IR filters for my European holiday, which is in two and a half weeks, and send in a registration via snail mail.

 

Bummer.

 

Perhaps Leica might add an additional choice or two to the list. Like "Dr.?"

 

Well Maggie, why so complicated, you at least know you are Male or Female :-))))

[Olsen]

When I was first employed by an american company their HR records computer wouldn't accept anyone without a middle name/initial. Henceforth I was known as Robert R Parsons Jnr. to add insult to injury.

 

Bob.

 

Ha, ha!

 

Order something from a multi national US company and you have to provide 'a ZIP code' and 'what state' in the world you live in. I once put in Oslo, New Jersey. Keep it zipped, guys!

[Maggie_O]

Really, the form doesn't bother or insult me, I just didn't want to mis(s)-represent myself. Being of partial German heritage and the daughter of an engineer, I'm all about accuracy. Mostly. Heh.

 

I'll just go ahead and use the webform as it is, but remember, "Mrs. Osterberg" is my mom!

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[spydrxx]

No offense meant, Maggie, but thanks for the humorous interlude. As my grandmother used to say when she wanted to emphasize her native language and heritage, "immer Deutsch". Needless to say, we grandkids, used it to mean "inflexible".

[TEBnewyork]

Maggie -

I ordered my filters on August 21st. I just got home and found a Fedex package with my filters. So, it was much faster than I expected....

 

If you are curious, the invoice says Mrs. but the mailing label just says Terry! LOL