Dear Eric: My wife and I are a white couple in our mid-70s. We have numerous Black friends and acquaintances we see frequently at our church and workplace. Everybody is very cordial, and our conversations share insights into each other’s goings-on (family, friends, et cetera).
What is discomforting to us is we are often addressed as “Miss Jane” and “Mr. John” rather than simply Jane and John. We’re sure all intentions are respectful. We hate to think there is a racial element involved and hope it is just a matter of cultural mannerisms. We don’t notice this “title” formality with one Black person to another, even among those in our age bracket. We don’t want to be rude if addressing this issue would be somehow offensive.
Any thoughts on this?…