First off, I don't do this to girls I don't know. I call my coworkers or friends sweetheart/honey sometimes babycakes or angelmuffin its just my way of showing them theyre close to me so when did terms of endearment become sexist? are feminists responsible for this?
2007-06-18 00:52:34 · 23 answers · asked by Rick 1 in Social Science ➔ Gender Studies
It is a way of making them appear as children. This is disrespectful to treat others in such a familiar way. This is much the way that people of colour were referred to as, "boy", and "girl". When a person is treated in such a manner it shows that you do not have to treat them with dignity or respect. If you worked with me I would have you disciplined for sexual harassment. I don't look at people that treat me with over familiarity as being friendly I look at those people as not recognizing my inherent inner dignity as a human being and they do not have any proper personal boundaries.
2007-06-18 04:18:34 · answer #1 · answered by Deirdre O 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Would you call the C.E.O. of the company sweety or babycakes (male or female)? This is a pet name. Pets, though adored, do not take care of themselves and are not productive members of society. What if your boss called you "kid" or "boy" or "babycakes" for that matter. It is demeaning. You cannot take someone seriously as a professional if you are calling them dames like "angelmuffin." Think of the nicknames men give to each other compared to terms of endearment used for women. Men: buddy, pal, champ, man. Women: sweetie, honey, darling, cupcake, baby. The men's terms promote cameraderie and strength; the women's weakness, calm temperment (associated with well-behaved children), and youth. Sorry to tell you, but any woman (especially at work) should be offended by men insisting that it is their right and they are only trying to be nice by this. You can blame "feminists" if you like, but this is an issue for all of us.
2007-06-18 09:18:30 · answer #2 · answered by Tara P 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You call your coworkers "sweetie" and you ask why they are offended??? Would you call a male coworker something like that? They're offended because it's _work_ and you're infantilizing them. Those are things you call either a lover or someone much younger than you, not a peer with whom you have a professional relationship.
As for your friends, don't call them that if they don't like it. If one of them started calling you "wee d!ck", you probably wouldn't like that, and it would only be respectful of them to stop. Isn't your friendship more important than your right to call someone a name they don't like? Feminists are only responsible for the women speaking up about things they don't like.
2007-06-18 03:23:08 · answer #3 · answered by random6x7 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You call your coworkers sweetheart, honey, babycakes, angelmuffin? That's a sexual harassment case waiting to blow up. Try it with your bosses that are women too. They'll love it.
2007-06-18 20:01:32 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Those terms are unprofessional and do not belong in the workplace. Can you imagine a female coworker calling you "babe" or "studmuffin"?
In other areas of life, I suppose it depends on local culture and how people are socialized. I perfer to use terms of endearment only within my family.
2007-06-18 03:03:45 · answer #5 · answered by not yet 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
not by utilizing "sweetie", yet think of approximately "stable female" this style: could a guy be indignant if I suggested to him "stable boy"? i'm waiting to wager my top arm the vast majority of guys could be, and the reason being easy: in case you're actually not a dogs, there is rather not lots of a compliment in that word, is there? extremely, seeing as one immediately pals it with a dogs-grasp relationship, that is exceedingly easy to work out the place the offense is. Calling a guy "boy" is exceedingly undesirable in itself and that i does not do it till he became being somewhat immature and it became called for. So an identical is going for women: people who're women are extremely not females and that they probable be attentive to it.
2016-10-17 21:26:43 · answer #6 · answered by hilderbran 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not sure, Darlin. Perhaps they are confusing kindness with opression. Personally, I could do without the last two - I'd be too busy laughing to work properly, but an occasional "Sweetie" or "honey" makes me smile. The rule? Never call your supervisor or superior any of these. If the woman frowns when you try it, go back to "Ms. Smith" or whatnot, since it makes her uncomfortable. if you're a casual kind of guy, of a Southerner, you'll have better luck with this.
2007-06-18 04:40:33 · answer #7 · answered by Junie 6 · 0⤊ 3⤋
You're not my husband or a family member? Call me honey and see how fast I slap you for it. Those terms are completely inappropriate in a work environment; they're demeaning when coming from a male co-worker.
2007-06-18 01:57:16 · answer #8 · answered by sgtlambsonswife 3 · 6⤊ 0⤋
You're not dating them, so why use those terms of endearment on them? They would prefer to be treated as co-workers and friends, not pets.
2007-06-18 05:02:07 · answer #9 · answered by Rio Madeira 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have no objection to my husband calling me by those names because he is my partner. I know he respects me and is not attempting to diminish me in any way. They truly are terms of endearment.
On the other hand, I would be greatly offended if someone I worked with called me by those terms. It would be too familiar. By your own definition, you refer to them as "terms of endearment." It is very presumptuous of you to refer to a colleague in that way. And does it really matter if your intentions are good? If it makes a person feel diminished, you should stop.
Yes, feminists are responsible for bringing this to the attention of people a couple of decades ago. Where have you been?
2007-06-18 01:06:07 · answer #10 · answered by stonecutter 5 · 5⤊ 3⤋