Do you think it is rude when someone you don't know calls you sweetie, honey, darling, etc?

Question

I do. It sounds really condescending unless the person is elderly.

Answer 1

Thank goodness I'm not alone! I HATE when people do this unless it's someone in my family. What gives a perfect stranger the right to assume we're on close personal terms with each other? It's rude and quite presumtuous. Also, I'm 22 but I look like I could still be in high school, so it gets even more frustrating for me because it really is condescening. I politely correct people and say "Sorry but I prefer my first name" otherwise if they just won't quit I'll ignore them altogether. I could never live down south, that would drive me nuts! My biggest pet peeve ever!

Answer 2

Depends where it's coming from and how it's said. In the South, it's common to say these kinds of things to just about everyone, and it really isn't meant in a condescending way. But since I'm not from the South and have lived mostly in places where endearing terms are used only to little children and among lovers, it's sometimes hard for me to remember and I really have to make myself realize it's not intended as a slight! I *know* most people don't mean to be rude, but I still don't really like being called those things!

Answer 3

Yes and I recently quit my job in part because my female boss would routinely use words like this when I was very upset with her about a particular decision that she had made at work... I could not ascertain if it was because she felt that I was somehow being child-like or if she simply never took my work very seriously... Although I had received multiple raises and had made significant enhancements - it was clear to me that she thought she was the shot-caller... I quit over this entire issue. The words were only symptomatic of the problem... I really don't like those words and find them belittling - with good reason, I believe... You shouldn't call strangers or co-workers honey, etc.

Answer 4

Not really. I find it rude when someone calls me other things though. I am from the south and you hear someone call you sweetie all the time and trust me they don't mean anything by it.

Answer 5

It's what we do in the south. Everyone is "sweetie" or "honey".
I work in customer service at a major chain grocery and I find myself always saying, esp. to very old or very young customers, "Here's your receipt and your change is...., hun."
Or, "How can I help you, sweetie?"
All our cashiers do the same thing. It's just what we do in the south.

Answer 6

Most people that say sweetie, honey, or darling...do not do it to make you feel special or the opposite. It's just the way they talk.

Answer 7

Yes, I think that's rude. I don't like it when people who know me little or not at all call me that. The tone makes a huge difference though and I realize that sometimes people mean it in a nice way, but I'd still prefer it if they didn't call me those things.

Answer 8

Yeah, it's completely annoying having a stranger your age or close to be calling you like that, unless they're family or much much older than you.

Answer 9

Yes, I hate this. It sounds really patronising and condescending, as you said. When I make calls at work I get people calling me things like that and it's like "Hey, wait a moment - I don't even know you! Why would you call me sweetie??" Ahhh, why do they do it?

Answer 10

In all my life it never bothered me until about 7 years ago when we bought our current house. Our realtor kept calling me honey and it really pissed me off coming from him for some reason, maybe it was some underlying tone or it was just him. Hasn't bothered me since, just that one occasion from this one person.