Letters to the Editor
-
Oh Please, Sweetie
I call everyone "Honey." I've been likened to the Karen Walker character on Will and Grace because of my prolific use of "honey."
I call men "honey". I call women "honey". I've called my assistant and intern "honey", and I've called the crotchety old-man president of the company I work for (where I am just some sad middle-managment-type) "honey".
Sometimes I teach classes and I call my students "honey" and I call my colleagues "honey" in the teacher's lounge. When I get my reciept at the grocery store I've caught myself telling the checkout person "thanks, honey."
Y'know what it all means? It means I'm bad at names, and I'm a bit familiar with people, which has served me well since I'm very austere and abrupt by email. Its how I express personality and personability while talking and communicating in a hurry.
If someone asked me to do something and I didn't have time to do it I would respond "Oh, honey, I can't get to that right now." Because I would want it understood that my reaction was not meant as a personal affront, but a genuine response.
Yeah. It's difficult for Barak Obama to get away with calling men "sweetie". I imagine it's difficult for men, in general, to have a quick and easy way of conveying that familiarity without resorting to such terms as "sport" or "bud."
I see "Buddy" a lot. Some folks opt for "Friend." Goodness, what would they be saying about Obama if he brushed off a reporter with "I'll get to your question in a minute, friend." What if he'd said it to a woman. I think that would've sounded very peculiar indeed.
Sadly, I'm sure he would've been chastened for that one too.
Or, y'know, I could choose to get my panties in a bunch coz OMG Obama called someone sweetie and now the whole world is gonna explode with shame and regret and backsliding for the whole of my gender because Obama has a habit of being personable. Um, hello. Duh. That's why he's so electable.
Or is that too hard for the unpleasant and uptight members of my gender to understand, honey?