"Sweetie," "Honey," and the like

"Sweetie" and "Honey" are fine pet words for your spouse or maybe your child, but they're not designed to be used outside of that context, like when the secretary at my dentist's office (who is my age, by the way) called me today and said, "Alright, sweetie, we'll get that worked out." I know it's a southern thing to say and that tons of people say it without meaning anything negative by it, but it sure as heck comes across negatively to me. Every time. It's either condescending (spoken by a peer) or insulting/degrading (spoken by a male), and it makes me feel like that person sees me as a child and wants to take pity on me. Nobody wants pity...espeically when there's no reason for it. I think the only people who can get away with saying it outside the family context are really, really old ladies. They've earned the right to say (and wear) whatever they want.

Whew. I feel better now.