Boss, Chief, Buddy, Etc.

[Pam]

Maybe the annoyance is a male thing. I have never looked at any of those ways of addressing someone as a sort of positioning of power. In fact, I find a lot of them rather endearing. The other side of the coin is that I'm a female so maybe no one ever attempts to establish any power position with me.

Now here is the bristley part..Why does that bother you so much? There is this thing in the world, that which bugs the hell out of you, is always really about you...sometimes I just hate that but it is a great tool if you use it.

[Bill Ryan]

The mods would like to change the thread title to

Boss, Chief, Buddy, Dude, Big Man, Little Brother, Bro, Luv, Darlin, Toots, Pal, Dear, Hun, Sweetie, Babe, Sweetheart, Ma'am, Miss, Mate, Sheg, Duck*, Hen**

* English
** Scottish (don't ask!)

[onawah]

Don't forget "dudette" !!

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
The mods would like to change the thread title to

Boss, Chief, Buddy, Dude, Big Man, Little Brother, Bro, Luv, Darlin, Toots, Pal, Dear, Hun, Sweetie, Babe, Sweetheart, Ma'am, Miss, Mate, Sheg, Duck*, Hen**

* English
** Scottish (don't ask!)

[Strat]

I think if anyone met Mike in real life, and wanted to go home with racoon eyes and a limp, ask him, "What's with the basketball hoop on your door little brother?"

[Mike]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
The mods would like to change the thread title to

Boss, Chief, Buddy, Dude, Big Man, Little Brother, Bro, Luv, Darlin, Toots, Pal, Dear, Hun, Sweetie, Babe, Sweetheart, Ma'am, Miss, Mate, Sheg, Duck*, Hen**

* English
** Scottish (don't ask!)

The team has been working hard today

I may be forced to inquire about "hen" on the ask Bill thread lol

[Mike]

Posted by Strat (here)
I think if anyone met Mike in real life, and wanted to go home with racoon eyes and a limp, ask him, "What's with the basketball hoop on your door little brother?"

Literally laughed out loud here!

[happyuk]

Posted by Mike (here)

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
The mods would like to change the thread title to

Boss, Chief, Buddy, Dude, Big Man, Little Brother, Bro, Luv, Darlin, Toots, Pal, Dear, Hun, Sweetie, Babe, Sweetheart, Ma'am, Miss, Mate, Sheg, Duck*, Hen**

* English
** Scottish (don't ask!)

The team has been working hard today

I may be forced to inquire about "hen" on the ask Bill thread lol

It's what many if not most Scottish women informally call each other as in "you okay, hen?". But it's got to be in the right context. My female supervisor once misheard me and asked with amused incredulity "DID YOU JUST CALL ME HEN??!!" lol

[Tintin]

Posted by happyuk (here)

Posted by Mike (here)

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
The mods would like to change the thread title to

Boss, Chief, Buddy, Dude, Big Man, Little Brother, Bro, Luv, Darlin, Toots, Pal, Dear, Hun, Sweetie, Babe, Sweetheart, Ma'am, Miss, Mate, Sheg, Duck*, Hen**

* English
** Scottish (don't ask!)

The team has been working hard today

I may be forced to inquire about "hen" on the ask Bill thread lol

It's what many if not most Scottish women informally call each other as in "you okay, hen?". But it's got to be in the right context. My female supervisor once misheard me and asked with amused incredulity "DID YOU JUST CALL ME HEN??!!" lol

I was once given the moniker, affectionately mind, of chicken lips and regularly addressed as such - I know that she did have a bit of a 'thing' for me though, so, it was a uniquely charming avatar

These days I am most often addressed as sticks on account of the size and width of my roll-up cigarettes. It warms my heart every time I hear it

[petra]

Posted by Mike (here)
...
Little dude. We both looked at each other with mild disbelief and amusement. Jimmy was a little older than both of us then, but at about 5'5", considerably shorter than my friend. Little dude. It became a running joke for a while, and then it just crept into our lexicon in sort of a sarcastic way. I just spoke to him on the phone an hour ago. hey little dude, I said. What's up lil' guy? he replied.

Posted by Mike (here)
I was buying fresh salmon from this guy in the seafood department at Publix, and as he was handing the salmon to me, I'm pretty sure he said, "there ya go little brother."

Hi Mike,
I've been enjoying this thread a lot, and maybe part of that is because I'm little.

It's definitely weird that people have been calling you little when you're not! Perhaps that's a synchronicity of sorts (I think of those like clues).

The thing that talks to me using my own thoughts once asked me "What do you think you are?" (dumb question, I know) and something else replied "I'm only little". I'll never forget it - really creepy.

As for the 'pet names' stuff, the emotion seems to depend a lot on context. My thoughts used to call me 'Sweety' sometimes, and as creepy as that was, it was also kind of cute. That's also another reason I know it wasn't me - I don't call myself sweety (that would be dumb!). There was another one (maybe same one) that would call me 'Stupid', but instead of getting offended - I found that hilarious! I still do. I refer to that one as 'Idiot' (jokingly). (I'm Stupid, and He's Idiot - together, we make a Stupid Idiot)

[AutumnW]

Thought of another one. And this one, for some reason, realllyyy gets under my skin. You visit an acquaintance in their home for the first time, or vice versa and her kids, who you have never laid eyes on before, call you 'Auntie' This is usually followed with other weird behavior, like crawling all over you, uninvited. I am a very warm person but can't stand this kind of crap. If it's a toddler, no problem. But when your kid is six years old, they should know better and if not its up to the parent to have them back off a bit.
I get what Mike means about some kind of weird manipulative undertone here. It feels like the kids are reflexively faking a close relationship because they want something from you...like a gift next time you visit? Have no idea if that's what is happening but it feels that way.

[petra]

Posted by AutumnW (here)
Thought of another one. And this one, for some reason, realllyyy gets under my skin. You visit an acquaintance in their home for the first time, or vice versa and her kids, who you have never laid eyes on before, call you 'Auntie' This is usually followed with other weird behavior, like crawling all over you, uninvited. I am a very warm person but can't stand this kind of crap. If it's a toddler, no problem. But when your kid is six years old, they should know better and if not its up to the parent to have them back off a bit.

I get what Mike means about some kind of weird manipulative undertone here. It feels like the kids are reflexively faking a close relationship because they want something from you...like a gift next time you visit? Have no idea if that's what is happening but it feels that way.

I think it's mostly unintentional when it comes to kids - a kind of conditioned behavior. For example if a child has seen this tactic work, they'll try it again. They don't realize it's manipulative - they think they're being smart.

Parents need to wise up, for sure. I recall reading about a mother who told her kids "If you ask me if your friend can spend the night, and the friend is in the room while asking, the answer is an automatic NO". They explained to the child that this is to avoid manipulation.

One thing I absolutely cannot stand is when parents have their kids kiss their (adult) friends goodnight. That's SO uncomfortable for me, and I can tell it's uncomfortable for the child too. What the heck are those parents trying to show off? How obedient the child is? It's just baffling.

[Pam]

Posted by AutumnW (here)
Thought of another one. And this one, for some reason, realllyyy gets under my skin. You visit an acquaintance in their home for the first time, or vice versa and her kids, who you have never laid eyes on before, call you 'Auntie' This is usually followed with other weird behavior, like crawling all over you, uninvited. I am a very warm person but can't stand this kind of crap. If it's a toddler, no problem. But when your kid is six years old, they should know better and if not its up to the parent to have them back off a bit.
I get what Mike means about some kind of weird manipulative undertone here. It feels like the kids are reflexively faking a close relationship because they want something from you...like a gift next time you visit? Have no idea if that's what is happening but it feels that way.

That kind of thing happens when the parents coach them to say it, believing that you will be honored to be called Auntie by their little darlings...

[conk]

I read most of this tread and it seems my least favorite hasn't been mentioned. "Hey, what's up Big Guy"? Or the abbreviated version, Guy. "sup Guy"? Does it get any more generic than Guy?

There is a grocery clerk that hits me with more Darlings, Honeys, and Loves than I can bear before paying and escaping. They just flow out of her mouth like molten insincerity. And I can't decide which inevitable question I despise worse. "Did you find everything you're looking for"? or when purchasing a cold drink, "Did you want me to leave this out"? Yes, leave it out and I'll try to carry it under my arm pit, while struggling with 3 bags in each hand, and I'll ask a stranger to get my keys out of my pocket!

Oh, and thanks Slim for such a fun thread.

[Mike]

Posted by conk (here)
I read most of this tread and it seems my least favorite hasn't been mentioned. "Hey, what's up Big Guy"? Or the abbreviated version, Guy. "sup Guy"? Does it get any more generic than Guy?

There is a grocery clerk that hits me with more Darlings, Honeys, and Loves than I can bear before paying and escaping. They just flow out of her mouth like molten insincerity. And I can't decide which inevitable question I despise worse. "Did you find everything you're looking for"? or when purchasing a cold drink, "Did you want me to leave this out"? Yes, leave it out and I'll try to carry it under my arm pit, while struggling with 3 bags in each hand, and I'll ask a stranger to get my keys out of my pocket!

Oh, and thanks Slim for such a fun thread.

Molten insincerity Slim liked that one.

Omg, yeah those automated questions bug me too.

What really gives the autopilot away though is the "have a good day" they'll offer me at 9 in the evening.

[Strat]

I had to hold back laughing today when I went to Subway and the kid working there asked me, "What can I get for you boss man?" You may be a nerd when forum threads are creeping into your mind in real life situations.

Since everyone can identify with whatever they want nowadays, I hereby demand that I must be referred to as 'liege.'