Friday, May 15, 2009

Okay, Honey.

I think it may be because Cincinnati is a part of the Union that is very close to 'The South' (I think the transition from 'North' to 'South' happens somewhere around Louisville), but there are quite a few women in certain parts of our good city (usually working in the restaurant/gas station/retail industry) who refer to customers as 'honey', 'sugar', 'babe', and 'sweetie'. Usually they're older women, but sometimes they're younger.

I find this speech disturbing, especially coming from younger women. I expect the woman who calls me 'honey' to be in her mid forties/early fifties, with a cigarette damaged voice. When a young woman begins taking on such mannerisms, it's slightly surreal. I associate 'honey' talk with the assumption on the part of the speaker of some kind of hard earned wisdom, and her use of words like 'sugar, etc.' to be a sort of motherly compassion for the kind of knocks life is bound to toss my way.

I don't know why I'm disturbed by this kind of talk, but it always makes me cringe. Maybe it's the familiarity. Maybe it's because I know the implications of their mannerism is correct, and I have no idea what life has in store for me.

3 comments:

  1. I guess I don't appreciate how good I have it. Thanks for stopping by, Dickwad!

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  2. So should I assume theres a gradual change in the way people talk to each other as you move northeast? In Cincinnati its Sugar and in New Jersey its Dickwad. Does that mean waitresses in Hershey call people sugar dick?

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