Apparently Pet Names Are Offensive

I'm personally not fond of pet names. I don't mind it at all if it's toward someone of the same sex, but when you are talking about a woman to a man or a man to a woman, I don't really think it's acceptable. My husband wouldn't want another man, cyber friend or not, calling me honey or darlin' and I wouldn't want another woman calling my husband any of those names either. But that's just my personal opinion...

I'm only offended because your from Bama (GO REBELS!). haha. j/k.

I'm from Mississippi and call everyone sweetie. My best friend's kids are "my loves" (as in "hello, my loves").

It's a term of endearment and shows that we care about that person whether they are someone we know well or a customer at our place of work (especially if you work in the food industry). Just because I don't know someone on a personal level doesn't mean I don't care about them as a person. If someone can't handle being cared for as a person by someone who doesn't know them personally, that's on them.

For those who are freaked out or offended..it is not meant as such and is only meant out of love for our fellow humans.

i think its just weird cause youre a girl and he's a guy.....

My sweet Im from just out side of Chicago have lived here ALL my life and I use pet names. Its not a south thing dont let it get yay down

I grew up in florida and now live in wisconsin. IMHO pet names are okay girlfriend to girlfreind but here or on facebook or really any other place it just isnt looked at as appropriate. You never know what kind of relationship the person has with their significant other and why put out there any doubt. While i agree it is not your problem what their relationship may be, it is kind to be considerate and refrain -especially if someone lets you know that it doesnt work for them. i dont think it was meant to be a personal attack on you- it just didnt work for him. Forgive, move on, and try to be more open to other peoples feelings on it in the future.

THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think it's fine, Sweetheart.

That's just how we do it here. We are personal and polite. I used to work with a lady from up north who would get mad at me when I called her ma'am. I'm sorry, where I am from that is a form of respect. I don't care if you are older than me or younger. You are ma'am or sir. My momma raised me right ;-)

ma'am is one thing, but honey, darlin', sweetpea, etc. are another. I have a name, use it. Use my screen name, but please don't call me honey, darlin' or sweet pea.

I don't think I would unfriend you over it but it would bother me. Maybe it comes from working in a male dominated field, I know what the heck I am talking about and I don't need some old guy calling me darlin' because he thinks I don't.

It's true, some words can be creepy, some words are okay, If it's women to women, I don't mind it, but if it's man to women, I just think about what my husband would say.....and go from handeling it there....

just watch this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWVfG2mA8Rc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Southern born and raised here so I totally understand. I think it was a bit uptight to delete you as a friend, etc. A private message saying it was uncomfortable would have been sufficient and then left at that.

I was born and bred in MN.

I don't think most people here would be offended, though the further North you go in the state the more stoic we get. It's not part of daily life here from most people so it would probably signal you're not from around here. There are exceptions of course, but having been in the South and having relatives that live in Mississippi I would say it is a lot less common here.

As others have said, I think that it depends on how you know each other. I think if I knew you were a Southerner or someone I knew personally I wouldn't think anything of it. However, a woman I don't know anything about might make me think she has other intentions if she's calling me darling and honey all of the time.

The people I know here in MN that use pet names a lot generally reserve it for people who they are very close with, like family, spouses and close friends.

Sometimes I have to remind myself that by allowing someone else to upset me, only gives that other person power in my life. Don't let people hurt your feelings when you are obviously simply offering support and encouragement. One of the beauties of MFP is that you can befriend supportive folks and de-friend the others. I've enjoyed your encouraging comments on my message board and I'm sure many others have too.

Honestly, I don't care what anyone calls me. When I worked at Home Depot, I had a co-worker that called me sweetie all the time. He obviously didn't know me well cause well... I'm not that sweet. :P Anyway... A perfect stranger could call me hun, babe, sugar and I wouldn't mind it. It's better than some of the other things that could be said to me.

Meh. I don't like people using pet names for me unless they have earned them.

But this is the internet, it's not real life. Honestly i wouldn't care if someone on here called me honey, because I'm not likely to meet them ever anyway.

But when I first start dating someone, if they jump into sweetie-honey-baby territory too soon, that's a big strike against.

My first wife had a pet name for me. @sshole

I had one for her too. B!tch.

I live in the north west and most people only use pet names for their spouse or significant other. and maybe your closet friends. I have only three friends that I would consider giving a pet name and wouldn't consider calling a guy friend by a pet name. My husbands has friends that are girls that are from Scotland and they are constantly calling him honey and darling and it took me the longest time for it not to annoy me. At first it was really weird to me, but then I realized they call every one darling.