Dont call me Babe.

Grum: Think you’re leaving out a few facts from the other thread, but whatever

Really? I’m all ears.

And it’s watevva.

I should clarify

Nah. You have said enough, babe.

Now everyone is desperate to prove how working class they are

Nonsense. I’m so middle class I poo hummus.

@druidh, I’m not sexist.

Sorry, just for clarification.. when someone addresses me as ‘love’ does it mean they want to sleep with me or not?

Is there really a public sector directive TJ? That come via your controlers in Havana or straight from the Politburo in Moscow?

Legs is the whole thing including the scaley but that would have been near their ankle.

Thighs is the bit twixt hip and knee.

That would imply that ‘legs’ are a superset of ‘thighs’, but that’s clearly not the case when you compare the two which, as previously discussed, I have. I guess “chicken ankles” wouldn’t sell as well.

You were buying meat for a vegetarian?

I can see how that would be tricky also, but alas I fear that you misunderstand me for mild comic effect. What I mean is, being vegetarian myself, I find buying meat for others difficult, on several levels.

(top shelf, bottom shelf, etc)

Depends if its me or McBoo I guess TSY

Is “working class” still a thing?

I thought these days we only had “middle class” and “unemployed class”.

This is why I love the Army. You don’t normally have a problem with this sort of thing as there is a simple way to know what to call people. It’s called their rank. Except when they get to some ranks and have to be called something else, like Foreman or Sergeant Major.

Makes life a lot easier.

I find buying meat for others difficult, on several levels.

Is it on different shelves then?*

*I fear that you misunderstand me for mild comic effect.

I’m so middle class I poo hummus.

That explains the worrying consistency and oddly musty flavour. I’d always assumed that was garlic.

round here they call you ‘shug’. no idea WTF it’s supposed to mean, it’s bloody annoying though

you a clayhead iDave? 😉

McBoo – its been standard practise for decades in public service not to address people by terms of endearment.

you can call me ‘my good man’ dondon 😀

(honest answer is i make an educated guess on how formally the person i’m about to speak to will want to be addressed…. but i do enjoy calling friends and mrsconsequence silly and sexual names)

@yeti: yes love.

mcboo, do you really think I can be arsed trawling through old threads to find it. I seem to remember your main argument last time was that you didn’t go to public school.

I think reading the guardian, then debating sexual politics on a mountain bike forum pretty much disqualifies anyone from ‘salt of the earth’ status anyway.

Shouldn’t you be putting a 12 hour shift in the factory now anyway, what with being so overwhelmingly working class? (my spellchecker corrected working to lurking, probably more appropriate 🙂 )

its been standard practise for decades in public service not to address people by terms of endearment.

Or, increasingly, at all.

Frankly, I’d be happy for a shop assistant to call me ‘love’ if it meant they’d diverted their attention away from their mobile phone for the eight seconds it takes to sell me a Twix.

I think the official, Daily Mail approved term is ‘Feral Underclass’ Graham

It clearly depends on context, much like many other words we throw around regularly. I’ve absolutely no problem with being called pretty much any endearing/familiar term you like providing it’s not suggesting I’m female or trying to belittle me or patronise me. Where I work it’s not uncommon for the female staff to call me love and I don’t even bat an eyelid. One of the female security staff did, however, call me “sweetheart” in a rather patronising tone in front of a bunch of students (who all gave a suitable sharp intake of breath!) which I took exception to and asked her to come for a walk with me while I explained why it wasn’t appropriate and was somewhat undermining. She’d intended for it to be belittling as she thought I was a student and thought that was acceptable, she got a shock and apologised and we’ve been fine since then, even when she’s called me sweetheart!

I don’t really subscribe to the notion of “we’ve a history of discrimination therefore you can’t use terms like that” – I’ve no history of discriminating against you, you’ve never met me and I’m simply being friendly, not causing any ill – don’t judge me on other people’s historical actions.

I don’t get people who’re upset by being called mate by someone who’s “not a mate” – it’s just a general term, to pick up on that and get so upset over it suggests there’s something else going on in your head, to me, it just washes over my mind, goes in one ear and out the other as “hello”.

And I have no idea why we’re all still perpetuating the class system and even striving to be at the bottom of this construct. The only reason to perpetuate such a device is to have a weapon to use against people who you think are worse than you in some way and divide the population rather than bring it together as a people. It’s just a chip on your shoulder if you use it as such and an ill-thought casual categorisation of yourself if you accept you fit into such a scheme.

its been standard practise for decades in public service not to address people by terms of endearment.

Is there a specific salt mine for those who transgress?

I turned 40 this month

Happy birthday Cougar darling.

grum – Member
mcboo, do you really think I can be arsed trawling through old threads to find it.

Not when it’s so much easier to make up bullshit right? Epic epic failure.

I don’t mind being called love – unless it comes from a checkout girl who is clearly 25 years my junior.

Don’t mind mate too much from blokes but “BUD” – that makes my uvula swing.

when someone addresses me as ‘love’ does it mean they want to sleep with me or not?

Yes, love, but I’ll make an exception in your case.

I think the official, Daily Mail approved term is ‘Feral Underclass’ Graham

Well yes obviously these things are more of a spectrum. I mean some supposedly middle class people buy pre-grated Parmesan FFS.

I also hear “kochanie” alot in these part, never know whether to smile sweetly in reply or chin them. 😕

you can call me ‘my good man’ dondon

Yet, you are not ‘my man’ and I have no means of establishing whether you are ‘good’ or not. Saying that you are could imply that I feel superior to you(*), or have nasty connotations harking back to the days of the Empire and the slave trade. Therefore, addressing a non-caucasian gentleman in this manner perhaps could be misinterpreted as a racial slur. Minefield.

(* – I am, of course, but drawing attention to this would be bad form)

Really? You’ll be telling me they buy non-organic veg from stores other than Waitrose next!

TandemJeremy – Member
McBoo – its been standard practise for decades in public service not to address people by terms of endearment.

Not it hasn’t. It may have been in some parts of public service, though.

binners – Member
Really? You’ll be telling me they buy non-organic veg from stores other than Waitrose next!

We all know what Tesco, Lidl and Aldi are for, don’t we? 😈

I don’t mind being called love – unless it comes from a checkout girl who is clearly 25 years my junior.

I don’t see why it matters unless she’s patronising you. Unless you think that all girls 25 years your junior who might wish to use a nice word toward you must be patronising you by default?

the way i see it most humans are like dogs, its not what you say, tis the tone of voice and facial expression that goes with it.

there’s a big difference between:

‘hello *pause and angry face, emphasis on the ‘mmm’ sound* mmmmate’

and

*big warm smiley face*’hey mate’

Happy birthday Cougar darling.

Thank you, shagmaster.

I hate being called ‘babe’, or ‘sweetheart’ by blokes, but i don’t mind ‘love’ from old dears on the checkout though. there’s a bloke on the train station that calls everyone “me duck” which is ok. Hate being complimented by strangers as well, very creepy

I avoid this by using predictive txt slang and calling everyone aunt.

‘love’ ‘babe’ ‘mate’ ‘sweetheart’ ‘pal’ ‘dude’ used them all, and quite frankly if some jumped up, chip on their shoulder, self righteous div wants to take my genuinely friendly gesture the wrong way, they can simply inform me of their displeasure and I’ll choose another more suitable gesture.

(and for the record.. I’m one of the underclass)

mcboo – Member
I would love to have studied classics at school, never had the opportunity. Only realise that now that I’m middle aged and fascinated by the ancient world……

Dr Richard Miles (BBC4 Ancient Worlds) – “This is not a story of long-dead civilisations, it is the story of us, then”

I used to be working class. Middle class is better.

mcboo – Ok here’s a little one for starters, not actually the thread I was looking for, but….

What a terrible snob, looking down on the working classes. Still, it must have been tough for you, what with not learning the classics at school and everything.

Hate being complimented by strangers

Good point, well made.

Does anyone else see the irony here? McBoo and others getting all worked up complaining about someone who made a gentle complaint to a bus company and then commented how it had been blown out of proportion. I can almost here the indignant frothing from McBoo from here. what double standards ” its PC gone mad” McBoo – you are blowing this out of all proportion

Perhaps you should actually read the piece in the guardian and stop getting your knickers in a twist

I do it all the time, and no one seems to object. Could be a propofol related thing, admittedly.

I hate being called ‘babe’, or ‘sweetheart’ by blokes

How dare you, joyless man hater?