Love, darling, sweetheart etc.

[monsteraa]

I hear these words regularly from men, day in, day out - bus drivers, tradesmen, shopkeepers, etc.

I don't like it when men I don't know call me these things, I find it patronising.

Sometimes I want to say 'I'm not your sweetheart' (but of course I don't, I'm too polite).

AIBU?

Isn't this just a British thing? I hear it from women too. Personally, I like it. Brings a bit of warmth into the day.

I don't mind being called any of those.
i like it, I don't find it offensive or patronising or anything else that people these days go into one over.

I really like to to be fair, and yes women call me those things just as much as men. It's just a bit of warmth as @CharlotteRumpling says.

I think it's a bit of a regional thing as well, I've lived in Shropshire for twelve years after most of my life in Cheshire, and it's far more prevalent here (along with duck and babe, which will probably upset people as well!)
I don't think I've ever heard any of them said with any intent to upset or offend though, it's just a friendly thing....

I am from a different, more formal culture, and I find it endearing. DH is often called love by the women in his office. He likes it too.

I don’t have a problem with it.

I usually hear it from women and I'd rather be love than ma'am. I think a lot depends on tone - some men are horribly patronising and "love" is part of that.

I live in Yorkshire. Women call women love and men call men love. It is warm and friendly.

Yanbu, but tbh it isn't meant in any sort of malevolent way in general. It does rub me up the wrong way too though, so i feel your pain.

I love it! Nothing patronising about it, in the context you speak of, at all!

I hate it but I do think it's a regional thing. We have someone from Yorkshire who visits our office and calls us darling and love, we all grimace when he does it.

However it's probably better than some of the names we use to call each other in the office which are much more offensive!

There are enough things to worry about without looking for offence where none is meant.

I rarely hear it these terms but when I do I don’t take offense as I assume that they are a part of the casual language of the speaker and not meant to be patronising.

That said, sometimes when they have been said to me I have hesitated since they seem overfamiliar and presumptuous but then I remember that for many they are words used day to day and nothing untoward is intended at all.

I call people lovely, my love, sweetheart etc. I'm from the SE if that matters, but I didn't realise it rubbed people up the wrong way. Everyone I know speaks like that.

That's the way to suffer bs indefinitely. People have to be made aware when they're crossing lines, albeit inadvertantly.

My DP is 60 at the end of the month and when he came back from having a blood test the other day he announced that now he must be old as the female Phlebotomist called him sweetheart.

My favourite is 'Pet' I love working in the north east.

In Birmingham women are called Bab . When I got on a bus and paid the driver said Cheers Bab .

I hear it from men and women, I love it and honestly couldn't understand how someone could be offended.

I like it, it's friendly. It's something both men and women do in all the places I've lived.

Lancs here and everyone is ‘love’, totally normal to both sexes. When I lived in Yorkshire it was ‘duck’, my Scottish friend says ‘hen’. I like it

YABVVU
people are just being friendly. It means nothing. They do not love you. You are not actually their darling. By no means are you their sweetheart
Don't flatter yourself.
These are filler words. They are friendly, meaningless words.
Get over yourself. Be less po-faced

I'm from Yorkshire and everyone male and female calls each other love, darling, duck, my lovely, babe etc. It's just everyday language and definitely not intended to be offensive!

Me too, I think it's nice