Stodgy? Dignified? Respectful?

I was doing some work outside the house yesterday afternoon, work involving one of my least favorite tools - a paintbrush.  Since we live in a neighborhood with a bit of foot traffic, and since it was a nice day when people would tend to have windows open in their houses and cars, I was expecting to hear a bit of noise.  I could hear radios and televisions, dogs barking, people talking at a yard sale down the block.  Kind of a nice sort of neighborly afternoon sound montage.

I heard someone calling, "Sweetheart?"  Once it was repeated a few times and I realized it seemed to be coming from near where I was, I turned around to see what was going on.  A lady I had never seen was standing in the street at the end of my sidewalk, calling me.  Apparently she hadn't managed to find the street sign on the corner, closer to her than to me, indicating that the cross street was Tenth Avenue.  She wanted to know where she was so as to tell someone on her cell phone.

I wonder if other people dislike having strangers call them by pet names?  I had initially automatically tuned it out because the voice calling "sweetheart" was not someone who would have that familiarity with me.  I typically would only respond to a name like that from a few people.  But as I thought about it, more and more, when I talk with a telephone customer service person, I am called "honey" or "sweetie."  

While I have nothing against friendliness, the fact is, unless you live in my household you really shouldn't call me any of those names.  I have a name and you may use it.  If you don't know my name, since I'm an adult male, last I knew the traditional way of addressing me in English would be "sir."  If I'm not dressed nicely, maybe you'd want to call me "mister."  If you are an adult female and I don't know you or don't think it appropriate to address you by name I'll call you "ma'am."  If you are quite young, I might call you "miss."  It just seems polite.

I've got a call to make to an insurance office.  There's a young lady there who always calls me "honey.'  I'm tempted to call her "snookums" or something like that when she calls me "honey."  Then again, that might simply lead her to think she is being appropriately friendly.

So what's the deal?  Am I really that oddly out of place? 

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Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogspot.com and http://alex-kirk.blogspot.com