Is it wrong to call women "Sweetheart" on the phone?

@LoneVoice Not feeling that one, huh? You think I'm overreacting?

@ShadowSister No. After 50 years of this crap, it's getting exhausting. I don't understand why so many women are offended by being women.

@LoneVoice Well that's why I posted the question in the first place. I don't know what you mean by "50 years of this crap." What crap? I'm not offended by "being a woman."

@ShadowSister I've been hearing it for 50 years. So much that I don't want to be bothered by women today. It's not worth it.
An attractive lady who I didn't know approached me and called me "sweetheart" during a short conversation at the grocery store on Saturday. I wasn't offended. I didn't feel demeaned. I didn't feel patronized. I didn't want to scream, have her arrested and file a law suit. I enjoyed it and I smiled. How come? 🤷 I must be weird. So be it.

I know...with women it's "different". Women are special.

@LoneVoice No, I actually think it feels weird in both directions. I would never dream of calling a man "sweetheart." I would feel so completely out of place. No, I actually think it has to do more with culture. I'm in Wisconsin. That's just now how we do things here. But for what it's worth, I also wasn't offended, I also didn't feel demeaned, and I also didn't want to scream. I did feel a little patronized, which is why I posted here. I just want feedback to see what other folks think. If you read though the comments, it seems like a pretty mixed bag... from both women AND men.

I could go off on a similar rant of how sick I am of men reading into what women say and assuming that feminism must be the problem. But I won't. You know why? Because I feel like we need more good-faith conversations between men and women. I was just posting a question for discussion here. If anyone is offended in this conversation, it's not me.

@ShadowSister I said "many women". I didn't say YOU. I clearly read that YOU were not offended.

@LoneVoice Cool, we're on the same page then. I was just responding to the original eye-roll emoji.

@ShadowSister I just wish women would treat niceties from men as they are meant to be, instead of looking for red flags and motives.
That being said, calling anyone "sweetheart" over the business phone is not professional. I would never do that.

@LoneVoice Well it made me feel weird. I can't control that. Seems like he was just being nice, and I didn't say anything to him that made him feel bad about our interaction.

There are aspects about being both men and women that suck. It sucks for men that you have to fight so hard to get a woman's attention, and there is an expectation that you always have to make the first move. It sucks for women because we are constantly getting hit on whether you want it or not... and believe me, there are plenty of times we don't want it. But then there are also plenty of times we do, and it's nice to feel attractive when men show us attention. I personally think that neither is better or worse. It's just different.

@ShadowSister Been there. I've had receptionists, secretaries, office managers etc. call me "honey" or "sweetie" many times when I was on the job. I considered them being friendly. I didn't interpret it as being hit on or harassment. Then I smiled and plodded onward.

@LoneVoice The more I read the comments here, I'm pretty sure this is just a regional difference. May I ask what part of the country are you in?

@ShadowSister Pennsylvania

@LoneVoice Oh! I'm surprised. I figured you would say somewhere like Georgia.

@ShadowSister Nope, PA, carbon copy of Wisconsin. 😂