I’m scratching my head trying to think of a time when I’ve heard the phrase “he’s well spoken” when the subject wasn’t in some category the speaker normally considers to consist of a bunch of people in a lesser class.
I’ll start. He’s very well spoken for a Harvard alumnus.
You mean to tell me you’ve be pronouncing ‘subtle’ incorrectly until now?
No, more like 1992, when I had to use verbally for the first time.
That was great, especially the part about “how would you feel if I sang cracker”, “I wouldn’t mind at all”, “well, i do mind”.
Yeah, ‘well spoken’ doesn’t quite pass the sniff test, does it.
But a while back, I was like damn, that dude’s articulate, and because the bloke in question was black, I had folks coming out of the woodwork to tell me I was being Not Cool.
Which I found fucking bogus, despite appreciating the provided reasons, simply because it was plain that the guy was articulate for a human.
I can totally see getting hammered for it if I was referring to a level of articulacy unremarkable in someone from a privileged background; that’s fair enough. But kneejerking like a zero tolerance dipshit following some one size fits all rulebook is what I’d deem Not Cool.
Band name!
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Coates got one big thing wrong in his assessment, considering he’s from Baltimore.
In Baltimore, everyone is “hon” or “honey!” It’s totally OK to call strangers Hon!
No.
Honestly, I don’t care where they’re from, if a random man calls a random woman “honey”, he needs to get the shit smacked out of him. Just because something’s a social norm doesn’t make it okay.
Well, it’s usually “hon,” not “honey,” and it’s also very commonly used by women, referring to other women, or men. shrug I don’t think too many Baltimoreans are offended by this.
And I’m sorry, where you’re from, resorting to physical violence because someone said “hon” is OK, but calling someone “hon” is not? Yeeeesh.
Fine, I’ll go back to catcalling, because that used to be a social norm, why the hell are people so offended smh
Because everything I say should be taken 100% literally. Like you know those women who say “kill all men”? They literally want to kill all men.
I just think you don’t at all realize how the term “hon” or “honey” is used in Baltimore. It is not a derogatory term. It is not analogous to a catcall. It is a friendly term, and very commonly used. I’ve had women call me “hon” or “honey” for years here, I think it’s sweet. I know some pretty awesome hardcore Baltimore women. I can’t imagine any of them being offended by “hon” if used in the context I am describing here. You may not understand that context, but it’s well-known to Baltimoreans, to the point where when a local restauranteur (a woman) trademarked “hon,” the city went apeshit, because it was a common term of endearment. The woman ended up giving up the trademark, because her business was being boycotted – it’s captured in an episode of Kitchen Nightmares. Her restaurant? Cafe Hon.
Now I’m imagining a city where wolf whistles at random women had no sexual context, and since the rest of my family is asleep I’m stifling a laugh at that. 
I guess this loops back quite nicely to the original comment, then, because outside the confines of Baltimore there is no way that “hon” and “honey” are terms of endearment for total strangers without negative baggage. They’d do well to remember to not call random people “honey” when they’re away from their home turf.
My mom used to do that (calling people “hon.”) For some reason, I found myself doing it after she passed away. I don’t know why. Maybe I should stop… but it reminds me of her. Nobody’s objected yet. (And neither of us has ever been to Baltimore.)
Oh jeez this is still open… hey @orenwolf this should have closed awhile ago but I guess the lock/unlock b0rk3d that.
Would you do the honors when you get the time.
I’ll admit, I kinda like it.
