no smile for you...

Since when is being polite code for "hey I want you to leer at me and call be baby!!!"
I was at the gas station buying a soda and I walk in front of this harmless looking man who bends down to get a bag of chips just as I cross in front of him. I almost run into him, stoping short cutting off his reach to the chips. I smile and politely say "sorry." He then leers at me and says [I kid you not] "No problem, baby" in this oily voice. I was so mad! I also felt a little violated.
I hate being called baby, no matter who does it. I can count on one hand how many times its happened, but it never sounds like an endearment. It either sounds belittleing or whiny. The other thing that made me mad was that I couldn't tell from just looking that this guy was one of "those" guys. The kind that leer, etc.
I'd really like men to have to wear t-shirts or badges that let you know exactly who they are. Something like: If you make eye contact, I will think you're into me. Or Hi I'm a nice guy, if your polite so am I. Or maybe even, I'm unavailable. Or If I were a cartoon I'd be a snake with some big gold bling hanging around my neck... I don't know... something.
This guy looked normal in work coveralls, so unsuspecting but he was a sleezoid. The rest of the day I felt like I wanted to walk around with my head down and not making eye contact for fear someone else would think I'm giving them an invitation to call me 'baby' making my skin crawl.
"Baby, baby, baby.... ugh!!"

Disclaimer: Sometimes I overreact to the mundane or the simply unimportant. I believe its called being obsessive ;>