This comeback made the man furious. He sputtered and spluttered and finally accused her: “I’ll bet your husband calls you honey and you love it!” This, of course, was just the point. He wasn’t her husband, so he shouldn’t address her as her husband might. But the man had made a friendly gesture, so her taking offense seemed to him unjust. He was aware of the metamessage of solidarity in calling her “honey.” She was reacting to the metamessage of condescension.
