Another kind of buddy

[James Harbeck]

The one person I can think of who uses "Hey, buddy" a lot is a
garrulous mentally handicapped man who sometimes rides the same bus
as I do. Whenever he wants to start a conversation with someone --
always just a stranger on the bus -- he says, "Hey, buddy," and if
they don't respond immediately he says it a few times more. From
anyone else it would sound somewhat impolite -- sort of on the level
of "Hey, you" (the correct way to address someone around here is
"Excuse me"; you don't use a substitute for their name if you don't
know it unless you want to be impolite or especially familiar). But
since he's obviously mentally handicapped that ruie doesn't apply.

James Harbeck.

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