As a substitute teacher in the whole school district I meet like 40 new kids every day, and while I know some of them, learning all of their names is just unfeasible. I’ve gone through many different phases of names to call them to try to get their attention, and I’ve been called these things by many people myself. Here’s my definitive list, from least condescending/belittling/patronizing to most:

1. My friend - this is my go to for when I don’t know a student’s name in school. It’s the perfect blend of friendliness without being condescending.
2. Big man - one time a bartender called me this and I left him a 50% tip, absolute banger
3. Bro - I don’t even notice when I or someone else says this, it’s just such a big part of my daily vernacular
4. Girliepop - I used to find this super cringe, but I’ve come around and now I think it’s funny
5. Dog - I first started using this to refer to my dog, but I now often use it to refer to people as well. Pretty cool word.
6. Brother - Highly dependent on the person, but I do like when a stranger calls me brother
7. Bud - depends on the person but I don’t mind being called this usually
8. Buddy - somehow worse than bud but also I get called this frequently
9. Homie - not too common but I don’t mind it
10. Queen - I like to use this one to refer to myself sometimes
11. King - I don’t use this one but it’s fine
12. Man - not as good as bro
13. Mister - usually said by someone older than me when they are trying to be deliberately condescending
14. Diva - very popular word at Ithaca College, still not entirely sure what it means
15. Boss - usually friendly but also not good, it just reminds me of a crime movie
16. Sir - I can’t remember ever being called this, and I only say it to police officers
17. Dude - I really only say this when I’m shocked at someones stupidity and/or annoyed at them for some reason
18. Kid - of course I don’t get called this anymore, but I didn’t like being called it and I never use it to refer to specific children
19. Pal - I’ve only ever heard this at the beginning or end of a threat
20. Little man - we don’t need to be spreading lies
21. Boy - just degrading
22. Good boy - I’ve only ever been called this once by accident and it was a bad experience for everyone involved