Call me anything you like, but don’t call me sweety!

After a lengthy hiatus, the Token Indian has returned to the world of column writing, eager to pick up where he left off.

The reason for his sudden sabbatical was quite simply, Doormat Syndrome.
Unfamiliar with the term? Doormat Syndrome is the act of letting people take advantage of you or allowing people to walk all over you; just like a doormat.

It’s not easy to admit that you’re a doormat, but doing so is beneficial to your well being. Admitting you’re a doormat means that you can start to put yourself first, and the next time someone tries to walk all over you, you can trip them up.

One of the easiest ways to tell if someone is planning on asking for favours is when they get overly sweet. The Token Indian has been called many things in his life; an assh**e, unfriendly, mean, snobbish etc, but the term that really grinds his gears is ‘sweety’.

More often than not, when someone calls you sweety, or even honey, it’s because they’re about to ask for something and are trying to butter you up. They tend to pronounce these words with the sweetest, sickliest tone they can muster, hoping that you don’t see through it. Growing up Indian in the good old days, the only time you were asked for favours was when your neighbour ran out of sugar. They occasionally needed a cup of rice or some oil too, but they tried not to make a habit of it. You did get those neighbours, though, who thought that your house was a one-stop grocery shop and they could pick out anything they wanted.

Now, favours range from money, to lying for them and even doing their work. After you agree, their response is always the standard, ‘aaaw, you’re such a sweety, Thanks so much. I owe you.’

Truth is, they never plan to return the favour. It’s just a way of making you feel appreciated and giving you false hope until the next time they need a favour.

So the next time someone comes around calling you sweety and asking for favours, tell them that you’re actually sour and are too busy putting you first to worry about them.

Take a stand. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and don’t allow anyone to treat you like a doormat anymore.