[Steve_Seattle]

"Must wonder what would happen if he used the term son?"

Beat me to it. Some older men use the word "son" for any younger man, particularly if they are offering advice or relating an anecdote from their own life. Another example: (usually) older diner waitresses or bartenders who call every man "darlin'" or "honey." Another: blacks who call all other blacks their "brothers" and "sisters," or feminists who call all women "sisters."

[DIRTYSECRET]

A man walks into a bar. He tells the black bartender “I’ll have a jigger ni—er.” The bartender goes ballistic on him, walks out and stops in a bar down the street. He tells the asian bartender “I’ll have a drink chink”. The response: “Oh so solly-we don’r serve ni—ers here.”