On the previous Chapter of the CC Thread, I ended up being banned for a few days for referring to a member of CC as a "Trolly Dolly". I will admit that I used the phrase in the midst of a heated discussion, but always understood that was one of many numerous similar phrases that have been in circulation for decades.
They include ...
Military Fast-Jet Navigator = Talking Ballast
Military ATC = The Flying Prevention Branch
Passengers [Mil AND Civ] = Self Loading Freight
Cabin Crew = [The T word]
........... and many, many more.
Personally I find Self-Loading Freight a bit derogatory, but I've been called that for so long I've become largely immune to it. Industry [and military] vernacular it may be, but I have never experienced it being used as a 'term of endearment'. The same broadly applies to the other terms cited above.
Clearly f40 has a more sensitive view when it comes to the equivalent 'term of endearment' for CC, and indeed seeing any non-CC posting on that thread, which is why I no longer risk trying to post in her fiefdom. No problem, her train-set, and that's a high-presure environment for a lot of CC on both sides of the argument. Perhaps we shouldn't have taken such a direct interest.
Does that 'deprecating' or 'endearing' SLF term affect passenger service? On the surface, I doubt it. On a more profound level, given what CC have to contend with on a daily basis from some of their passengers, it may. Whether it's a disruptive oaf in WT, or an arrogant oaf in F/J, or a full aircraft on a bad day to a lousy destination, I suspect we are a corporate pain in the rear. Yes, we pay their wages, and perhaps some of us expect too much from them. But reliable delivery of the advertised product would be nice.
[PS ... I believe this subject has been done to death on PPRuNe often in the past. Or so I was told.]