What if someone prefaces it with "Attila the..."
:-D
I think it can be like "buddy" for men. Much depends on the tone and the immediate situation.
From one man to another who is generally a stranger, "Hey, buddy could you hold this for a second.." can be appropriate to maintaining minimum politeness and an impersonal situation ('look, this is just two seconds, it's not like I really need to get to know you...')
But 'buddy' can also be used to express discontent, again mostly by tone and body language in the situation. In that case it can function like 'Hey, buster...' which simply cannot be used to express a positive bond.
'Hon,' and 'honey' may also have regional variances; I've heard it's used in the Southeast for pleasant and polite situations, so if the speaker grew up there or spent a lot of time there, then he or she may just be trying to be
NICE.when some people say it, it sounds sweet..but when other people say it..say someone i don't really like says it, it annoys me.
This sentiment is exactly what has made it so arbitrarily dangerous for man to compliment a woman at work. The man can't tell which camp he's in. Two men can say the exact same phrase, but if she finds one guy repulsive (and he doesn't know it - she wouldn't tell him that in advance, right?) then that guy gets a call from HR for harassment. Even though he said the same thing Mister Bishounen said.