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These are comments such as, "Honey, you should smile" to someone in another car, calling other 70-year-old women “girls,” commenting on the waitress’s tight pants, or pointing out the women with large breasts and how hot they are in movies.

It is starting to annoy me, and I want to say something.

I am not sure this man has had it brought to his attention. If I switch the gender, it would seem creepy to comment on men who are our children's age to him.

Is there a polite, kind way to confront this?

– A Fan

Dear Fan: You may interpret your own silence for the past two years as a form of politeness, but you have actually passively tolerated this man offending you, and (possibly) other women. Is this fair to him?

Tell him, “I care about you, and so I’m going to tell you about a habit of yours that really bothers me. Please, hear me out.”

Dear Amy: You were way off-base about the offering of prayer by healthcare workers.

These people who offer prayer are taking advantage of the patients.

When I was in post-op after a bypass surgery, a preacher came into my room uninvited and asked if I would like to pray with him.

I told him to get the Hell out of my room, as the last thing I wanted to do was ask his make-believe deity for help it could not give.

– Pura Vida

Dear Pura: You were completely within your rights to send this preacher packing.

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(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)

©2021 Amy Dickinson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.