Because half the population (or at least a considerable portion of that half) get's offended if I treat them the same as I would men.
> Even more skeptical if we're restricting the scene to professional interactions.
Not everything in the workplace is a professional interaction, or at least it never used to be. I don't know what it's supposed to be now, you have corporate wanting to do team building exercises and everyone to be one big family, we're still supposed to sign birthday cards and that sort of rubbish, yet you can't talk to people as you would friends and family.
Edit: My point is that I'd never talk that way in a professional context. Or even on HN.
Edit: Also that my wife has picked up bad habits from me.