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> "Hey guys,..." and someone expresses discomfort with the genderedness of the phrase Is "guys" still gendered? I thought it was used to refer to any group of
by phaemon 9y ago
> "Hey guys,..." and someone expresses discomfort with the genderedness of the phrase
Is "guys" still gendered? I thought it was used to refer to any group of people, male or female, pretty much since the days of "Friends".
- parenthephobia 9y agoHumpty Dumpty was half right[1]. Words mean what the speaker thinks they mean, but they also mean what the listener thinks they mean, which might not be the same thing. The essence of clear communication is to align these two viewpoints. Guys is gendered if you think it is. I've lightly offended groups of women in the past - well after Friends started! - by referring to them as "guys". Once is a miscommunication. To continue to call them guys even after they've said they don't like being called guys would be indistinguishable from intentionally causing offence, especially considering the ready availability of other words that serve the same linguistic purpose. [1] http://www.bartleby.com/73/2019.html http://www.bartleby.com/73/2019.html
- ewjordan 9y agoI try to avoid it when I can because one female colleague commented on it (not sure if it was related to my uses or someone else's because prior to this I never noticed it, but she brought it to HR). As a guy I feel like it's a "meh" issue, and most of the women I know agree and use the phrase themselves, but if it bugs someone it costs me zero to avoid it.
- kortex 9y agoI'm trying to bring back "cats". It's gender neutral, and implies coolness to whom you are referring to. And we are coming up on the 20's again.