3 ms·

I think your analysis is a bit heavy-handed. Most people have a common understanding of this word. Referring to a woman as "this chick" is obviously a tone that

I think your analysis is a bit heavy-handed. Most people have a common understanding of this word. Referring to a woman as "this chick" is obviously a tone that lacks respect and most American males understand the subtle differences in connotation between "chick" and "dude". Yes, they are mostly interchangeable but in certain contexts the word "chick" can carry a somewhat dismissive tone with a little more intensity than the word "dude" and this is just a subtlety of the language that is not easy to articulate. Women in positions of authority or power are generally not referred to as chicks, it's hard to come up with a universal rule, but if one considers female authority figures throughout one's life it becomes easier to see where "chick" is usually not acceptable term for a woman you respect whereas "dude" has a more neutral connotation for male authority figures, e.g. in reference to a strict male authority figure "that dude is a hardass" or "that dude will knock you out".

Raphmedia 9y ago
It is not about respecting authority. It is about respecting strangers and using the proper words to describe them. Since that person is not present, it is best to be as formal as possible. Call men "a man", call women "a woman", boys "a boy" and girls "a girl". Using words like "babe", "chick", "kiddo" for people you don't know is a blatant lack of respect. Using "a chick" in the current context is plain wrong to me. It's fine if you know her, but talking about a third-party this way is disrespectful from my point of view. My issue with this comment has nothing to do with gender or feminism. It is all about the correct use of words when addressing strangers.
- root_axis 9y ago
  It's not "about" any one particular thing, my comments about authority were only meant as a thought experiment to suss out the difficult-to-articulate subtlety of the word's connotation. I don't have a strong opinion regarding the general use of "dude" and "chick" to refer to people one is not personally familiar with.

Raphmedia 9y ago

It is not about respecting authority. It is about respecting strangers and using the proper words to describe them. Since that person is not present, it is best to be as formal as possible. Call men "a man", call women "a woman", boys "a boy" and girls "a girl". Using words like "babe", "chick", "kiddo" for people you don't know is a blatant lack of respect. Using "a chick" in the current context is plain wrong to me. It's fine if you know her, but talking about a third-party this way is disrespectful from my point of view. My issue with this comment has nothing to do with gender or feminism. It is all about the correct use of words when addressing strangers.

root_axis 9y ago
It's not "about" any one particular thing, my comments about authority were only meant as a thought experiment to suss out the difficult-to-articulate subtlety of the word's connotation. I don't have a strong opinion regarding the general use of "dude" and "chick" to refer to people one is not personally familiar with.