3 ms·

Your zinger is presuming OP is a straight male? I don't think anyone is arguing that "guys" would be accepted usage to refer to a group that's entirely female

Your zinger is presuming OP is a straight male? I don't think anyone is arguing that "guys" would be accepted usage to refer to a group that's entirely female gendered, only that it's acceptable for addressing mixed company. A bisexual person may well think that way about their sexual history in toto -- or they may find distinguishing genders is useful in this context.

klyrs 4y ago
willhinsa is arguing exactly that in a sibling comment. It's a peculiar thing. I've seen guys get offended at the assertion that "guys" is gendered, and then enraged at the suggestion that they may have slept with "guys."
- version_five 4y ago
  There is no contradiction. Words have meanings that depend on context. Pretending that a word in different contexts must mean the same thing is disingenuous. "I only date guys" - unambiguously saying you go for the male gender "Hey guys" - a gender neutral greeting Dick can be a man's name, a detective, an anatomical reference, or an insult. Somehow we manage not to feign outrage at a Richard's nickname
  - klyrs 4y ago
    > Words have meanings that depend on context. Ah, see, nuance! So often when this topic comes up, there is none of that to be found! Hence, people asking obnoxious questions like "how many guys have you slept with." You see, there is a contradiction: people get offended when their words offend others, and they exhibit this offense with kneejerk responses. But what's happening there? The original speaker is getting offended by the others' words.
MartinCron 4y ago
Someone who is upset enough about being being called out for using gendered language that they post a complaint about the interaction, on hacker news, I would bet real money that the OP is a straight male. I would also bet that the straight male would say "no" to the question "do you fuck guys?"
- jcims 4y ago
  Your take asserts that words are essentially static in their meaning regardless of usage. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guy https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guy It's exactly like the evolution of the term 'bitch'. Its origins are gendered but its predominant application now has nothing to do with canine sex or mean women.
jcims 4y ago
Depends heavily on where you’re from. My aunts refer to each other as guys all the time. It’s equivalent to ‘folks’ in the way they use it.
Macha 4y ago
> I don't think anyone is arguing that "guys" would be accepted usage to refer to a group that's entirely female gendered, only that it's acceptable for addressing mixed company. This really depends where you are in the world. It's true that my female friends don't use "guys" to refer to friend groups that are entirely female. The word they do use is "lads". Which, to UK people would sound even weirder than claiming "guys" is gender neutral, yet it often is here.

klyrs 4y ago

willhinsa is arguing exactly that in a sibling comment. It's a peculiar thing. I've seen guys get offended at the assertion that "guys" is gendered, and then enraged at the suggestion that they may have slept with "guys."

version_five 4y ago
There is no contradiction. Words have meanings that depend on context. Pretending that a word in different contexts must mean the same thing is disingenuous. "I only date guys" - unambiguously saying you go for the male gender "Hey guys" - a gender neutral greeting Dick can be a man's name, a detective, an anatomical reference, or an insult. Somehow we manage not to feign outrage at a Richard's nickname
- klyrs 4y ago
  > Words have meanings that depend on context. Ah, see, nuance! So often when this topic comes up, there is none of that to be found! Hence, people asking obnoxious questions like "how many guys have you slept with." You see, there is a contradiction: people get offended when their words offend others, and they exhibit this offense with kneejerk responses. But what's happening there? The original speaker is getting offended by the others' words.

MartinCron 4y ago

Someone who is upset enough about being being called out for using gendered language that they post a complaint about the interaction, on hacker news, I would bet real money that the OP is a straight male. I would also bet that the straight male would say "no" to the question "do you fuck guys?"

jcims 4y ago
Your take asserts that words are essentially static in their meaning regardless of usage. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guy https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guy It's exactly like the evolution of the term 'bitch'. Its origins are gendered but its predominant application now has nothing to do with canine sex or mean women.

jcims 4y ago

Depends heavily on where you’re from. My aunts refer to each other as guys all the time. It’s equivalent to ‘folks’ in the way they use it.

Macha 4y ago

> I don't think anyone is arguing that "guys" would be accepted usage to refer to a group that's entirely female gendered, only that it's acceptable for addressing mixed company. This really depends where you are in the world. It's true that my female friends don't use "guys" to refer to friend groups that are entirely female. The word they do use is "lads". Which, to UK people would sound even weirder than claiming "guys" is gender neutral, yet it often is here.