If I don't hear a female voice when I'm playing online I will use the term "boys" or "guys". It's not meant in a confrontational way.
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Using "boys" to speak to everyone really needs to stop, and this is why.
- Thread starter astro
- Start date
Yeah, I rarely ever say the word boy but I do use guys all the time
It's always bothered me a bit - I sometimes accidentally say "guys" as a general collective noun and I get annoyed with myself when I do it.
So many youtube videos start "hey guys" and it's slowly driving me up the wall.
Hey everyone, or hey internet (for youtube videos) is fine - it works well on the waypoint podcast IMO.
So many youtube videos start "hey guys" and it's slowly driving me up the wall.
Hey everyone, or hey internet (for youtube videos) is fine - it works well on the waypoint podcast IMO.
I have only ever heard that when it's a group of boys.
Guys I have heard when there are multiple genders present but I always regarded that as a gender neutral term.
Guys I have heard when there are multiple genders present but I always regarded that as a gender neutral term.
yeah I use "guys" all the time to address a group. Like at work: "what's up guys?" and never even think of the word as even having any sort of gender "identifier", but I guess some people could.
Certainly would never use "boys" though. Not really in any situation.
Certainly would never use "boys" though. Not really in any situation.
"let's go boys!"
"Where we landing boys?"
"you boys ready?"
What would your alternatives be?
"let's go people!"
"where we landing, humans?"
"you citizens ready?"
Yeah...that's not gonna work
"Where we landing boys?"
"you boys ready?"
What would your alternatives be?
"let's go people!"
"where we landing, humans?"
"you citizens ready?"
Yeah...that's not gonna work
I've honestly never heard "boys" being used in any context other than men only? Maybe it's just an American thing?
"Guys" on the other hand, sure it gets often used as a catch all for a group of people of any identity these days, but I feel we could argue the definition has changed somewhat over the years on that one to something more generic, without intending to leave anyone out. But that's up for debate.
"Guys" on the other hand, sure it gets often used as a catch all for a group of people of any identity these days, but I feel we could argue the definition has changed somewhat over the years on that one to something more generic, without intending to leave anyone out. But that's up for debate.
This is what I use as well. I came up with it as a way to never make the mistake of saying "guys" when addressing a group of people.
Whenever somebody types "y'all" I instantly know they're either a Reddit mod or a Twitter power user.
Yikes y'all, there's a lot to unpack here because this ain't it y'all. Locking this thread because y'all can't behave. Yikes yikes yikes.
When I worked in retail, had an elderly couple come in and I greeted the, "Hi guys how you doing today?" The woman very quickly said, "I'm a lady, not a GUY!"
It didn't change the fact that I still say it, but it did leave an impression.
I think what the OP is saying: "Don't assume a group of men or boys, are all actually boys, because some of them won't actually identify as such."
I see. Well, boys is not yet as ubiquitously used as guys in a group context yet, so I definitely understand your feeling on it. I probably won't use it in any contexts where I know there to be girls / non-binary people being spoken to as well.
There's absolutely no way that anybody with anything but an American accent is saying "y'all" and not sounding like a fucking idiot.
In Pittsburgh PA, there's a unique term to the city - "Yinz". Only natives really use it, but it works on this level too. It's gender neutral.
I don't use "boys" but I've certainly used "guys" or "dudes" to refer to people of any gender and I don't see an issue with it. Language is complicated and constantly changing and not everything is always about you personally.
OP
OP
Do you usually call it out?
For the last few months I've just ignored it as whenever I do it ends in an exhausting battle, but I called it out just now in discord and the person told me "I won't use it then, but I'm rolling my eyes pretty hard".
That kind of dismissal is really hurtful to me, which is why I tend to avoid calling it out at all. It also derails threads/conversations right away.... I really don't know what to do about it.
"Let's go everyone!"
"Where we landing, folks?"
"You folks ready"
The thing is, if pretty much everyone uses it as a gender neutral term, at what point is it still discriminating against other genders? Language is a constantly evolving thing, and I don't think OP takes it the way most people mean it. Doesn't mean OP is automatically right in telling everyone they shouldn't use it anymore.
Yeah, this is how I see it. I really only see guys use it when they are alone/with friends or don't know the gender of everyone into their party.
Sometimes I hear girls use it in an ironic sense.
My entire language is based around anything more than one being a masculine word. It's a weird switch, y'all.
Well meme'd, my individual.
The majority of languages in the civilized world have masculine and feminin pronouns, and aren't made to keep everything gender-neutral. Hell, try speaking French, where they apply a gender to inanimate fucking objects. Yes, languages evolve, but we're not there yet, and try saying "Latinx" in a sentence. Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue now, does it.
Can you explain to me why you feel this way? They're both masculine nouns.
lol, have you just never used the english language before? Everyone, folks, everybody...
It's not hard lol
If there's a majority of boys, I'll keep using boys.
If there's a majority of Girls, I'll keep using Girls.
if I don't know the gender of the majority, I'll use guys as I've been doing so far.
If there's a majority of Girls, I'll keep using Girls.
if I don't know the gender of the majority, I'll use guys as I've been doing so far.
I live in the south and anyone that says this without a southern accent sounds dumb as hell, including me
"Let's go people!" doesn't sound unusual at all. People is in fact a perfect replacement for pretty much all of those.
Why?
I see this a lot with the streamers I watch, no matter the gender, and it bugs the hell out of me.
Everyone, y'all, guys (though I try to avoid this one as well), and people (I like this one)... are what I use in place of boys. It's not hard.
It's not.
Everyone, y'all, guys (though I try to avoid this one as well), and people (I like this one)... are what I use in place of boys. It's not hard.
It's not.
I only ever really interact with other gamers here, and no I don't think I've ever called it out. When I was really invested in the Halo community back on GAF I used to call shit out all the time, and it was such a drain on me. I'm far less invested in games and gaming communities now, so I don't put that work in like I used to.
GUYS VS BOYS
OP
OP
Because guys is not going to stop. It's fully ingrained. It's grown to mean "everyone" and while it's a word rooted in the male gender, I personally am fine with it.
But "boy" is male. It's really worrying that, in a time when gender identity is in focus and we're understanding more and more about it and how it's important to recognise, that people would try to push the word "boys" as a catch-all.
I honestly don't know how to make this any more clear than I did in the OP. I guess if you can't understand you won't.
Agreed with boys. Harder to drop guys and dude in SoCal dude culture. Feels weird saying y'all (but its also kinda endearing lol) so i'm going to try say everyone instead.
I say guys as a gender neutral term. But even though I'm a girl I still say YEEEEEEE BOI!
Folks feels too...old white person-y lol. Sometimes I use fellas but it doesn't always work in the context.
Would be best to suggest things alternatives.
Folks feels too...old white person-y lol. Sometimes I use fellas but it doesn't always work in the context.
Would be best to suggest things alternatives.
I don't think I've ever used the word boys to refer to a group of people. I do use guys frequently and I don't consider it to be gendered - hell, I use it mostly to refer to my wife and kids, and all four of them are girls.
I'd totally use dudes instead of boys, though.
I'd totally use dudes instead of boys, though.