To not find 'guys' an offensive term?

[DrSheldonCooperPHD]

We have a new manager at work. Our team is 20 people (12 women and 8 men).

New manager held a mini informal meeting this morning, all very nice and very chatty. At the end he said something along the lines of 'thanks guys, great meeting' and one of the women in the team said 'excuse me? guys? That's extremely offensive to the majority of the team who are female!' And walked out of the meeting room.
The MD was also in the room and he and new manager left for another meeting shortly after so I've no idea what happened (if anything) after.

Would this offend you? It didn't even really register with me until she piped up. Everyone seemed very bemused by it all.

I almost admire people who have so much dedication to being offended.
IMO she’s made a right tit of herself

What is actually wrong with being referred to as a different gender?

It never ever happens the other way round. The reason 'guys' is unisex is because lots of people decided to use it that way. 'Ladies', 'girls', 'women' used for a group of men or mixed group would be considered an insult or a joke.

Do any of the 'I'm not offended' people think there's a reason men would object to 'unisex' terms coming from female terms?

I wonder how she would react to my boss, who comes in and goes “ite cunts, gather round.”

I'm not sure how the OPs woman might react, SidsWife but i know how i would (male or female? colleagues male or female?)

A colleague does that too. I've also worked in places where everyone has been 'girls/gals' (even the men). I've worked in some funny places.

My boss is female @Brefugee and my colleagues are all male. I’m the only female.

Jeez, SidsWife - what do they say? Not much i guess?
I actually find it sort of funny and sort of exasperating at the same time. Is it a male dominated area? It's the kind of thing one of my old Sergeants used to do.

My boss (and owner of the business) is also female and she gets far more crap/gossiped about than any male boss, also ageist nonsense.

I have pointed this out to colleagues 'a man wouldn't get that crap' 'you wouldn't say that about a man' and 'they wouldn't say that if the was in her 20s or 30s' but they don't 'get it'.

I use it alot. To me it's just addressing a group. I use it for my daughter and her friends. Some people just love to get offended 😅

General use of language is a funny thing. Just because one feels offended by a term does not necessarily mean the term is offensive. It just means they feel offended.

@Brefugee yeah very male dominated. No we’re not bothered at all. I’d much rather work somewhere relaxed than uptight and professional all the time. It’s the best place I’ve worked.

It has always annoyed me that there is Ladies and Gentlemen, men and women, girls and boys.

Then there's blokes, chaps, guys, lads, and no female equivalent.

Everyone is fine, people is OK at a push, folks is nauseating!

I wouldn't be offended by guys because I can't really suggest an alternative.

Just because you're offended, doesn't mean you're right 🤷🏻‍♀️

Then there's blokes, chaps, guys, lads, and no female equivalent.

There is "gals", and I think using "gals" as a unisex address would probably bother the women in the group more than it would the men.

"Lass' is the female of 'lad'.

Then there's blokes, chaps, guys, lads, and no female equivalent
And? Not everything to do with men and women has to be entirely equal in number. Does it actually matter?

‘Guys’ is Not offensive
Just irritating - isn’t it an American term we’ve taken on
Personally I hate it. It’s patronising
What’s wrong with the word ‘everyone’

Thinking 'guys' is gender neutral is weird.

Why is 'guys' gender neutral and 'girls' or ' ladies' is not?

It matters. Start thinking beyond the limits that men have set for you.

I used to waitress and used to use guys when greeting parties at a table. One “older” gentleman absolutely lost his shit with me. I was 😱 his family apologised privately and said he was a bit of a 🍆

Start thinking beyond the limits that men have set for you.

Or consider that it has nothing to do with men imposing anything, and is just a natural ebb and flow of language with no real implications explicit, implicit, ulterior, or otherwise. Sometimes a duck is just a duck. Of course we can't call a group of people duckies now can we?

I address my son and daughter as guys. They also address Dad and I the same! I really didn't think it was just a male term but more of a groups term.

And as Sloth from The Goonies would say; heeeey youuu guyss

Or consider that it has nothing to do with men imposing anything, and is just a natural ebb and flow of language with no real implications explicit, implicit, ulterior, or otherwise

When my young daughter is upset that her teacher keeps calling them all guys in class and she is not a guy then there are real implications. It is not a natural ebb and flow. It is because men dominated all spaces and in most cases still do.

Guys isn't gender neutral. Mankind isn't gender neutral and neither is Man.

I remember writing an essay and saying, 'Mankind' and my lecturer circled it and said, 'Can't women do this?'

We say Humankind now because it also includes women. I'm sure lots of people aren't offended by that but it excludes women and makes the male experience normative.

If he's heterosexual, ask him if he sleeps with guys.

If he's heterosexual, ask him if he sleeps with guys.

I like this.

Although you're still wrong.

@ProclivitiesMcManus

No, you are!

See how easy this is.