Hi guys! You don’t mind if I call you guys, right?

[noblegiraffe]

Just out of interest, if you are female:

YABU: yes, I do mind being referred to in a group as guys, even if it’s just a minor niggle that I will never bring up.

YANBU: I don’t give a toss if you refer to me in a group as a guys. It’s a gender-neutral word these days.

I use it and I'm female. It's just an expression I picked up from childhood

@TheClitterati

I don't mind enough to object. But it is annoying. Reminds me of every poster on YT or whatever "hi guys, blabba, blabba blabba"

The reason I don't like it is people say guys is now "gender neutral" but I hear/see it as yet another example of the default "neutral" being male. When mixed groups and groups of men are happy to also be called girls/gals I'll believe in the "no biggie it's neutral" trope.

Guys is only "neutral" because it originates in masculinity. And yes that is very fucking annoying.

Yeah probably this for me as well

And I don’t really understand why there has to be anything at the end of a greeting Or question

Hello. Can I get you some drinks? Are you all ready to order? Much better

Seems fine to me

YABU
I don't like being called "mate" either

I don't care on the basis of sex but I don't like it as another Americanisation. I prefer the Irish habit of calling everyone lads if absolutely necessary.

You do understand that language evolves, op? It's clearly not seen as a male term anymore.

Have you read the thread? Why is it that chaps, lads, fellas, guys are all ‘evolving’ to be ‘gender neutral’ (while very clearly remaining male terms in the singular)? It seems clear that what’s actually happening is male-as-default and women simply keeping their heads down and not protesting when men absolutely would not allow female-as-default in the same way.

Do you understand that?

It doesn't offend me but I'm not keen on it. I prefer to use 'everyone/everybody' when addressing a group.

I hear it all the time and know that when it's used to a group it is considered unisex, but if I was greeting a mixed group, I think I'd say ''hi folks!''.

Does that sound very old fashioned?

I don’t like it and don’t use it. When playing online bridge, I don’t know the sex of each set of my opponents from their usernames, so I address each new table combination with a typed “Hello all” or “Hello everyone”.
It should be simple courtesy for waiters etc to do the same, instead of misgendering half their customers. Can you imagine the furious response if they misgendered a trans rights activist in this manner - yet we women are supposed to accept being ignored or erased by male language

I’m a Senior Manager myself, and I use it. If someone was offended by it and told me, I’d stop.

Are you confident that you work in a place where people at entry level positions upwards are comfortable asking senior managers to consider the language they use?

I'm not offended if I'm in a group referred to as guys but that's possibly because I have used it in the past. I now tend to say 'Hi everyone', not because of it being sex-neutral but just because most of us change terminology over time.

I do prefer chuggers not to refer to me as 'Madam' though. I don't take great offence though but there's just not a chance in hell of some kid getting a penny out of me for calling me something that makes me feel old or that I run a brothel.

I have a male a female dc. Dh, after many years of my language and gender lectures, first replaced 'big girl's blouse' with 'wet lettuce' and uses the collective term 'girls' when rallying the troops. Ds doesn't object.

I don’t mind guys at all. Very little offends me.
We go to a lovely restaurant near us and I do like being called madam though, makes me feel all posh 😁

@NotEverythingIsBlackandWhite I posted before reading your comment and the ‘madam’ comment, just after I said I like being called it 😄

It's lads where I am in Ireland, whether for an all female, all male or mixed group. It's very informal though. But yes, a lad (singular) is still a youngish male only.

@Oilyoilyoilgob
"I posted before reading your comment and the ‘madam’ comment, just after I said I like being called it'
Aw, I hope I haven't destroyed your feelings of poshness.

Those chuggers are brutal though - one day they call me Miss, the next day, Madam. I thought their training was to flatter. 🤣 (not that it works on me anyway).

@merrytombombadil

I'd prefer if there was a genuine gender neutral term that was also laid back and friendly but I don't know any (which is really sad) - it's probably the best of a bad bunch - I prefer 'guys' to 'chaps', 'gents', 'lads', and indeed 'ladies' or 'girls'.

Y'all

Obviously that one grates on those who aren't fond of americanisms though!

Folks

I'm going to be like Gretchen Weiner. I'm going to make Folks! happen.

Don't like 'guys'. I'm not a man.

I've even seen teachers address a class as this which makes me cringe. Would've been picked up on this use of 'language' not too many moons ago. Not professional.

Doesn't bother me in the slightest.

I'm Irish and also hear (and use) "lads" used for mixed and even all female groups.

The best of a bad bunch I think is 'Folks'

By the power of MN let's make it happen!

I think there is an age cut off with lads. I used to say this, my friends used to say this. But now we are circling 50 we are not saying it anymore, are we folks ?

After 35, lads is delusional. I'd be looking behind me to see where they youngfolks were.

@NotEverythingIsBlackandWhite I’ll still hold my delusions of grandeur at ‘madam’ but I would really hate being called Miss, for some reason 😁

You get called ‘love’ a lot where I am and when I’m called that by a young person it does make me feel old 😒

I like guys and I don't see it as a male word.

They can have 'chaps' which is naff.

KetoIFWinnie I'm 40 and definitely still using lads! I don't think I've ever used the word "folks" in my life.