Is calling 'people' 'folk' part of gender ideology rewriting language norms or is it separate?

[Gofastboatsmojito]

I've noticed this a lot in the last couple of years, it seems much more common in articles broadly on board with GI, pronouns, using the word Queer to describe anyone not achingly boring.

I've also noticed it coming out the mouths of my friends who are more TWAW inclined.

The word 'people' doesn't seem to have explicit links with biological realism or gender critical beliefs but it seems out of fashion in some circles.

Is this coincidence and more related to younger trendier language (!) or is it chosen for a reason?

It's quite common in some areas (Northern) and has been for a long time. Your explanation wouldn't even occur to me.

I'm in my 50s and use folk all the time, always have.

I'm in Scotland and it's pretty common here - there's no connection with genderism in that respect although I know how much genderists love to use the term.

I don’t think saying folk instead of people has anything to do with gender. Just different vocabulary for different parts of the country.

None of those things. It certainly isn’t related to a younger and trendier language. “Folk” has been part of the English language for years and has no sinister subtext.

I've definitely noticed the link. I'm in the south and the people I know who are full on TWAW use 'folk' a lot. I've rarely noticed others using it.

It has been used for probably over a hundred years in Ireland so I imagine it is international now.----

I’ve seen the correlation - I have sometimes thought it’s because “folk” sounds a bit more informal and like a community than “people” - feels like there’s a faint tribal or community connection. Hints at bonds of connection.

I've noticed this and agree with you, OP. I really struggle to articulate what I'm observing or what it means. But I've noticed it.

My understanding (from reading an infufferably woke lecture rant on this topic in 2020 - forgive me, it was lockdown, I was bored) is that 'folks' is preferable because it is seen as a reaosnably inclusive, gender neutral term.

Of course if you really want to be On the Right Side of History, you should say 'folx'.

'People' is a white supremacist word for some reason. It's more Progressive to refer to people as 'bodies' and to use 'Folks' or ideally 'Folx' as the vocative.

Obviously this is a US thing, only US west coast progressives would ever propose something this stupid. In the UK, as PPs have rightly pointed out, 'folk' has a long, separate and entirely politically neutral history as a word for 'people', from the Germanic Volk.

That's fascinating, thank you.

I might launch a campaign to bring back the word "Peeps"

This explains it all much better than me:

https://newdiscourses.com/tftw-folks/

I think it’s because people used to say ‘ladies and gentlemen’ or ‘women and men’ or ‘girls and boys’ and ‘people’ doesn’t have the same warmth to it eg- ‘welcome people’. So ‘folks’ sounds is the ‘gender neutral’ version. It’s a way of avoiding mentioning people’s sex.

The other bonus is because it blurs the distinction between family and people outside the family. “I’m going back to see my folks”. There’s a move towards recognising ‘found families’ for people who are estranged from theirs, and also at school the word ‘parents’ is now ‘parents and carers’ to avoiding offending kids who don’t live with their parents.

It is annoying though. It’s like everyone taking on ‘all y’all’ even though they’re not from the southern United States.

I assumed it was a regional thing. I would use folk over people and always have done, it's pretty standard language here - up north. I also agree that's it's less formal than people.

This is interesting. I’ve noticed this and wondered. The explanations on this this thread are helpful.

'Folk' is a well-established word as PPs say, but it's a familiar 'folksy' word, in a more formal setting the word 'people' would be used. You wouldn't expect to see 'folk' on an official form, or public notice.
I think it is used in the gender ideology context to make it sound familiar and unthreatening, otherwise they'd just say 'people'. To that extent, there is a bit of a subtext, possibly not conscious.

I think it may be like doctors using the verb 'pop' a lot, as in 'I'm just going to pop this in here' or 'Just pop your top off' to 'soften' awkward situations.

So 'transfolk' sounds more familiar and unthreatening than 'transgender people'.
That's my theory anyway

"They" spell it Folx.

It's quite common in some areas (Northern) and has been for a long time. Your explanation wouldn't even occur to me.
This. I'm from the North East and l realised l used 'folk' yesterday. Didn't even think about it until l read this thread.

'Folx' is ridiculous. I've always used 'folks' though and I'm in my 50s and very much gc. I'm a teacher, and 'Right, folks...' is a pretty normal way to start addressing a group of kids for me, whatever sex they are. It sounds a bit more friendly and less patronising or authoritarian than saying class/students/children/boys/girls/boys and girls.

Another interesting northern phrase angle is 'nowt so queer as folk'. So I'm wondering if Queer As Folk played a part in pushing Folk into the pop culture vocab.

I thought it was an American thing. Didn’t George W Bush use it all the time? I find it really annoying personally.

Northerner here, I've always used it and I'm old. It never occurred to me that it has been by any appropriated by any particular group.

Beats the socks off "guys" anyway.

Always used it, but I belong to a couple of folk bands, it's quite common before a gig for one of the group to say something along the line of 'right folks, first song is in G..." and we all merrily fall in with our accordion player, who tends to lead the group!
I don't think it would be so well received if he referred to us as 'people'!

‘Guys’ for both sexes was the most popular a while back. When I was little, ‘guys’ was male.

Then I saw an email last year that guys should be replaced by folks, then another saying folx. Reason = because folx is more inclusive. The very next email from the same person said ‘hi guys’. I chuckled. It’s very rare to have hi folx, hi folks gets mentioned a bit, hi guys is still popular. I just say ‘Hello’.

"Folks" and "folx" don't sound the same at all to me. Are they supposed to?
("Fokes" and "follks" is my closest approximation)

Adoption of language trends signals group membership even if the language is largely unrelated to the common interest. These people aren't all using "folk"because they're from Northern England or Ireland or wherever; they're using it because their online community uses it. There wouldn't necessarily have to be any justification for it — just the fact that it's common among that group for whatever reason would be enough for people to adopt the usage.

Same as how (purportedly) British posters who talk about bathrooms when discussing public toilets are likely to be TRAs or TRA-adjacent. Because so many of the posters in their online communities are in the US, and the commonly-used term there is bathrooms, that's what they use, and British members naturally pick up on that language and start using it, not only through plain exposure, but also because it's natural to use the language that seems particular to the social group you consider yourself part of.