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Back at the height of the first round of the political correctness movement I was at UCD (never graduated). I ended up in an upper division essay composition class that ended up focusing on political correctness. There were 3 guys in the class. There were many “women”, a few “womyn”, and 3 “gyno-Americans”. Most everybody also clamed some subdivision of race or protonationality. A young black man read his essay as to why he called himself “black” was challenged by several of the African American women as to why he called himself black, when “African American” was the proper term. His rebuttal was short, “Do you bloody hear the accent I’m from E-n-g-l-a-n-d.” Was he wrong now that he was in America? All I thought is “I can’t read minds, so if I offend, please correct me and know that I meant no insult.”, but at this time the world wasn’t hearing this thought.

The upshot is that out of respect, in common parlance, women should be called women. The point of referring to somebody with the most appropriate term of respect is to do just that, show respect. If it’s wrong, correct the person.

I do call my closest female friends “my” witches* and the girls. They enjoy both terms, and I doubt anybody else could get away with it. Some of the elderly volunteers that I work with, over 70 years old, call any woman younger than them a girl. On a daily basis I am faced with quite the spectrum of terms. It isn’t just limited to the proper terminology for adult female humans.

I do believe that I did call the guys that yelled “a rez boy” in Phoenix, and asked me to remove myself from the “wrong” side of the street under threat of a conversation with a few baseball bats “F#@$ing testicle lickers”, though I did it while crossing the street with great haste. In hind sight this was wrong, as it came into the standard male misogynistic pool of insults. Who exactly is a “testicle licker” and why is that an insult? I should have come up with something better.

The most important part of political correctness isn’t the outward communication and forms of interaction, but rather the underlying thoughts. If we treat and think of people as our equals, then the interaction and proper forms of addressing one another follow easily.

* Note: Before I anger anybody, the female friends that I refer to as witches are sufficiently pagan- with out being specific. They struggle against religious sterotypes far to often.

Great thread!
 
xsedrinam said:
They're ladies, with every due respect of the term.

true!

I have a friend, which is definitely not a lady, but she knows that, so she is the only one I would never call a lady. She is and always will be my "Hasipup"!
 
maxterpiece said:
when i hear chick i think of a bunch of macho *******s objectifying women.

That's what I think as well.

I call women of all ages girls, be they 9 or 90. However I've been wondering what girls actually think about that.
 
maxterpiece said:
when i hear chick i think of a bunch of macho *******s objectifying women.


Haha as if women..er ...girls...er....ladies....er....sheilas...er....ah...um.... haven't been doing that to guys for decades.
 
katie ta achoo said:
HELLO LADIEZ!! YOU WANNA GET IN MY DAE-WOO? (Yeah. No)

Ahahahahahaahahaha... LMAO. :D God, I always miss the good threads. I know this comment is pointless, but it made me laugh out loud, which not many topics do ;)
 
Depends on the situation, and the country in which you live to a certain extent as well.

If in doubt best to ply it clean;)

Jordan
 
Skareb said:
Depends on the situation, and the country in which you live to a certain extent as well.


...And whether it's the night before or the morning after. ;)

Chauvinistic comment of the day. Sorry, had to get it out of the system.
 
It all depends on context. Who is saying it and when and where...

It's not appropriate in most of my business meetings, it may be OK at other times.
 
Eluon said:
I agree except in the South, we are taught that Sir and Ma'am are signs of respect. I will always call men and women over say 30 sir and ma'am. I don't find it offensive and neither do they. Ma'am doesn't offend many people.

I was raised in Atlanta but went to college in Philadelphia. Saying "sir" and "ma'am" is a habit, but in Philadelphia people often get upset: they think you're being sarcastic. Lousy city, anyway...
 
Here's how I deal with this dilemma. I keep my mouth shut because no matter what your intentions, no matter what you say, SOMEONE will get offended. I'm not a social person, those I do hang out with know exactly what I mean when I say it. As for the rest of the world, like I said, even the nicest things said will be misinterpreted. Every person is different and they have their own ideas of what everything means. :eek:
 
I've used every term from woman, girl, chick, lady, broad, ma'am, battle axe, and some less mentionable terms as well. It all depends on context and intent.

Most women I know prefer girl or chick in informal settings and it's the most common I hear and use.

I have no time for cumbersome PC crap like "Gyno-Americans". That stuff offends me.

By the same token I have been referred to variously as boy, dude, guy, man, gentleman (rarely :p ), person etc. and have not been offended.
 
macartistkel said:
...Or when I am leaving a voice mail for my friend I ALWAYS start out saying "HEY GIRL, what's up, its Kelly!!" How in the world could that be offensive to someone? :)
It would offend me. ;)
 
And, OT, I tend to use "guys" as a generic term, like the Southern "y'all". But most of the time, I leave gender out of it completely.
 
I liked Sogo's breakdown, seems the most complete. I think for most people it varies. I think Girl has become somewhat acceptable, especially for under 25 and close firends. My wife calls me Boy and I call her Girl, and we are in our mid 30-s. On the other hand, working in tech support, I have had customers say things liks "I don't want to talk to that girl anymore" or similar, in which case it is obvious they are being sexist.

On a side note, I really dislike the habit of waiters/hosts saying "Guys" when the party has men and women in it. As in "Hi Guys, how many tonight?" or something. Either skip the "guys" or use folks. "Hi, welcome to <restaurant>, how many tonight?" would work just as well and not be so annoying.

I did spend a drunken evening when I was 18 asking women at a keg party if they preferred being called slits or holes. Yes, I was trying to be a jerk and it was because a female friend and I got in a discussion about the C word and we were trying to come up with alternates. So she bet me to see how many women I could get to answer the question and how oftern I got slapped, etc. It was funny then, but now I look back and think.... actually it was pretty funny. :) Especially because a woman put me up to it.
 
jayb2000 said:
Either skip the "guys" or use folks.
Oddly, I find "folks" to be more annoying. And I grew up in Iowa/central Illinois, so it's not like I've never heard the term. It strikes me as too ingratiating when the wait staff uses it.

But I agree... no term whatsoever is preferable.
 
Lord Blackadder said:
By the same token I have been referred to variously as boy, dude, guy, man, gentleman (rarely :p ), person etc. and have not been offended.

The only time I can remember being called "gentleman" is when I'm at a craps table. Very strange. (R.I.P. Biloxi :( )
 
jsw said:
It would offend me. ;)
I call most of my male friends "girl"
I have noooo idea why.

I'll be talking to Colin, and say
"Ooh! Girl! You see that new PowerMac?"

they're just used to it.
aaahahah :D

and I've only been called "ma'am" when it's followed with the words "stop making a scene"

...I'm called ma'am on a daily basis. :p

Well... semi-daily; the clerks at the Apple store know my name now.
Before: Go home, Ma'am!!
now: KT! GO HOME! GET FRIENDS! (then, I curse at them in spanish. Because I know spanish. Esta ombligo de chupacabra! su cara esta cara de VACA! SU MADRE!! OH SNAP!!)


/I'll be ma'am when I'm over 70
//even then, I'll curse at you in spanish
///¡detrás en mi día, teníamos procesadores G5!
////cabra fea.
 
katie ta achoo said:
I call most of my male friends "girl"
I have noooo idea why.

I'll be talking to Colin, and say
"Ooh! Girl! You see that new PowerMac?"

they're just used to it.
aaahahah :D
(a) Maybe all your guy friends... aren't the type to ask you to the prom, as it were. ;)
(b) Maybe they assume it means Guy I Really Like.
 
katie ta achoo said:
and I've only been called "ma'am" when it's followed with the words "stop making a scene"
Has it ever been followed by "why aren't you in class"? ;)
 
jsw said:
Has it ever been followed by "why aren't you in class"? ;)

"why don't you have any class" ?

jsw said:
(a) Maybe all your guy friends... aren't the type to ask you to the prom, as it were. ;)
(b) Maybe they assume it means Guy I Really Like.

HAAAAAA!
yeah. it's B. I speak in acronyms for no reason all the time. :rolleyes:
 
katie ta achoo said:
It's ok, 'cuz he's british..
He can get away with anything!

It's like a super power!

Why doesn't anything cool like that ever happen to guys from the US? :mad: Fu** this country, it doesn't do **** for me! :(

I use lass on occasion, I actually like it because it is not often used.
Jokingly with friends I'll say "what's up laaaayyyy-dees ;)?" but only to friends who know me as a mood lifter when they look down. Other, for women I have never met, I refer to them as a woman, unless she can prove herself as a lady, unless she can prove herself (in the other direction) as a girl.

Girl/chick are used only when out with the guys and pointing out "pieces of a**" *duck*, I find both terms too disrespectful to use with women around. There is actually a lot I say when it's just the ol' guys....
 
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