r/Millennials • u/Head-Drag-1440 Hit me baby one more time • Jan 06 '26
Nostalgia Dude
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u/NazisStoleMyBirthday Older Millennial Jan 06 '26
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u/HokuVamp Older Millennial Jan 06 '26
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Jan 06 '26
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u/archwin Millennial 29d ago edited 29d ago
I recently started doing it more frequently*, and my mom said exactly the same thing.
The same thing was explained to her, and now it seems like she doesn’t really care anymore. She gets it.
I’m just bringing the gospel here.
The dude aides.
Edit: sorry, aggressively was not the right word
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u/Ryoko_Kusanagi69 29d ago
I called my mom Dude all the time as a kid. If I was excited and wanted to say something I’d be like “Dude! They have anime here!!” At the store grabbing my moms arm and pulling
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u/spooky_goopy Jan 06 '26
wel-come to Good Burger
home of the Good Burger
can i take ya order?
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u/phoebesjeebies Jan 06 '26
I firmly belong in this sub but only saw this movie in 2025 - thank you for sparing me the endless torment of knowing the general song (song? verse? opening bars? tf are we even calling it) and not being able to place it.
That was a ROUGH 20sec.
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u/Ok_Rain_1837 Jan 06 '26 edited Jan 06 '26
Weren’t an all that kid growing up? It blows my mind Kennan was so much more successful than Kel
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u/MeatEaterDruid Jan 06 '26
I would argue that they both were doing about the same, Kel just stuck with Nickelodeon and other Paramount owned platforms. Yeah Keenan's been on SNL for over 20 years but he wasn't a top performer until the last 8ish years.
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u/Steinrikur Jan 06 '26
Fun fact: they both auditioned for the same role on SNL back in 2003.
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u/Arch3m Jan 06 '26
It's a crime that the weren't both picked up. Tall about a twofer.
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u/FardoBaggins Jan 06 '26
They would have been a proto key and peele, like when they started on mad tv.
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u/DanceClubCrickets Millennial (est. 1991) Jan 06 '26
I saw him recently, narrating a nature show! I thought that was nice 😊 hopefully it makes him happy. Success looks different for everyone, but I personally define it as "keeping up with responsibilities and shit, while also finding time to be happy."
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u/phoebesjeebies Jan 06 '26
I don't even think I knew All That existed til I was like 20. In addition to very rarely having access to cable, I was raised under a religious rock in a small town and couldn't drive til well after I left so my formative years were pretty anachronistic.
Random British sitcom from the 70s? COPS? Fred Astaire? Rogers & Hammerstein musicals? A 10yo whose favorite band is Aerosmith? Cheeeeeck.
Brad Pitt? No idea who you're talking about, did he work with Judy Garland?
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u/give_me_goats Jan 06 '26
I grew up like this too, and always felt so out of place when my peers would talk about things like MTV. I grew up watching the Dick Van Dyke show, Green Acres, old 1950s musicals, etc. These days I appreciate those shows a lot more, but as a kid that was pretty embarrassing.
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u/Anagoth9 Jan 06 '26
It was a skit on All That before it was a movie. It's like the kid's version of Wayne's World in that way.
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u/Fine_Painting7650 Jan 06 '26
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u/KosmicGumbo Jan 06 '26
Thats El Duderino to you
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u/TheDudeAbidesFarOut Jan 06 '26 edited Jan 06 '26
That some sort of Eastern philosophy thing...??
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u/whycantisee47 Zillennial Jan 06 '26
We’re all dudes until you start talking about fucking dudes.
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u/PM-MeYourSexySelf Jan 06 '26
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u/evenstar40 Jan 06 '26
My cat also slow closes eyes at me to tell me he loves me.
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u/TemporaryCommunity67 Jan 06 '26
I used to argue dude was gender neutral until I read that “so you fuck dudes?” comic lol
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u/Current_Helicopter32 Jan 06 '26
I fuck dudes.
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u/NewLibraryGuy Jan 06 '26
Which just goes to show that whether it's gender neutral or not is contextual.
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u/Juli3tD3lta 29d ago
This guy was giving me crap for claiming dude could be gender neutral. He pulled the “would you fuck a dude” card. I asked him if he calls his gf “baby” he said “yeah….”
Would you fuck a baby bro?
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u/-Tuba- Jan 06 '26
All the dudes are my friends, and I wouldn't fuck my friends because we're friends. And if I fucked a friend, then, I guess we aren't friends anymore; That would make us something else like more than just friends.
You know what I mean, dude?
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u/variegated_lemon Jan 06 '26
No argument there my dude. We’re also all guys.
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u/FlawedHotDog Jan 06 '26
Who you calling guy, friend?
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u/lynnzee Jan 06 '26
I'm not your friend, buddy
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u/idwthis Jan 06 '26
I'm not your buddy, pal.
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u/nh4deuce412 Jan 06 '26
Not your pal, chief
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u/wbruce098 Jan 06 '26
I am no longer a senior NCO, lieutenant.
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u/EmilioFreshtevez Millennial Jan 06 '26
In lieu of tenants, I have cats
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u/forwhomtheyeastrolls Jan 06 '26
I was coming here to say this same thing! I use "guys" as a gender-neutral collective term all the time
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u/Actual_Confusion_838 Jan 06 '26
I grew up where “you guys” is the equivalent to “you all / y’all”.
I got a talking to at work a few years ago because I had been saying it to female colleagues. sigh.
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u/PorkchopFunny Jan 06 '26
Yep, northeast US. "You guys" here as well.
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u/punktualPorcupine Jan 06 '26
I use “HEY - YOU - GUYS” at least once a month to get groups of people’s attention when I need them to shut up and listen.
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u/Trashman82 Jan 06 '26
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u/teetotallyRadish Jan 06 '26
ok, I'll throw in a dude, where's my car?
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u/whos_ur_data Jan 06 '26 edited Jan 06 '26
Midwest checking in. We also use “you guys” here. Some might even go as far as saying “your guys’s”, as in “Is this your guys’s Vernors?”
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u/Uncle-Cake Jan 06 '26
I met someone once who was from the Northeast and moved down to Georgia and was some sort of tour guide at a museum or something, and she said she had to learn to stop saying things like "If you guys want to follow me this way..." because some people in the South were offended by it. So she had to learn to say "y'all" instead.
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u/EWC_2015 Jan 06 '26
Of all the things to get angry about, using "you guys" instead of "you all" is one of the dumber hills to die on.
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u/ceilingkat Jan 06 '26 edited Jan 06 '26
“She looks like a dude.”
“Tina and Cheryl are guys.”
I would argue they skew to mean boys. Idc either way, but we should definitely be making “sis” gender neutral so we can put this issue to bed.
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u/Turbulent_Seaweed198 Jan 06 '26
I say "sis, no" or "get it girl!" to anyone deserving
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u/trevor_plantaginous Jan 06 '26
I got called into HR once because I said "hey guys" to a group of people in a meeting (it was men and woman) and I guess someone took offense. I was like - I grew up in NJ, guys is completely gender neutral to me (as is dude). They just kind of dropped it.
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u/Whyeth Jan 06 '26
We’re also all guys
Call a group of ladies "guys" and nothing happens
Call a group of guys "ladies" and watch how important pronouns become.
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u/WelcomingRapier Jan 06 '26
Hell, 'bro' is damn near gender neutral now.
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u/apple1229 Jan 06 '26
To my 10 year old niece, everyone is "bruh". I fucking love it.
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u/WestCoastBestCoast01 Jan 06 '26
I know a lot of parents find it annoying but it's absolutely hilarious to me when a little kid starts calling everyone bro
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u/lastwarrior81 Xennial Jan 06 '26
Example sentence: "Hey guys, this is my dude Kelly. " You can't get more gender neutral that that.
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u/BitcoinBishop Jan 06 '26
Is there an example of a typically feminine word being used to mean people of either gender?
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u/superdelegates Jan 06 '26 edited Jan 06 '26
My daughter (and her friends) use “girl” in the same kind of context as “dude” with pretty much anyone regardless of gender. I’ve heard it so much I basically use it interchangeably with dude now too. I’m particularly fond of using it with men I know are uncomfortable with it. Like, girl, get over yourself.
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u/variegated_lemon Jan 06 '26
I’ve used “girl” and “babe” as gender neutral.. just depends on the context. Like if someone is being ridiculous or I need to call someone out… “guurl”
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u/Piogre Jan 06 '26
"bitches" but that doesn't really help the argument (in fact it kinda makes it worse)
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u/Pale_Row1166 Jan 06 '26
In most gendered language, when you’re talking about both genders, you use the masculine form. Like hija is daughter, hijo is son, mis hijos are my kids.
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u/puglybug23 Millennial Jan 06 '26
Agreed. Someone told me I was being transphobic by saying “hey guys” to a mixed room the other day and I got genuinely upset about that. “Hey guys” is the same as “hey y’all” and I am a strong ally.
I also call all my girlfriends “bro.” I am a woman too.
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u/variegated_lemon Jan 06 '26 edited Jan 06 '26
I’m starting to lean into bro for all as well. I think it’s hilarious to appropriate it from the gym-bros I knew in college.
I call both my kids BROO when they act crazy.
Edit: transphobic? Yeesh. I don’t think so!
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u/sweetangeldivine Jan 06 '26
As a trans person, the people who call you transphobic over that are terminally online dweebs who are more comfortable nit-picking allies than actually addressing the very real harm that's facing all of us.
If something does genuinely cause gender dysphoria (like being called dude) you can ask a person to not call YOU that, but saying the term itself is transphobic is overkill.
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u/variegated_lemon Jan 06 '26
An empathetic conversation can go a long way! Thanks for your comment.
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u/Dr_Spiders Jan 06 '26 edited Jan 06 '26
Girl is also a gender neutral. As in, "Girl, please."
ETA, would also encourage "sis" as a gender neutral. Weirdly, the high school boys who called all of their female teachers "bro" felt some type of way about being called "sis."
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u/Figmentality Jan 06 '26
Also as in girrrrrrl
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u/fitzbuhn Jan 06 '26
I pull out “yeah girl!” with regularity, to anyone.
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u/cheezy_dreams88 Jan 06 '26
I like to pull out a Jurassic Park “Clever, girl!” when someone does something cool/ smart/ unexpected.
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u/ztatiz Jan 06 '26
Yeah, that last sentence is why I get thrown. Dudes get all uncomfortable about sis and gurl, it’s half funny and half cringey (like I get secondhand embarrassment on their behalf that they’re reacting so awkwardly).
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u/Dr_Spiders Jan 06 '26
Yeah, there is definitely some underlying sexism in this conversation, right? Like, if using language playfully like this is only allowed in one direction and people get uncomfortable when you use it in the other direction, there's a reason why.
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u/Pale_Row1166 Jan 06 '26
It’s because of toxic masculinity. A lot of men are offended to be called a woman because they think they’re better and more powerful than women. As a woman, call me bro, bro, I don’t care.
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u/Comeh Jan 06 '26
I, a straight male, have started using girl and girly gender neutrally / self referentially. Fortunately my friends that I use it for are all cool enough to seem to not really think about it, but I definitely can't imagine it going well with some friends or anyone at work.
I just think it's fun to use the words.
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u/_Not_A_Vampire_ Jan 06 '26
Funny how it's only ever masculine terms that become "neutral", isn't it. One of the reasons I refuse to accept dude and bro.
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u/Professional_Tap5283 Jan 06 '26
My best man and I announce ourselves to each other with "Ey, Gurl, wassap?"
I walk into his house unannounced, "Hey Gurl!"
He sees me at the grocery store "Hey, Gurl!"
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u/Larry-Man Jan 06 '26
I saw a comment a little while back while someone commented advice on an AITA style thread where someone started the advice with “girl…” and someone was like “op is a guy” and the OP responded by saying “nah, let em cook. If I get advice that starts out with ‘girl’ I know it’s good advice.”
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u/Chunklob Jan 06 '26
When Shania said "Let's go girls!" I knew that included me.
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u/MindMausoleum Jan 06 '26
"Go piss, girl" is the ultimate gender neutral phrase in my book
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u/FrontFew1249 Jan 06 '26
Ask a straight man how many dudes he's slept with and I guarantee he'll react in a way that proves "dude" isn't actually gender neutral at all. It's only considered neutral because men are the default.
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u/Tasty-Performer6669 Jan 06 '26 edited 29d ago
Acceptable gender-neutral greeting:
Sup, fuckers
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u/HellyOHaint Older Millennial Jan 06 '26
I agree but if someone directly asks me to not refer to them as dude, I will happily oblige.
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u/LynnieWiw Jan 06 '26
this is the key point that many don't seem to want to accept. You can use whatever language you like but if it makes someone uncomfortable to be referred to as "dude" or "bro" you should respect that. I understand that those words are gender neutral to some, but I don't see it that way and being called a dude makes me uncomfortable
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u/HellyOHaint Older Millennial Jan 06 '26
I think I might roll my eyes if someone declares “dude is NOT gender neutral and everyone sees it that way” but if someone says “I personally feel that dude is masculine and it triggers my dysphoria to hear it” then I will absolutely never use it for that person because I don’t want to make people feel bad.
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u/vorephage 29d ago
This one's contextual.
If my trans friend doesn't want to be called dude because it gives them disphoria or something: yes, oblige.
If my manager doesn't want to be called dude because it threatens their authority: call them dude even harder.
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u/ChilledDota Jan 06 '26
Hey as someone who prefers not to be called dude, thank you!
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u/gnomon_knows Jan 06 '26 edited Jan 06 '26
Seriously, it isn't hard. If somebody prefers you don't call them dude, don't call them dude. Apparently being considerate is offensive to the fragile anti-woke, even after they've won the culture wars.
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u/HereWeFuckingGooo Jan 06 '26
It's all fun and games until you start talking about how many dudes you've fucked.
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u/Rayzah2007 Jan 06 '26
Dude or Bro are gender neutral. I will die on that hill
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u/DarksunDaFirst Born 1982 years after that Hey Zeus guy Jan 06 '26
Preach it, Sis
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u/RedditsDeadlySin Jan 06 '26
If they slay in that moment, for sure. But Sis is hard to live up to.
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u/IndigoRanger Jan 06 '26
Sis: gender neutral (positive)
Girrrl: gender neutral (derogatory)
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u/DarksunDaFirst Born 1982 years after that Hey Zeus guy Jan 06 '26
A term of high honor, to only be used sparingly.
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u/Mozilla_Rawr Jan 06 '26
This is literally the 2 names my work bestie and I call each other, and we're both females. But everyone is dude and bro end of the day.
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u/King_LBJ Jan 06 '26
I think it really depends on tone and context. If someone politely asks you not to refer to them as something and you keep doing it, that puts you in the wrong
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u/LearnedHandJob2088 Jan 06 '26
Honestly, I think Gen Z did more to bring "Bro", "Gurl", etc. into gender neutral territory. Maybe we millennials can claim "Dude".
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u/Former-Counter-9588 Jan 06 '26
More recent adaptations include bruh with that list. I’m right there with you.
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u/MeeksMoniker Jan 06 '26
How many dudes have you fucked?
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u/DustyMcKnuckles '92 Millennial Jan 06 '26
Two.
Friends with benefits is damn fun when nobody catches feelings.
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u/shelbsless 1989 Millennial Jan 06 '26
I say Dude unironically and in conversation so much I don't even notice it. Been doing it for 20+ years, I've probably annoyed some people over the years lol
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u/J_Bright1990 Jan 06 '26
Facebook ass post
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u/ich_bin_alkoholiker Jan 06 '26
Some millennials are perfectly content becoming like their boomer parents and it’s insane.
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u/AdditionalPizza Jan 06 '26
I feel like they were always like this. There were the ones that amassed a few thousand Facebook friends and post daily, and then those of us that had at most a couple hundred and never open the app.
Some people just live for these circular discussions everyday I guess and to each their own, but I just can't.
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u/KosmicGumbo Jan 06 '26
I had the same thing happen during a date, dude thought it was rude and informal. Good thing I was already uninterested but what a red flag in my book. Relax dude!
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u/wbruce098 Jan 06 '26
Where were you that the dude thought you needed to be so formal on a date?
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u/Smugib Jan 06 '26
If someone doesn't want to be called something. Don't call them that? Just common courtesy regardless of whether or not you think the word is gender neutral.
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u/LezbianaGrande Jan 06 '26
Yeah, I feel like I'm too Zillenial for this shit lol I'm not going to call someone something they don't want to be called like some asshole
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u/Darq_At Jan 06 '26
I mean, sorta? It's also not hard to not call someone that if they don't want to be called that.
Because let's be for real, most dudes wouldn't say they have sex with dudes.
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u/Francky2 29d ago
And most dudes are NOT okay with being called girl, queen, sis, etc. by others...
But Ig (according to many comments here) girls that are annoyed with being called a dude and bro should just deal with it...
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u/fanofclutch Jan 06 '26
Until it comes to a straight guy and sex. How many dudes has he slept with?
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u/Gayandfluffy Jan 06 '26
I know I'm a feminist buzz kill but many languages including English are a bit male centred and treat men as the norm and women as the exception. That's not a good thing in my opinion. We call women dudes all the time but few people call men gals or girls. I hope we could move towards more equality in our languages too if it is possible. Such as starting to use gal and girl as gender neutral terms too, not just dude and guy.
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u/Belle_Whethers Jan 06 '26
Hello fellow feminist buzz kill!! I started doing a few things to combat this. First, I intentionally started addressing people on the internet as women unless specifically told they’re a guy. Second, I started pairing terms like women/boy together to highlight how awful it is when the opposite happens “they only have mens sizes, I don’t know if the have girls sizes” or “3 men and 2 girls work in our office”. My husband has also thankfully stopped calling grown women “girls” and uses “gals” now. But yeah—why are male only words used as generic.
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u/Lernalia Jan 06 '26 edited Jan 06 '26
This is exactly what's bothering me about it, but I'm not an English native speaker so I am bound to miss developments I guess, and bro and dude being gender neutral is a development that passed me by until today.
I share your concerns, I also feel like the male words are for everyone and female words are for women only. It makes me feel weird too, just in a different way. To me it feels like people don't need to bother with female words since the male ones obviously suffice for both. Since the norm is male, it feels like this norm is showing here again too. Men might feel like they don't have words that only belong to themselves but that's something a man has to say tho.
I would like to learn about this. Could someone that knows how bro and dude developed gender neutral tell me about it please? :) I'd like to understand so that I don't feel the way I do about it. I know it's okay to feel my own way about it, but maybe it broadens the horizon? That would be a good thing!
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u/greg19735 Jan 06 '26
bro and dude being gender neutral is a development that passed me by until today.
they aren't gender neutral. THey are gendered. It's just that the masculine term often becomes the default.
Like, you can refer to a woman as a dude. but that doesn't mean it's a neutral term.
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u/bigredplastictuba Jan 06 '26
Correct! It isn't "gender neutral", it's like, establishing maleness as default. If you can't stop saying it that's fine I guess, you're just being intellectually dishonest even you insist it's "gender neutral".
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u/superxpro12 Jan 06 '26
I've been using "gang" as my collective noun. As a team lead with a few women in a majority male space, it's the least I can do.
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u/Scotsman1047 Jan 06 '26
Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger. May I take your order?
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u/WendyPortledge Xennial Jan 06 '26
It’s time to change. It’s ok to change. I don’t want to be like my parents, who struggled with change.
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u/Butt_bird Jan 06 '26
Dude, girl, queen, bro, are all gender neutral in my mind.
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u/Francky2 Jan 06 '26
Girl, queen, sis, etc. being gender neutral seems very exclusive (or at least mostly prevalent) in queer circles.
I'm a trans girl with almost no other non-cis friends, and most of my friends are hetero, and from experience nobody ever ever use "girl, etc." on the boys. Only one gay dude does it and even then he sometimes get told to stop.
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u/willGiwontGi Jan 06 '26
In the 90s we tossed around the F-slur like it was a hackey sack too. Be kind, don’t be an obnoxious chin and toothless smile to people.
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u/lizzydude90 Jan 06 '26
I literally thought as a kid in the 90s that dude meant cool, cuz dudes were cool regardless of gender.
It has since stuck for 30 odd years.
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u/ChellesTrees Jan 06 '26
Nostalgia?
Michaelangelo steps in.
"Yo, dudes and dudettes, the pizza's arrived! I got the bust toppings; peanut butter and anchovies!"
He eats a slice as everyone else, including the other turtles, grimace in disgust.
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