I have often used this term when addressing mixed-gender groups in various settings ranging from when I waited on tables as a teenager through business presentations, speeches, in-person gatherings like Fantasy Football drafts… I could go on but you get the point.
Most of the time nothing came of it.
A very small minority of the time, a person in the group will mention something - ranging from bemused “I’m just fucking with you” to a situation or two where a person was genuinely offended. One old guy was like “Does she look like a ‘guy’ to you” way back when I was waiting on tables and another time a woman blasted me for 15 minutes about how I was condescending her since she was the only female at the poker table I greeted.
I realize those are outliers. But I don’t go out of my way to offend (although I do think some people get a little too precious about things and should pick and choose their battles better, I think people who complain about political correctness are pretty much tools who long for the days when they could be bigots with their out loud voices).
But more importantly, I don’t want to use language that is not correct. This is the Straight Dope after all and words have meanings!
Obviously I think “guys” when addressing a group is a gender-neutral term. Am I flat out wrong?
The term “guys” has included women for at least as long as I’ve been alive. The singular “guy” sometimes can be applied to a woman, (“She’s a good guy.”) but usually isn’t.)
I am unaware of any movement to replace “guys” with a plural of a gender neutral term. I would guess they just don’t spend much time around people who have “guys” in their vocabulary, and don’t watch much TV, movies, or Internet video.
I’m a female engineer, and I’ve been in various other male dominated groups, like a guitar group and a film-making club, so I’m used to being one of the few women, or maybe the only woman. I don’t mind when the groups is addressed as “hey guys.” I prefer that to sometimes when I’m the only woman in a group and someone walks up and says “hey guys, I mean hey guys and lady.” Being singled out like that is always a bit awkward.
I don’t see anything wrong with addressing the group as “guys”, but there are some alternatives, like “hey everyone listen up,” or people, or ladies and gentlemen, or y’all if you are in the South.
And I don’t mind being in a group that is addressed as “guys,” I would more mind when the speaker was speaking about some “universal” experience true to everyone, that only is true to men. They don’t have to even be actively sexist and talking about hot chicks in bikinis or anything (although obviously that would be uncomfortable too), but just talking about how “we” all have to deal with our wives or something, when that’s not the case.
So, addressing the group as “hey guys” shouldn’t make most women upset. But if you address the group speaking as if they are all men, that will be more alienating to most women there. As long as you’re not doing that, you should be fine.
For just those reasons, when it’s a group of both sexes, I try to say “Folks,” so they’ll think I’m a doddering old fool and not a clueless sexist (but I’m thinking “guys”).
When I was young, Guys only ever referred to male persons. But over the years, the usage has shifted and it’s now a neutral term, unless you’re performing a Frank Loesser play. It still sounds a little weird to my ears, but that’s because I’m approaching geezerhood.
Still I would suggest in a business setting (including the business of upselling the wine menu), sticking to something a little more elegant or formal.
When referring to a group: maybe not. If a male said “I was out with the guys last night,” or, more explicitly, “I’m having a guys-only get-together,” I’d assume he was using the word in its gender-specific sense.
You can’t say “you people”, “you guys”, “hey”, or “folks” anymore unless you want to be slapped with a civil suit or taken out by social justice warriors on Twtter, 4chan, and Reddit.
I use guys in a gender-neutral sense. Heck, i use “dudes” in the same way, and get slapped for it. I am female and persist. Why, yes, I was raised in Southern California.
I think “guys” is totally gender-neutral these days. But it is only to be expected that some “guys” (heh) are going to be offended by that. Witness Yale and Missouri: Outrage is so fashionable these days.
Merriam-Webster’s definition says it’s gender neutral. OP, the next time you or anyone is berated by a lady who doesn’t like it, we can point them to the dictionary.
It could be who is the person saying ‘guys’. I had a professor who was a Palestinian veteran of the Intifada, in Israel. He had all of the ladies charmed and all of the guys inspired to become tough; he was quick to point out America’s flaws, so, naturally, they all wanted to suck his dick. He called the whole classroom ‘guys’. They all loved it/him. I was giving a presentation in the class one day and almost called the class ‘guys’. Sometimes, you know how it is when you know that one misstep will get you torn limb from limb? That was the sensation I had, and quickly amended it to ‘everybody’.