The other day I mentioned that using the phrase “Hey guys,”
when addressing a mixed-gender group is highly offensive to some people. Since then, I’ve watched myself and realized
that I have some bad habits. I found
myself carelessly using that very phrase.
I often informally refer to my daughter and my kids’ female friends as
“dude”. Since discussing this with
Lilian and Steve, we’ve had a lot of fun saying things like “Hey lady”, “Hey
guys”, and goofing with the issue. In
case I’ve offended any of you with my gender references, I apologize and I’m
trying to change my patterns.
C2A (Call to Action) - Pay attention to how you greet people
over the next little while. Then plan to
have a discussion about it at your next staff meeting. Make a list of pronouns to describe ladies,
gentlemen and mixed groups. Decide which
ones are the most appropriate in all circumstances, and which ones are to be
avoided. For example some ladies are
okay with “Ma’am”, and others? Not so
much. The reason I’m not going to try to
make suggestions is that there are definite regional differences to be
considered.
Have fun with this… y’all!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.