By Rick Stanton
In a world gone mad in so many ways, with so many problems, fears and uncertainties, I’ve decided to take on a daily annoyance—the misuse of the word “guys”—as it relates to both men and women. Last time I looked, it refers to the male of the species.
“May I get you guys something to drink?“ “Are you guys ready for the check?” This is lazy, stupid and, on some level, insulting. It’s most abused in the restaurant industry but is rampant in most others as well.
After our long, self-inflicted imprisonment, one of our favorite local eateries reopened recently. Desperate to talk to someone besides each other, my wife and I decided to go there for lunch.
Full disclosure: I’m not exaggerating here . . .
Sure enough, walking in, we were greeted with, “Hi guys. Two for lunch?” Once seated, our waitperson said, “It’s so nice of you guys to be here. May I get you guys something to drink while you look at the menu?” Upon returning with our beverages, the waitperson said, “Here are your drinks, What may we fix for you guys today?”
I finally couldn’t take it anymore. I’m sure it had something to do with the nature of the times, but in an effort not to be a complete horse’s ass, I said in a very calm, unthreatening voice, “My wife is not a guy. I have a problem with using the word ‘guy’ as an umbrella term for all people. Maybe try ‘folks,’ or ‘you two,’ or just don’t say anything other than ‘good afternoon, thanks for coming in. May I get you something to drink?’”
At the urging of my wife, I later walked my attitude back a bit and left the waitperson a nice tip. For the record, our waitperson was a lovely young lady, who I’m pretty sure isn’t a guy.
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-problem-with-hey-guys?utm_source=pocket-newtab