December 4th, 2020

By: Dan Reiss, English Teacher at Southwood Secondary School

This morning is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women and I thought that this short message from The Equity and Indigenous Working Teams might be of interest.

Recently, I have been doing a lot of thinking about how the language we use matters, and how it is alive and ever-changing. “Guys” is one of the most common ways of addressing groups of people in the English language; we use it often in everyday conversation without giving much thought to its impact. But “guys” can understandably be considered gender-specific, making it confusing or unappreciated when it’s used to refer to a group that includes women.

For your consideration, today, here are two videos that challenge the way we typically use the word “guys”.

Alice Walker: Calling Women “Guys” (1:04)

Why You Should Stop Saying ‘Hey Guys’ (4:37)

“While knowing what terms to use can be confusing and challenging, being on the receiving end of harmful language is worse. Recognizing the impact of the words we choose cannot be overlooked. This isn’t a lesson we learn once and are good to go for life.” (From Recognizing and Addressing Harmful Language)

Stay tuned for further editions of “Language Matters”!

Categories: Events