Listening to the radio last night, a woman is trying to start a campaign of bringing back the word "gal" because to her calling a woman, girl, is insulting.

What's your thoughts?

Personally, it comes out the same either way.

morningsong said:

Listening to the radio last night, a woman is trying to start a campaign of bringing back the word "gal" because to her calling a woman, girl, is insulting.

What's your thoughts?

Personally, it comes out the same either way.

it would seem that 'gal' would

be less appealin than girl.

i haven't heard "a gal gotta do whut a gal gotta do"

since i saw a 'calamity jane' movie when i was

a kid

Why would "girl" be insulting??

What an utter fanny.

"i'm gonna rock yo world GAL"

yeah that's so not sexy

this must be another right wing effort

to kill sexy and anything appealin

I know some women who are insulted when they are called "gal" so it really doesn't make any difference. People are just way too sensitive, at times.

Must be nice to have all that free time.

Dave1992 said:

Why would "girl" be insulting??

What an utter fanny.

When my son was 3 he called some woman in the store, girl, and she was pissed as hell about it, she started lecturing me on how I need to train my son to respect women more and so forth, I just had to tell her she needed therapy and walked away. Some have major issues with it.

I do find it sounds odd on certain occasions, there aren't many men you'd just randomly call boy, because it's an unspoken understanding under certain circumstance it's belittling.

morningsong said:

Dave1992 said:

Why would "girl" be insulting??

What an utter fanny.

When my son was 3 he called some woman in the store, girl, and she was pissed as hell about it, she started lecturing me on how I need to train my son to respect women more and so forth, I just had to tell her she needed therapy and walked away. Some have major issues with it.

I do find it sounds odd on certain occasions, there aren't many men you'd just randomly call boy, because it's an unspoken understanding under certain circumstance it's belittling.

yep. it sort of depends on the manner in which the word is used i guess, and the circumstances.

[Edited 3/23/12 16:44pm]

morningsong said:

Dave1992 said:

Why would "girl" be insulting??

What an utter fanny.

When my son was 3 he called some woman in the store, girl, and she was pissed as hell about it, she started lecturing me on how I need to train my son to respect women more and so forth, I just had to tell her she needed therapy and walked away. Some have major issues with it.

I do find it sounds odd on certain occasions, there aren't many men you'd just randomly call boy, because it's an unspoken understanding under certain circumstance it's belittling.

I just think it can be too intimate or too friendly in certain occasions, but the world itself is not impolite at all.

I don't mind my girlfriends calling me "boy" just like I call them "girl" sometimes; it evokes and implies a certain cute level of intimacy and trust, so I actually find it nice in many occasions.

I wouldn't call an old lady I am helping to cross the street "girl", though.

And that bitch in the store is an arrogant fanny if she was serious about wanting to lecture your child. I mean, that's more impolite than anything one could call her, including "girl" or even "fat ass miserable fanny."

at 56 i get called boy (don't trip)

my girls are turnin 35 this year

i still call them baby and my baby is 18

but she chooses to be grown and not my baby.

women are girls at heart....

THIS IS WHEN IT GETS UGLY!!!

"LISTEN GIRL, I TOLD YOU..."

"LOOK BOY, I TOLD YOU..."

then it's like "whut the fuck!!! WHO THE FUCK YOU TALKIN TO?"

it ain't about the title as much as the inference behind it...

Dave1992 said:

morningsong said:

When my son was 3 he called some woman in the store, girl, and she was pissed as hell about it, she started lecturing me on how I need to train my son to respect women more and so forth, I just had to tell her she needed therapy and walked away. Some have major issues with it.

I do find it sounds odd on certain occasions, there aren't many men you'd just randomly call boy, because it's an unspoken understanding under certain circumstance it's belittling.

I just think it can be too intimate or too friendly in certain occasions, but the world itself is not impolite at all.

I don't mind my girlfriends calling me "boy" just like I call them "girl" sometimes; it evokes and implies a certain cute level of intimacy and trust, so I actually find it nice in many occasions.

I wouldn't call an old lady I am helping to cross the street "girl", though.

And that bitch in the store is an arrogant fanny if she was serious about wanting to lecture your child. I mean, that's more impolite than anything one could call her, including "girl" or even "fat ass miserable fanny."

Well maybe that works in Austria, but but for native English speakers in America the terms "boy" or "girl" can carry different connotations that are not polite nor appropriate. I don't agree at all with how that woman reacted (talk about over the top ), but coming from a generation and culture where it was impolite or considered a sign of bad manners for a child to refer to an adult even by their first name, I do understand why someone would be freaked out by a child calling them boy or girl. However, as with all things regarding etiquette and manners, there's a way to express discomfort to someone without going all ballistic and freaking out.

Ottensen said:

Dave1992 said:

I just think it can be too intimate or too friendly in certain occasions, but the world itself is not impolite at all.

I don't mind my girlfriends calling me "boy" just like I call them "girl" sometimes; it evokes and implies a certain cute level of intimacy and trust, so I actually find it nice in many occasions.

I wouldn't call an old lady I am helping to cross the street "girl", though.

And that bitch in the store is an arrogant fanny if she was serious about wanting to lecture your child. I mean, that's more impolite than anything one could call her, including "girl" or even "fat ass miserable fanny."

Well maybe that works in Austria, but but for native English speakers in America the terms "boy" or "girl" can carry different connotations that are not polite nor appropriate. I don't agree at all with how that woman reacted (talk about over the top ), but coming from a generation and culture where it was impolite or considered a sign of bad manners for a child to refer to an adult even by their first name, I do understand why someone would be freaked out by a child calling them boy or girl. However, as with all things regarding etiquette and manners, there's a way to express discomfort to someone without going all ballistic and freaking out.

Of course, in Austria it can also carry different connotations, depending on the context and who you say it to, like I said.

It's still inappropriate here to call an adult by their first name, just like it would be inappropriate to call them "boy/girl". But once you passed that interpersonal distance, the use can be perfectly and even imply closeness and trust here.

Ottensen, my boy, I love you!

lazycrockett said:

Must be nice to have all that free time.

I find a focus on words, rather than the spirit in which they're said and received, to be an unfortunate distraction. The relationship between people is what matters most. It's what gives all words their context. I've heard my own name, for example, uttered with far more venom than "n****" coming from certain friends. (Not that I'm roundly endorsing the casual use of any such term.)

I think we simply should know to whom we're speaking, where we stand with them, and where we can safely and respectfully go with them before we run off at the mouth. Just seems common sense.

I like it when a man calls me "girl".

Just so long as he realizes I'm a woman, I don't see what the issue is.

Dave1992 said:

Ottensen said:

Well maybe that works in Austria, but but for native English speakers in America the terms "boy" or "girl" can carry different connotations that are not polite nor appropriate. I don't agree at all with how that woman reacted (talk about over the top ), but coming from a generation and culture where it was impolite or considered a sign of bad manners for a child to refer to an adult even by their first name, I do understand why someone would be freaked out by a child calling them boy or girl. However, as with all things regarding etiquette and manners, there's a way to express discomfort to someone without going all ballistic and freaking out.

Of course, in Austria it can also carry different connotations, depending on the context and who you say it to, like I said.

It's still inappropriate here to call an adult by their first name, just like it would be inappropriate to call them "boy/girl". But once you passed that interpersonal distance, the use can be perfectly and even imply closeness and trust here.

Ottensen, my boy, I love you!

...well, that would be kind of endearing ( ich glaube lieblich?) if I wasn't female

call me gal and get cussed out.

Tongue in check, kind of.

It depends on the social setting the relationship people have with one another. "Girl", has always been used amongst Black women as a term of endearment. In professional settings referring to adult women as a girl or worse gal is a damn no, no. Period. (IMO) When I referred to in that manner, I

correct them.

=====================

[Edited 3/25/12 9:29am]

Ottensen said:

Dave1992 said:

Of course, in Austria it can also carry different connotations, depending on the context and who you say it to, like I said.

It's still inappropriate here to call an adult by their first name, just like it would be inappropriate to call them "boy/girl". But once you passed that interpersonal distance, the use can be perfectly and even imply closeness and trust here.

Ottensen, my boy, I love you!

...well, that would be kind of endearing ( ich glaube lieblich?) if I wasn't female

YOU'RE FEMALE???

Good lord. Of all the things possible in the universe, I was least prepared for this. I totally thought you were a man.

I love it when a hot bloke calls me 'girl'. It makes me go all weak at the knees.

i like being called little lady

girl is youngish and i dont like gal

and yes ~ chick is also cool

I much prefer girl to gal....

Lisa10 said:

I love it when a hot bloke calls me 'girl'. It makes me go all weak at the knees.

c'mere girl,

see if i can do a lil su'em wit dem knees

ThisOne said:

i like being called little lady

girl is youngish and i dont like gal

and yes ~ chick is also cool

i like that,

YOUNGISH

cammi said:

I much prefer girl to gal....

Mmmmmmmmmm,

maybe me you and her can do a some thangs

Lammastide said:

I find a focus on words, rather than the spirit in which they're said and received, to be an unfortunate distraction. The relationship between people is what matters most. It's what gives all words their context. I've heard my own name, for example, uttered with far more venom than "n****" coming from certain friends. (Not that I'm roundly endorsing the casual use of any such term.)

I think we simply should know to whom we're speaking, where we stand with them, and where we can safely and respectfully go with them before we run off at the mouth. Just seems common sense.

My thoughts exactly. It's all about context, not the word chosen.

And having proper manners when intereacting with folks you don't know is important.

Dave1992 said:

Ottensen said:

...well, that would be kind of endearing ( ich glaube lieblich?) if I wasn't female

YOU'RE FEMALE???

Good lord. Of all the things possible in the universe, I was least prepared for this. I totally thought you were a man.

For all my cooking threads, Housewife reality show posts, talking about my 15 ex-husbands and always waving my Jesus fan while complaining about hot flashes you thought I was a dude?

Ottensen said:

Dave1992 said:

YOU'RE FEMALE???

Good lord. Of all the things possible in the universe, I was least prepared for this. I totally thought you were a man.

For all my cooking threads, Housewife reality show posts, talking about my 15 ex-husbands and always waving my Jesus fan while complaining about hot flashes you thought I was a dude?

I don't click on cooking, Housewife reality show or ex-husband threads, so I didn't even know you liked talking about that...

Dunno why. Maybe because you asked about what that alcoholic beverage was on my picture (terrible prejudice, I know ). Then again, you didn't know it was beer, so that was probably a dead give-away.

KingBAD said:

Lisa10 said:

I love it when a hot bloke calls me 'girl'. It makes me go all weak at the knees.

c'mere girl,

see if i can do a lil su'em wit dem knees

Yes! Exactly that kind of thing.

'C'mere girl' is totally, totally hot.

Lisa10 said:

KingBAD said:

c'mere girl,

see if i can do a lil su'em wit dem knees

Yes! Exactly that kind of thing.

'C'mere girl' is totally, totally hot.

Didn't I say exactly that to you once or twice in London?