2c9f1a3f3d
* Added excerpt for ok-hand * Added excerpt for AsAm * Added excerpt for East Asian * Added excerpt for South Asian * Added excerpt for SE Asian * Added excerpt for bierasure * Added excerpt for biromantic * Added excerpt for bisexual * Added excerpt for cisgender * Added excerpt for crazy * Add excerpt for dumb * Add excerpt for derpy * Add excerpt for digital blackface * Add excerpt for dude * Add excerpt for ESL * Add excerpt for fatphobia * Add excerpt for gaslighting * Add excerpt for gender pronouns * Add excerpt for Hispanic * Add excerpt for hysterical * Add excerpt for latino * Add excerpt for latinx * Add excerpt for mansplain * Add excerpt for minorities * Add excerpt for minoritised * Add excerpt for neopronouns * Add excerpt for non-binary * Add excerpt for OCD * Add excerpt for Oriental * Add excerpt for ORM * Add excerpt for pansexual * Add excerpt for performative allyship * Add excerpt for polyamory * Add excerpt for pow-wow * Add excerpt for preferred pronouns * Add excerpt for pronouns * Add excerpt for r-word * Add excerpt for sane * Add excerpt for sanity check * Add excerpt for savage * Add excerpt for spaz * Add excerpt for suicide * Add excerpt for tone deaf * Add excerpt for transfeminine * Add excerpt for URM * Add excerpt for unreal * Add excerpt for white feminism * Add excerpt for white fragility * Add excerpt for women and people of colour * Add excerpt for transgender * Fix spelling for "existence" Co-authored-by: Tatiana Mac <github@tatianamac.com> * Fix wording for digital blackface excerpt Co-authored-by: Tatiana Mac <github@tatianamac.com> * Add indicators for flag levels Co-authored-by: Tatiana Mac <github@tatianamac.com> * Revert "Add indicators for flag levels" This reverts commit a291d5fa668156970e2496710bd6c39a53819e1b, because the flag level is already indicated in the excerpt structure. Co-authored-by: Oscar <ovlb@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: Tatiana Mac <github@tatianamac.com> Co-authored-by: Tatiana Mac <tatiana.t.mac@gmail.com>
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| title | slug | defined | excerpt | flag | alt_words | reading | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| dude | dude | true | colloquially, a man; a discourse marker expressing masculine solidarity; an expression of astonishment when used alone |
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colloquially, a man; a discourse marker expressing masculine solidarity; an expression of astonishment when used alone
Issues
"Dude" was originally used to refer to a man who paid a lot of attention to his appearance, but became more broadly used to describe any man as part of African American Vernacular English in the 1960s. It was subsequently appropriated by white men in the 1980s, particularly on the West Coast, and has since grown to be used broadly by white men and women as a noun as well as a discourse marker.
When used as a discourse marker, it carries the connotation that the speaker believes that they are speaking to a man; however, as both a discourse marker and a noun, it is frequently used without regard for the gender or pronouns of listeners.
Impact
Regardless of the intent of the speaker, prefacing a statement with "dude" risks misgendering its audience and perpetuating a culture that favors traditional masculinity as the baseline for gender. Proponents of using "dude" commonly defend its usage aggressively by claiming that they use it in a gender-neutral way (which is not possible) and that anyone negatively impacted by its usage is wrong for not accepting that and chooses to apply the gendered interpretation. The argument fails to acknowledge that society dictates and reinforces gender, regardless of the individual interpretation. The ubiquity of that argument often deters those who are negatively impacted from bringing attention to the usage of "dude" as their experiences are often gaslighted.
Alt Words Mindfulness Note
Before using colloquial terms of endearment, it's important to be mindful of power and context. While our intent may be to make people feel at ease or comfortable, we can have the opposite effect. For example, "buddy" or "pal" from an older person to younger person or a manager to employee can feel infantilising or pejorative; this becomes exacerbated because of the power differential in the relationship. The person in less power often isn't in a position to correct. There's no one-size-fits-all model; instead we should seek to address people with consent first and course correct. It's not about getting it perfect at first, it's about getting it right in the end.