Comments on: When Did I Become a Dude?

By: Ruchi

Ruchi — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 21:44:57 +0000

Dude i use for referring someone as “Really Cool” ! If people call me Dude, i take it as a compliment. And i guess, so do few others ! Enjoyed…lovely post.

By: Joan E. Ginsberg

Joan E. Ginsberg — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:29:04 +0000

I’m pretty certain no one has EVER called me dude. Or dudette.

I have used it on men in a playful way, even at work. I used to work in a small manufacturing facility where most of my workers were men. It was a really informal place, so it kind of fit. I can’t imagine using it in a larger, more traditional corporate atmosphere. Using or hearing it always reminds me of the TV show “Hey, Dude” that my children watched when they were young. If the situation doesn’t fit that theme song, I wouldn’t use it!

One of my dogs is named Dodger, and I often call him Dodger-Dude. We play a game called flyball, and I use the name “dude” to call him back to me because it is shorter and I can yell it faster and louder than “Dodger”. Situational.

Interesting post, Jennifer!

By: Michael VanDervort

Michael VanDervort — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 01:49:24 +0000

Thanks for referring me here, Jennifer. It made me laugh. I am 52, and I use dude on-line all the time. I adopted when a 70 year old woman on twitter called me dude…

She said it was the perfect generic.

By: Mary Ellen

Mary Ellen — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:02:13 +0000

I don’t think “dude” is a gendered term in this case. When I start a conversation with “dude,” it means I am about to point out something really goofy. It’s more interjection than a label of address.

By: Vanessa Lowry

Vanessa Lowry — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:51:03 +0000

There is a campaign for beer (don’t remember which one) where the entire dialogue is “Dude” with different emphasis. It always cracks me up!

By: Alexia

Alexia — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:29:56 +0000

LOL!
I use “Dude” in conversation a lot. I think it has to do with being a teenager in the ’90′s. I think I called my mom “dude” unthinkingly when I was visiting her last week…

By: MelissaWiseWays

MelissaWiseWays — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:51:25 +0000

Do I use it? Sure, when someone is cutting me off on the I-95 and I holler out, “Dude, what are you doing?”

Do I use it in a work situation with colleagues? Definitely not.

For me, there is still some distinction between the world at work and the world outside of it. And in my mind, dude is a term that needs to stay out of it.

I’m chuckling right now, imagining myself walking into the C-Suite and saying to one of my executive coaching clients, “Hey dude, what do you want to work on today?”

Um, on second thought, let’s cancel that thought!

By: Deirdre HR Maven

Deirdre HR Maven — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:51:14 +0000

Dude. STILL chuckling….. I hear this all the time and use it – even my dog is sometimes ‘dude’.

Great post.

By: Jane

Jane — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:56:07 +0000

We are a society that loves to label – everything; not just people. While Dude could be interpreted as a negative connotation, is that really true? I see it as a fun tag, leaving an impression of light hearted familiarity. Some individuals might care about Dude or Dudette – personally, it’s nothing i would even think about, unless questioned – such as in a posted survey on a website like this one. Dude! that’s an awesome way to survey the topic.