A little while ago I received an email from another member of the forum. He said that while my contributions were appreciated, some of his female colleagues would never reply to my postings as I'd begun them with the phrase "Hi guys".
I was astounded: the deep astonishment I feel when someone misconstrues my intentions. Then I spent some time considering whether to change my opening phrase for the future - perhaps "Hello everybody", or "Hi all". Would I be making a sensible change to avoid inadvertently causing offence? Or would this be pandering to the few whose raw nerves are so readily exposed?
In the end I decided to continue as I was. But I was glad for the reminder of how easily offence can be taken from even the most innocuous phrase.
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