Description: A five panel comic. In the first picture the main character leaves and a co-worker says “See ya, dude”. In the second panel, the protagonist is in a supermarket and the cashier says “Hey man.” In the third panel, the protagonist is on a train and someone on the phone says “Hello, sir.” In the fourth panel, the protagonist enters an apartment and says “I’ home.” and is welcomed by a woman who rushes towards her and says “THERE she is!” The two of them hug in the fifth panel, while the woman says “How’s my beautiful girlfriend doing??”
Art by Homunculus101
The trouble is that “dude” is often not gender neutral. And while you might use it in a gender neutral matter sometime, I have a very hard time believing (assuming you’re a straight male) that you’ve ever bragged to your friends about the hot dude you slept with last night. Part of you recognizes that dude is only gender neutral in some very specific circumstances. “Dude” is gender neutral in the same way “mankind” is gender neutral. Is it often used in a truly gender neutral way? Sure. But often bigots will only use it for trans women, then gaslight you by saying they use it all the time for everyone.
I suppose in the edge case of someone who uses it only for trans women and not for cis women, I agree, fuck them and they’re doing that on purpose. Absolutely never encountered that in my life but I couldn’t say it doesn’t happen.
But by and large it’s different when used as a descriptor vs an interjection, yeah. “Sup dude, so I was fucking this woman yesterday…” to my male friend and “Sup dude you trying to come over tonight” to the woman I’m hooking up with are the same, but if someone is like “so who is Stinky” and I respond “he’s this dude I buy weed from,” then yeah that is gender specific.
Context is important. If I tell you about a cool cat that I know who plays bass, I’m not talking about my kitten who likes to toy with fish. Just because I say someone is hot doesn’t mean they have a fever. When I tell you I’m screwed it doesn’t mean I’m twisted and holding two things together. When something is lit, it’s not necessarily illuminated. Hell, illuminated doesn’t even always mean projecting photons, sometimes it means enlightened, or informed. Words often have more than one meaning in english depending on context, wouldn’t be surprised if more words do have double meanings than don’t.