I'd say that's another issue, namely that most words don't have one single, clear meaning, as is evident from a bunch of other comments. It's equally pedantic and cause-harming to pretend that this is not the case.

I can definitely accept that in many circles 'chick' has this connotation, and, again, I'm happy to be cautious in my use of the word if I don't know for certain whether this is the case or not.

That said, most circles I've been part of would most definitely not agree with your rather narrow and negative interpretation of the word, and its use is perfectly okay and similar to 'dude'.

Again, I don't see what you're trying to achieve with this kind of pedantry. If you actually care about these I do hope you find a better way to communicate about it.

> Again, I don't see what you're trying to achieve with this kind of pedantry. If you actually care about these I do hope you find a better way to communicate about it.

We are arguing under a [flagged] [dead] comment, so there's not much to achieve here.

My last opinion on the subject has been said here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16587100

Fair enough.

FWIW my apologies for being a bit too antagonistic. Personal frustrations getting the best of me. I do generally avoid using 'chick' unless I know it's okay, and I do think that's a sensible approach. And in hindsight I wish I hadn't gotten into a discussion about it.