You might probably be wondering what triggers the anger in some guys when you call them dude.
Well, the problem often liaises with their personality which might be a wrong judgment if we’re looking at the bigger picture.
Generally, men love to be respected and when their dignity is squashed away by merely calling them dude, they seem to react quite badly.
So what exactly could be the issue? Why do guys flare up when you call them dude and any other friendly names such as buddy and dawg?
If you know someone who gets upset because of this, you might be too concerned to know why this is so.
Therefore, in this article, I will be walking you through a couple of reasons this is so. And I indulge you to keep up with me on this, as I also offer you insights into other topics related to this subject.
5 Possible Reasons Why Guys Get Mad When You Call Them Dude
You can read deeper meanings into it when a guy whom you just called dude, turns around to taunt you for doing that.
You might think; is it not just a common thing to call someone dude? Trust me when I say it is not a common thing after all.
This is because the following reasons below will give you a breakdown of why it is such a big deal for most guys when you call them dude.
- It could be because you’re their crush
- If he’s older than you, it depicts a sign of disrespect
- It is because it sounds childish, especially when said sarcastically
- If it is uttered in a formal setting
- It could be that they’re not acquainted with you
It could be because you’re their Crush
As a guy, how else do you want to define a brush-off when a girl you’re slowly hinting at finally ends a conversation with you by calling you, dude? Isn’t that sickening to hear?
Of course, it is. That is one of the most outstanding reasons why guys get upset when you call them dude.
If you’re yet to grasp the connection in this explanation, then try fathoming how a solicitor will feel if you reduce him or her to a mere newspaper vendor, by tagging them as such emphatically.
The person will not only get mad, but they can also sue you for character defamation. That’s the same way a guy who has a love interest in you would feel so bad when you friendzone him by calling him, dude.
The worst part is; most of these girls don’t know the implication of what they say in this respect.
So, if you’re a girl and you’re wondering why this cute guy who has been talking to you lately suddenly turned sour when you call him dude, then you probably have it here.
It is a total brush-off, with emphasis on brush-off.
If He’s Older than you, as It Depicts a Sign of Disrespect
I mentioned something about how valued the concept of respect is for most men. Well, when I said that I wasn’t bluffing.
Men love their dignity, that is to say, they can lay down some things in their life just to make sure their respect is kept 100%.
On that note, a lot of older guys find it excruciatingly sassy when someone calls them dude.
While some people like it, believing that it makes them feel a lot younger, others despise it so much that they get confrontational about it. The bigger picture is that it is not a great time for an older guy to be addressed as a dude.
They don’t want to be reduced to something as insignificant as a dude; almost like a young, dumb, and wild youngster. This is another reason why guys get mad when you call them dude.
It Is Because It Sounds Childish, Especially When Said Sarcastically
If you still doubt that it sounds childish to call a grown man dude, then this reason proves it further.
The last reason featured a line that suggests that calling a man dude is synonymous with reducing him to a young, dumb, and wild youngster.
The truth is not far from this as that is what most guys who get upset because of this think.
This feeling of backdating and unwarranted childishness is what triggers their anger. Also included in the equation is the tone of the statement.
If you called a guy dude using a tone that depicts mockery, it could trigger the same anger reaction. Although sarcasm is a spice of a good and interesting conversation, it gets messy if there’s an overdose of this spice.
This proves this reason is a good platform to stick on as one of the reasons why guys get mad when you call them dude.
If It Is Uttered in a Formal Setting
There’s a standard rule in most of the office settings I know, and this has to do with maintaining all levels of formalities.
One of such formalities demands that workers remain cordial and not too personal. On the flip side, addressing a guy as a dude is nearly defined as personal which rules it out as a good term for your coworker “in the office”.
It gets less exciting if you mistakenly called your male boss, dude. His reaction will spell that he’s mad at you, even before he utters a word about it.
Consequently, a guy can get mad at you for calling him a dude while in an office setting, making it a plausible reason for his annoying reaction.
It Could Be That They’re Not Acquainted with You
I don’t like it when someone I’m not REALLY CLOSE to, starts to act all funny and cozy around me. For what it’s worth, it could be a trap and could even be a red flag for a bigger plot.
So, I get it when a guy gets angry when you call him dude.
The lack of acquaintance with you might trigger him to raise his brows when you do so and can even flare him up if you’re persistent with it despite his various warnings.
Hence, let’s face the facts as this could be another basis on which the person’s anger is built.
5 Things to Do When They Get Mad?
You know the former advisement that you should let an angry person be, even when you can do something about it.
That right there should be scraped, not only because it is not ideal but also because you didn’t make any effort to salvage the situation.
On this note, you are left with a few moves and actions to take when a guy gets mad because you had called him dude.
However, the following tips on things you should do are all based on and derived from the plausible actions that the person would likely take if he gets upset for being addressed as such.
- You have to become reclusive
- You should watch their reaction
- You might as well resort to an apology
- You should try to talk things over with him
- In the case of a love interest, you should try to clear the air
You Have to Become Reclusive
You might want to consider this as the first step you have to take to make sure that the situation at hand doesn’t get blown out of proportion.
There’s this thing about men wanting to have their ego massaged even when they feel their respect has been cut short.
When you do this bidding will help lighten the weight of their rage and contain the situation at hand.
Hence, in becoming reclusive, you sort of show remorse knowing that you’ve wronged someone even if the cause of their anger is from something as mundane as being called a dude.
This way, the guy will read your body language and react subtly following your actions or inactions.
You Should Watch Their Reaction
It would be a half-baked move if you become reclusive and fails to watch the reaction of the guy who had just become furious as you called him dude.
How does the person take in this name-calling? What is the length of his anger? Is he physical when he gets angry or not?
If you’re able to get all of these into consideration, it will allow you the time to pattern your next action which is an apology.
This means that your intended apology is a reflection of your observation of the person.
You Might as Well Resort to an Apology
Apologies are not a sign of weakness, just like most people would think. Rather, it is a tool that fosters peace and understanding.
The truth is, peaceful coexistence won’t be possible if no one wants to apologize for wrongdoing, no matter how subtle it looks.
As I mentioned earlier on, your apology to the affected guy is a reflection of your observation of how he reacts to being called a dude.
If he takes things too seriously, you have to tender your apology more soothingly, and if his anger is not full-blown, you should try to come warm with your apologies.
You Should Try to Talk Things Over With Him
Coupled with tendering an apology to the guy who feels bad for being called a dude, you can try to talk things over with him.
This tip is ideal if the setting in which you have called him dude was one in which he doesn’t feel safe or acquainted with you, then you stand a chance of getting to know him more than you think.
By talking things over with him, you can get acquainted with him as you have a lot of options to discuss, from his likes and dislikes and other social information.
On the other side, he will see a reason not to become too furious about what you had addressed him as. This way, peace is restored.
In the case of a Love Interest, You Should Try to Clear the Air
This has to be the complicated part of the actions you should take. As a girl, I would tell you for a fact that a lot of guys will stop having any further talks with you if you call them dude, especially if the person has a love interest in you.
If you feel the same way about the person, but just called them dude to pull their legs then you should be able to communicate this to them.
On the flip side, you can as well clear the air if you don’t feel the need to be in a relationship with them. All of these boil down to what you feel about the guy.
By clearing the air, you should tell him that you meant no offense or disrespect with what you have said. This way, he won’t see you as a sassy and inconsiderate girl.
7 Other Names to Call a Guy Who Doesn’t Like to Be Called Dude?
There are always alternatives to any given situation, but only if the chances of an alternative are all exhausted.
But in this case, there are a couple of names that you can substitute with dude for any guy who gets mad when you call him the name.
Here are a few names you can call a guy instead of dude.
- Maverick
- Bonito
- Ace
- Boss
- Hunk
- Jazzy
- Champ
Maverick
A maverick is a name given to a male freethinker. You can use this name in replacement to calling a guy dude.
Bonito
Sometimes, I’ve heard girls call a cute guy dude because she feels she’s acquainted with him.
Since this can erupt into a problem, as a girl, you can sound a bit romantic by spicing things up with a little Spanish by calling the guy bonito.
Ace
There are cool guys and there are freaks who are pure genius. This group of guys loves getting their ego massaged, so you can introduce Ace as a substitute for dude for such guys.
Boss
Are you dealing with a control freak? If so, you can make use of the boss to further stress their importance and influence charisma.
Hunk
This is a good term for a guy who is built like a tower. Instead of calling the person dude and reducing them to a child status, you can elevate them using this term.
Jazzy
This name is no different from a guy who is full of vibe and energy. You can also use it.
Champ
Are we talking about a serial winner, this is his name. Perhaps, he’s the football team leader in school or the brightest student in the class. Either way, this is a good name.
Conclusion
Having come this far, we’ve trashed a lot of theories regarding why guys get mad when you call them dude.
I did justice to this article by giving you real-time reasons and also other related issues surrounding this topic.
To crown it all, I also provided you with alternative names for dudes which sets you on the right path of relating peacefully with other guys.