Yo!

Let's talk about acceptable use of the words dude or man. My homies tell me that the generically accepted term for greeting an individual or group of people, regardless of gender is "Dude" or "Man" or "Guys" - as in "Hey man!" or "Dude, that outfit is hot!". Even in groups of only women, I've witnessed them being addressed as "How are you guys?" Now I know we've been striving as a society to do away with man-oriented naming, so we've done away with terms like mailman, fireman, etc. But I find that opening a message with "Hey woman" or "Hey chick" or "Hey lady!" [intoned with the proper Jerry Lewis accent] is not really any better, nor does it roll off the tongue. I've even had suggestions of "Hey Girrllll", but that doesn't really come across any better. Imagine me greeting a 40-something woman that way - or even a 20-something woman. So ladies, what is the accepted greeting as far as you're concerned?