I never quite understood why "y'all" is singled out as being said by "dumb" people. I've said it my entire life, as well as everyone I know. It's a word. It conveys an idea from the person who says it to the listener to hears it, just like every other utterance since the beginning of time. The only reason I can think of people having a negative opinion of it is some form of audible elitism.
Same! I think it also has a lot to do with people looking down on Southerners and stereotyping us as being uneducated/backwards/ignorant.
Which is odd as 'y'all' can be a more precise concept distinguishing between singular and plural which
my elite northern 'you' does not.
They just say “you guys” up here. Seems to work just as well.
"Guys" isn't gender neutral though.
Its modern usage is largely neutral, especially in "you guys". I hear both women and men refer to groups of either women or men using "you guys" or "hey guys".
I mean...you can just say "you all" which is what "y'all" is supposed to abbreviate.
Maybe, but the second person plural possessive is way easier with the former. Y'all's vs, what, you guys'? When I lived in the midwest I frequently heard "your guys's", which doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.
Using the yooper "You's guys" boosts your IQ by about 50 points btw - a proven fact.
Class absolutely plays a factor. There are plenty of intelligent people who look or act differently than the prototypical white male our society privileges so much who are then written off as stupid and/or unimportant. There are just as many unintelligent people who are nonetheless lionized because they know how to be articulate or charismatic.