I'm skeptical about that "bodyguard roomie" story. It sounds too far fetched. Why get another 18 year old kid to protect your son when you can hire all the security you want? And unless the roommate was getting paid, why would he care if Griff got kidnapped?
Just adding my own sidenote: obviously the British need their own category, because they've basically got this whole reality thing sealed up over there, and they freaking own it (so sayeth Snooki). Besides giving us the proto-AI with Pop Idol (and improving the format with the X-Factor), they've birthed the "...Got Talent" franchise, and also given us those ridiculous BBC3 documentaries that sometimes get shown here in America (Me and My Big Breasts, Super Botox Me, What's Eating Victoria Beckham?). Katie Price's (nee Jordan's) line of television shows, in their own right, are a gift to the human race, especially when coupled with her appearances on Graham Norton, which rank as both the most cringe-worthy and hilarious examples of a reality personality literally piercing the lexicon and worming their way into it headfirst. And unlike our meandering results of competition shows, their winners actually achieve greatness: Girls Aloud (and subsequently Cheryl Cole), Leona Lewis, Will Young all have done surprisingly well. While their formats might be dying (Big Brother just got canned), I don't think they have the diminishing returns of American reality, as evidenced by the strength of the X-Factor alongside the general weakness of American Idol. So, long live the Queen and all that horseshit.
@ampersandparade: I should also add the British have a tendency to be somewhat self-aware with their reality programming, and not so goddamn serious about it as we are in America. For those that need evidence, please Google or YouTube Dead Set for all your zombie Big Brother horror/hilarity.
Is Gawker actually mildly surprised that she's sorta dumb, ignoring for a moment the fact that that's why they were put on television in the first place, for us to ridicule and feel better about ourselves?
Bummed to hear this about White Slab. That place actually gets some great DJs (real DJs, not of the Alexandra Richards/Matt Levine/Sam Ronson ilk) to play its back room. Hopefully the Bea Fleas won't ruin that.
Palinities- angry, possible packing heat, and my allegiance elite english grammar might make them unbearable, easily bribed with promise of tickets to Glen Beck.
Scientologist-crazy, i don't speak their language, the possibility of a potentially dangerous person with a metal illness highly likely, crazy people are strong, easily distracted with shiny new e-meter.
Palinites , grudgingly, but psychotics are tricky to handle.
Tucker Max, douchebag, is famous exclusively for claiming to be an asshole. Yet all who know of him know that the term "douchebag" is the correct one. Why is this? What makes a douchebag a douchebag, as opposed to an asshole? The following thoughts have been set down by way of rumination on the ways and methods of the douche and how shall ye know him.
For the purposes of this essay, the douchebag is assumed to be male. While it is true that females can exhibit douchebag behavior, they are usually too busy fighting off male douchebags to do so. Those most often mistaken for female douchebags, Julia Allison among them, tend to be divas, another creature entirely.
It is also for this reason that I would argue against "douchebag" as being a sexist term. The Jezebels have pointed out that the insult is based on something a woman uses. I say that a smart woman uses a douchebag when she has to—and then she throws it away. Sounds like the perfect metaphor to me.
Douchebagging is a young man’s game. After the age of 40, the classic douchebag becomes a scumbag—which is to say, a douchebag left out to become all cruddy and murky with the bitterness of middle age. Scumbags, like hyenas, are still essentially bottom-feeding losers, but years of failure and sexual rejection have turned them mean and honed their low, animal cunning. A scumbag can be violent in a cowardly way if you let your guard down. A douchebag is always a coward, period.
Another thing to note: douchebaggery is primarily concerned with establishing channels of social power based on the pack mentality. There is never a lone douchebag—they are social animals.
The term "douchebag" does not apply to such as Rush Limbaugh or Lou Dobbs. Aside from the issue of age (both Dobbs and Limbaugh being heaps of decaying, rot-bloated, cholesterol-laden, pre-cancerous flesh), neither is interested in social interaction per se, or in sex, the other great idée fixe of the douchebag. They, like most politicians and media figures, are festering shit-swollen boils on the ballsack of Beelzebub, but they are not douchebags.
The simplest way of conceiving it is this: a douchebag is a failed asshole. The asshole is the true alpha-personality: the douchebag is the cowed, quivering copycat. The asshole rarely thinks of his own assholishness—the douchebag plots and plans his assholery, only to have it collapse into a wet splashy puddle of douche. The asshole can, on occasion, be charming, attentive, generous or cultured—this is what makes him attractive, and therefore dangerous. The douchebag is never anything but a schmuck. The douchebag worships and loves and hates and envies the asshole. The asshole never notices the douchebag, except on those rare occasions when he is inspired to crush the douchebag to a pulp. The douchebag dreams of being an asshole. The asshole does not dream—he’s too worn out by fucking the douchebag’s girlfriend.
Assholes can be talented, even geniuses—thus the frequency one hears the term; "Gee, X is absolutely amazing at BLANK, but he’s kind of an asshole." In this case, some of the perceived assholishness of the asshole comes from his willingness to put his talent before other human interaction. Assholes win Nobel prizes, Olympic swimming competitions, Academy Awards. The douchebag has no talent other than an ability, under certain circumstances, to appropriate the asshole’s talent as his own.
Sex for the asshole is really about pleasure—his pleasure. That of the woman (or of the other man), comes a distant second or not at all. Sex for the douchebag is about power—first over the woman (in addition to being primarily male, douchebags are exclusively heterosexual), and then over the team of fellow douchebags he plans on bragging to of his conquest. Pleasure never enters the equation for either person because the douchebag always has one hand on his blog. Assholes can be discrete, basically because they don’t want people to realize whatever sort of kink they’re into. Douchebags are nothing if not vanilla in the sack, but are compelled to invent all sorts of grotesque practices, encounters and partners to cement their asshole status. Thus, Tucker lying about filming butthex in Opie & Anthony is the true epitome of douchebag.
Now, I’m not going to fly a big banner for assholes. Given the choice between asshole and douchebag, it is better to be neither. The life of an asshole is essentially a tragic one, leading to wasted talent, estranged families, friendless existences, financial ruin and something very, very, very wrong with your liver. No one possessed of a moiety of their marbles could ever point to a raging asshole and say: "Go thou, and do likewise."
However—and here’s where Tucker Max comes in—true assholes never make a fetish out of their own assholishness. An asshole, like a tornado or a killer whale or some other initially impressive but ultimately destructive thing, simply is. James Bond, perhaps the ultimate asshole—a cold-blooded murderer, a spy, a sociopath—never once called himself an asshole. It was just: "Bond. James Bond." (Conversely, Pussy Galore, also an asshole, never had to say: "Gosh, I’m good at fucking!’)
It is the burden of the douchebag to continually trumpet his own fake asshole status. If someone tells you "I’m an asshole" you are almost certain to be dealing with a douchebag. An asshole may tell you a horrific story of his past that leaves you thinking "wow, what an asshole;" the douchebag tells you the same story (which he heard first from the asshole), gingerbreads it to the point of obvious absurdity and concludes: "Yup, I’m really an asshole!"
Tucker Max has attempted to parlay his own weasely life into the Elysian Fields of Asshole, but belies his quest with every act. A remora fantasizing about being a shark, he describes himself as an asshole, blabs and boasts of his assholery, lies—obviously—about his stories, and is forced, douchebag that he is, to hire thugs to serve as his asshole-muscles (no asshole ever relied on some other dude to do his brawling). Panting desperately for the sacred status of mythological assholes such as Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando, Miles Davis, Prince Harry, Robert Maplethorpe or Mick Jagger, he has succeeded only in making himself look ever more the quivering, bullying, squealing, lisping, jelly-bellied, flipper-waving, khaki-pants-wearing, Mommy’s apron-clinging, frat-boy pee-stained sloppy-boppy poopy-pants pile of douche.
And this, friends and neighbors, is why Tucker Max is my vote for Douche of the Decade.
@RollsRoyceRevenge: You, sir, have just written the definitive statement on Tucker Max. Children of the future will use this comment as a starting point for their school papers. ("What is a douchebag? RollsRoyceRevenge's dictionary defines it as...")
@RollsRoyceRevenge: sorry, I fell asleep halfway through that boring monologue you typed. I won't say "wrote" as I don't consider it "writing" as much as it seems to be "hey, look at me string participles together." But I'm sure you're a nice person.
@RollsRoyceRevenge: Wow. I'm speechless. Thank you for the insight of the definition of douchebag. I don't think I'll ever be able to use that word again without thinking about this piece. Cheers to you, you're a rockstar.
Well the Civetta windows have been papered over for two weeks now, but I never see any workmen going in or out, and the plants outside are wilting and dying from not being watered. I guess Sevigny et al don't care about curb appeal for the time being. But the place next door on the corner of Mulberry and Kenmare--a dessert bar?--is about to open finally. Looks dark and cosy.
@MeredithFMurphy: Oh no, not hand-feet, where the toes curl over the front end of the shoe as if they were fingers. That is usually the sign of a ladyboy who shops at one of those shoe stores where the merchandise is all crafted from vinyl and cardboard.
A few questions before I answer your Iranian question:
What is worlkid and should I take my nephew there?
Those tea baggers I see who tend to have make interesting sartorial choices as well as throwing caution to the wind when it comes to hair and make-up are the reason all of us fabulously dressed and coiffed uppity elitist a job and we would be naked and homeless without them? So, there is no room at the trailer park. Got it.
Must admit, loving the Gorbi Gorbachev
I should have screen saved the Scientology triple team that got on me a few weeks ago, those were good! I have no nothing to say about theirs because I cannot understand them.
the expression hipster should go the way of douchebag around these parts. similarly, have a Hipster of the Decade contest and be done with it. when the word starts to be used lazily, blandly, and without any regard to etymology or derivation, it's time to retire it.
@TheologicalSong: Give 'em a break. They only used the word "hipster" once in this article after vowing to wean themselves off of it. I think that's pretty darn commendable.
@TheologicalSong: I don't understand the word-retiring movement. It reminds me of something I read in a student newspaper saying "scarves are out." They're not if you're cold and as long as there are hipsters, the word will have a purpose.
@Varnsen: Unlike the word "hipster," a scarf serves a practical function. "Hipster" and "douchebag" once described something specific, but now they are meaningless, and have become a crutch that allows the speaker/writer to comment without actually articulating anything.
@TheologicalSong: Although it is often misused, the word "irony" still has a concrete meaning, and thus, a practical application. But I do wish people would stop throwing it around incorrectly instead of figuring out what it is they are actually trying to say.
@TheologicalSong: How can "ironic" be retired? You can quibble about "hipster", but if something is ironic, then it's ironic. There's usually no quibbling about it. Retire "sarcastic", then, while your at it.
@metoometoo: I don't think "hipster" ever described anything specific. Even in its very old origins, there was no prototypical hipster. For every person with a black turtleneck and black beret there was a Jack Kerouac. Then, as today, the term encompasses a variety of traits that when combined together in some form, denotes a "hipster". Just as there is no concrete "hip hopper", "yuppie", etc., there's no specific "hipster" but merely someone who has elements of that image. I guess people are just looking for an easy handle. At least I think so.
@A Message To Rudy: ironic is often used to depict popcultural archness. stretches the meaning to the point of banality, and enervates the word's potency. people should employ words with a sense of respect to the etymology. that was my intended message to you, Rudy.
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Palinities- angry, possible packing heat, and my allegiance elite english grammar might make them unbearable, easily bribed with promise of tickets to Glen Beck.
Scientologist-crazy, i don't speak their language, the possibility of a potentially dangerous person with a metal illness highly likely, crazy people are strong, easily distracted with shiny new e-meter.
Palinites , grudgingly, but psychotics are tricky to handle.
10:33 AM
Tucker Max, douchebag, is famous exclusively for claiming to be an asshole. Yet all who know of him know that the term "douchebag" is the correct one. Why is this? What makes a douchebag a douchebag, as opposed to an asshole? The following thoughts have been set down by way of rumination on the ways and methods of the douche and how shall ye know him.
For the purposes of this essay, the douchebag is assumed to be male. While it is true that females can exhibit douchebag behavior, they are usually too busy fighting off male douchebags to do so. Those most often mistaken for female douchebags, Julia Allison among them, tend to be divas, another creature entirely.
It is also for this reason that I would argue against "douchebag" as being a sexist term. The Jezebels have pointed out that the insult is based on something a woman uses. I say that a smart woman uses a douchebag when she has to—and then she throws it away. Sounds like the perfect metaphor to me.
Douchebagging is a young man’s game. After the age of 40, the classic douchebag becomes a scumbag—which is to say, a douchebag left out to become all cruddy and murky with the bitterness of middle age. Scumbags, like hyenas, are still essentially bottom-feeding losers, but years of failure and sexual rejection have turned them mean and honed their low, animal cunning. A scumbag can be violent in a cowardly way if you let your guard down. A douchebag is always a coward, period.
Another thing to note: douchebaggery is primarily concerned with establishing channels of social power based on the pack mentality. There is never a lone douchebag—they are social animals.
The term "douchebag" does not apply to such as Rush Limbaugh or Lou Dobbs. Aside from the issue of age (both Dobbs and Limbaugh being heaps of decaying, rot-bloated, cholesterol-laden, pre-cancerous flesh), neither is interested in social interaction per se, or in sex, the other great idée fixe of the douchebag. They, like most politicians and media figures, are festering shit-swollen boils on the ballsack of Beelzebub, but they are not douchebags.
The simplest way of conceiving it is this: a douchebag is a failed asshole. The asshole is the true alpha-personality: the douchebag is the cowed, quivering copycat. The asshole rarely thinks of his own assholishness—the douchebag plots and plans his assholery, only to have it collapse into a wet splashy puddle of douche. The asshole can, on occasion, be charming, attentive, generous or cultured—this is what makes him attractive, and therefore dangerous. The douchebag is never anything but a schmuck. The douchebag worships and loves and hates and envies the asshole. The asshole never notices the douchebag, except on those rare occasions when he is inspired to crush the douchebag to a pulp. The douchebag dreams of being an asshole. The asshole does not dream—he’s too worn out by fucking the douchebag’s girlfriend.
Assholes can be talented, even geniuses—thus the frequency one hears the term; "Gee, X is absolutely amazing at BLANK, but he’s kind of an asshole." In this case, some of the perceived assholishness of the asshole comes from his willingness to put his talent before other human interaction. Assholes win Nobel prizes, Olympic swimming competitions, Academy Awards. The douchebag has no talent other than an ability, under certain circumstances, to appropriate the asshole’s talent as his own.
Sex for the asshole is really about pleasure—his pleasure. That of the woman (or of the other man), comes a distant second or not at all. Sex for the douchebag is about power—first over the woman (in addition to being primarily male, douchebags are exclusively heterosexual), and then over the team of fellow douchebags he plans on bragging to of his conquest. Pleasure never enters the equation for either person because the douchebag always has one hand on his blog. Assholes can be discrete, basically because they don’t want people to realize whatever sort of kink they’re into. Douchebags are nothing if not vanilla in the sack, but are compelled to invent all sorts of grotesque practices, encounters and partners to cement their asshole status. Thus, Tucker lying about filming butthex in Opie & Anthony is the true epitome of douchebag.
Now, I’m not going to fly a big banner for assholes. Given the choice between asshole and douchebag, it is better to be neither. The life of an asshole is essentially a tragic one, leading to wasted talent, estranged families, friendless existences, financial ruin and something very, very, very wrong with your liver. No one possessed of a moiety of their marbles could ever point to a raging asshole and say: "Go thou, and do likewise."
However—and here’s where Tucker Max comes in—true assholes never make a fetish out of their own assholishness. An asshole, like a tornado or a killer whale or some other initially impressive but ultimately destructive thing, simply is. James Bond, perhaps the ultimate asshole—a cold-blooded murderer, a spy, a sociopath—never once called himself an asshole. It was just: "Bond. James Bond." (Conversely, Pussy Galore, also an asshole, never had to say: "Gosh, I’m good at fucking!’)
It is the burden of the douchebag to continually trumpet his own fake asshole status. If someone tells you "I’m an asshole" you are almost certain to be dealing with a douchebag. An asshole may tell you a horrific story of his past that leaves you thinking "wow, what an asshole;" the douchebag tells you the same story (which he heard first from the asshole), gingerbreads it to the point of obvious absurdity and concludes: "Yup, I’m really an asshole!"
Tucker Max has attempted to parlay his own weasely life into the Elysian Fields of Asshole, but belies his quest with every act. A remora fantasizing about being a shark, he describes himself as an asshole, blabs and boasts of his assholery, lies—obviously—about his stories, and is forced, douchebag that he is, to hire thugs to serve as his asshole-muscles (no asshole ever relied on some other dude to do his brawling). Panting desperately for the sacred status of mythological assholes such as Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando, Miles Davis, Prince Harry, Robert Maplethorpe or Mick Jagger, he has succeeded only in making himself look ever more the quivering, bullying, squealing, lisping, jelly-bellied, flipper-waving, khaki-pants-wearing, Mommy’s apron-clinging, frat-boy pee-stained sloppy-boppy poopy-pants pile of douche.
And this, friends and neighbors, is why Tucker Max is my vote for Douche of the Decade.
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For not very long.
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Vengie, sounds like you need a good shtupping.
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(I'm an asshole!)
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And I hate it even more when too-long toes hang over the fronts of sandals. Get shoes that fit, people.
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What is worlkid and should I take my nephew there?
Those tea baggers I see who tend to have make interesting sartorial choices as well as throwing caution to the wind when it comes to hair and make-up are the reason all of us fabulously dressed and coiffed uppity elitist a job and we would be naked and homeless without them? So, there is no room at the trailer park. Got it.
Must admit, loving the Gorbi Gorbachev
I should have screen saved the Scientology triple team that got on me a few weeks ago, those were good! I have no nothing to say about theirs because I cannot understand them.
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@TheologicalSong: Although it is often misused, the word "irony" still has a concrete meaning, and thus, a practical application. But I do wish people would stop throwing it around incorrectly instead of figuring out what it is they are actually trying to say.
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