MetaChat - I'm considering sending "Dear Asshat" to my brother...

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14 January 2007

I'm considering sending "Dear Asshat" to my brother... it's either that or the Kaddish.

As far as I know he's not a mefite.

And what's the difference between asshat and asshole?

post by: brujita at: 04:14 | 16 comments

An asshole is someone who intentionally acts provocative with the intent of causing uproar. An asshat is someone that causes the same result without the intent.

And the obvious question is what's the story with your brother?

posted by court siem 14 January | 05:05

And what's the difference between asshat and asshole?

You can't wear a hole.

posted by Daniel Charms 14 January | 05:16

aah, take the moral high ground, brujita.. Coming from a Jewish family where this whole Kaddish saying you are dead to me thing happened in two generations, I can't recommend it.

posted by By the Grace of God 14 January | 06:05

I think an asshat can act with intent--but his actions are usually more annoying than hurtful.

Example:
The guy who weaves around in heavy traffic and cuts you off: asshole

Your buddy who clinks your beer bottle causing it to overflow: asshat

The lady beating her kid in public: asshole

The parents that let their kids run around and annoy people in decent restaurant: asshats

And so on...

posted by mullacc 14 January | 06:17

I will add -- from experience -- that spending too much time examining whether someone else is an assHOLE or an assHAT is a very handy way of avoiding the examination of how you yourself have acted. It's a good distraction. It's an excellent way of putting all the blame on the other person.

It very rarely lies entirely there.

Like I said, I've been there.

There is much strength in forgiveness and magnanimity.

posted by mudpuppie 14 January | 06:23

Wait, i thought an asshat was something essentially useless, ridiculous and even inconvenient, such as a hat on an ass, while an asshole is someone who introduces shit and fumes into the world, or possibly puckers up in fear and releases at will.

i think i've missed something here.

posted by ethylene 14 January | 06:34

An asshat is someone who has his head so far up his ass, he's wearing his ass as a hat.

So a kind of deliberate obtuse or blowhard kind of person.

An asshole is just a wanker.

posted by gaspode 14 January | 08:50

You can't wear a hole.

except maybe as a ring.

posted by jonmc 14 January | 10:49

My Auntie Dawn says "I'd rather be an asshole than an ass, because at least an asshole has a purpose".

posted by getoffmylawn 14 January | 10:58

An asshat is what you call someone when you want to maintain an alliterative rhythm to your insult.

"Christ, what an asshole" has it's charms, but for pure vowel-sound momentum you can't go wrong with "That asshat!" Especially if his name is Matt.

posted by cortex 14 January | 11:05

An asshat is someone with their head up their asshole, i.e., wearing it for a hat.

posted by Eideteker 14 January | 11:59

Ha, asshat! In certain fields of engineering, a lower-case omega (ω) with a carat (^) over it. That, my friends, is an asshat.

posted by muddgirl 14 January | 12:31

BtGoG, thank you for explaining the Kaddish reference. For a minute there I was seriously thinking that perhaps brujita's brother had expressed an interest in the works of Allen Ginsberg.

posted by elizard 14 January | 12:32

i.e., I didn't know that sending the real Kaddish to a living person meant that they were dead to you. I'll go away now.

posted by elizard 14 January | 12:36

This is about the way he was acting to me when my father had surgery--I put several threads up in November.

I've gotten some sleep and realized I should just let it go.

posted by brujita 14 January | 13:56

Good thinking, brujita. Rise above and hopefully one day he won't be able to get under your skin like that.

posted by elizard 14 January | 14:27

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