I Just Read About That…

I can’t say that I pay a lot of attention to trends on TV. But, it seems to me that the use of the insult “douchebag” had been skyrocketing in the last few months.

I’ve always kind of liked the word because it’s almost quaint and it was so underused in conversation.  And it feels so 1970s, like when I was a kid and we would say, They said “Bastard” on TV; somehow douchebag fits into that childish insult category.  There’s so many other insults that are used every day that to hear a weird one like douchebag was kind of refreshing.  To say nothing of the fact that it is actually an object (evidently–I’ve never actually seen one to confirm this).

Yet over the last few months, I think I may have heard it used on every show that we watch.  I would speculate that it’s been used on How I met Your Mother, Community, New Adventures of Old Christine, The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family and Chuck.  Oh and probably 30 Rock, too. (I can’t confirm this, I’m using my admittedly sketchy memory).

In fact, to confirm my suspicions I did a search and found that even the venerable New York Times has observed this increase in douchebag usage.

It’s funny as I’m not prudish at all, but I’m getting a little uncomfortable at hearing the word so much. Once in a while was fine, but it seems a little stale all of a sudden. I think I heard it three times in one night of TiVo catching up.

When it’s used that much, it’s just lazy.

I’m already completely sick of the word “cougar,” which was mildly amusing at best when it was becoming popular. But now we’re saddled with it if this Courtney Cox show actually succeeds.

A couple years back it felt like the word “bitch” was used way too much (America’s Next Top Model used it so often it was as common as “like” or “um”). That overuse seems to have subsided. And I’m glad about that one. The word has, to me, a very specific connotation and throwing it around willy nilly not only removes the negative effects of the word, but also masks the hostility when it is used correctly.  And that just gives people license to be misogynists.

I love words, I always have.  I have several etymological dictionaries and the OED.  I hate to see them thrown around lazily (words, not the OED). That said, I’m also very much for free speech.  So I’m not about to tell people to stop using the words.  I of course love that so many more words are acceptable on TV and I think the real crime is the FCC punishing anyone for swearing on live TV–The South Park “shit” episode was fantastic.   I just hate to see a beloved insult become ever so common.

So, writers, thanks for dusting it off, but maybe put that douchebag back in Ohio (to quote one of my favorite usages of the word, thanks Revenge of the Nerds).