I wrote a post where I used the words douche bag. Upon reflection, I totally hate douche bags — the real kind — so I pulled the post. I wouldn’t call someone a douche bag to his face because I’m not like that, yo. I wouldn’t use the words douche bag in the work environment, either.
Since I won’t say it, I won’t write it. That’s the punk rock HR code of ethics.
Do you use the words douche bag in polite company? What about using it in the office? Let me know!
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Hmmm, I’ve worked with some pretty miserable people in 25 years, but none that I’d necessarily refer to as a douche bag. Since I can be kind of a “call ‘em like I see ‘em” type, I may indeed use those words, if someone was really that much of a low-life and pushed me *that* far.
Here’s hoping that day never comes!
Will you please define “polite company?”
What else is involved inthe Punk Rock HR Pro Code of Ethics?
I don’t use Douche Bag, I probably have use it one or twice in my life. The only words I describe the people I don’t like are clones, drones, clowns, and Jay Mariotti (inside reference).
I’ve totally used Douche Bag. Having said that, I reserve the use of Douche Bag and other choice descriptors for the worst of the worst. So, yes, but Douche Bag only gets pulled out for the most heinous. Along with leakage (i.e. “that dude’s such a leakage”), Jackass (I would argue that when used correctly, Jackass has a certain impact that is right up there with the D Bag), and F-Head (which is clearly so bad in my insult book that I don’t even feel comfortable typing out the whole thing). If my husband, best friend, dogs, and cats count as polite company, then yes, I use those terms in polite company, but never in the office and never around people who are not my husband, best friend, dogs, or cats.
Incidentally, I am fairly certain that the cats have used all of those terms and worse on me. The dogs, well, they just like it if you’re talking to them and see any form of verbal communication as a compliment, so they use them all the time (“oh my gosh, I’m so glad the Douche Bag and the F-Head are home!”).
Jackbuilt’s comment makes me think of Bill Cosby’s “GODDAMMIT get in here! But dad, I’m Jesus Christ!”
I use the term douche bag only when in company of those I can trust with my feelings.
Oh, and on my blog. I just searched for the term douche and douche bag on my blog. Here are the people that earned the title:
1. Isiah Thomas
2. People who think they “deserve” a job (and those that screw up on purpose to get fired and claim very attainable unemployment benefits)
3. An employee who wanted to argue with me that we had to pay her for FMLA when she had no vacation or sick time left on the books.
4. An employee that announced her coworker “wasn’t really” at home with a sick child to an entire conference call. By the way – the co worker WAS at home w/ a sick child.
5. Eliot Spitzer
6. Co workers that repeatedly ditch work and leave others to pick up the slack & have no qualms about it what so ever.
I’m sure the list will continue to grow.
Isiah Thomas! That guy was a d-bag before the whole sexual harassment thing came out.
I don’t care about the term personally. I watch it around people I don’t know but otherwise, I keep it loose with my peeps.
Yes I have! The company wasn’t polite per se, but some people just should have the words added to their titles. One person in particular I referred to as Douchebag Extraordinaire. All the time. Because he was the epitome of the term.
Hmmm… I have to say that I think douchebag is a terrific term when used appropriately.
A douchebag is the most disgusting part of a useless product designed to make half the population ashamed of their bodies. So, calling a person who is useless and disgusting a douchebag is really fairly accurate.
It should be used with caution though, only in the most appropriate of situations. For example: when I text insults to my best friend (“your mother’s a douche” is the least offensive)
I am guilty of using the word douche bag…perhaps a little too much, but in my defense, it applies to so many people (including, but not limited to, the ones HR Wench and Jackbuilt mentioned). Also, I find myself using the word “douchey” a lot to describe certain people. I’m trying to cut back and I’m good about not using it at the office or around people I don’t know. But I thoroughly enjoyed your (very relevant) use of it in your post. Well played.
OH MY GOD YOU GUYS.
I’m still totally anti-douche. There hasn’t been a compelling case made for a pro-douche position. (Well, maybe Isiah Thomas.)
When my teenage boys want to be “polite” around my wife, they call people “tools.” And then they cough *DOUCHEBAG* into their hands. I dunno…I liked your article. The dude was advocating being a slacker and he’s an SVP. He doesn’t get to get away with that.
I have to admit that I use the term douche bag. I have used it at work. I use it currently. I usually reserve it for what most used to call a “tool”…a person who is a poser or tries too hard. I do not use it in place of jerk or anything. Some people are just arrogant…usually they deserve an orifice reference and not a reference to an apparatus.
My wife is opposed to the term because it conjures too literal an image for her…d-bag is actually worse to her. So, I don’t use it at home. In my opinion it is just a fruit flavor. Part of the colorful imagery of the world.
Colorfulness counts for a lot.
Try the game of combining genitalia with prominent facial features. I don’t use them at work…only on photo shoots. The photographer and I encourage each other too much.
It is not a phrase I use personally (and I am a big lover of profanity) but I am hearing it a lot more (thanks to the Daily Show I think). I think your post was useful though, any chance you could find another way to say it and bring the post back, I think Frank’s suggestion of “tools” is a good one.
I don’t use it, in the office or out. Not necessarily just out of propriety – I think ‘douche bag’ as an insult just isn’t on my radar. If it were, I’d keep it out of the office and polite conversation.
I’ve never used the word – it doesn’t offend me, it’s just not in my brain. I don’t think I’ve heard people around me say it… unless I’m listening to Howard Stern.
I prefer the F word and combinations using the F word. That’s my favorite.
I’m a high school math teacher in a so-called ‘inner city’ school in Philadelphia, PA. One quiet day this Spring toward the end of class we had some free time. A very animated conversation developed among six or seven students, boys and girls. Suddenly, it got quiet and I heard one say, “Go ahead, ask him.”. She said, “Mr.F, what is a douche bag? We call each that all the time but we don’t know what it is.” I told them. They said a collective, “Oh” and returned to their conversation. Life in the city!