Dear friends,

The following is a short survey for one of my Anthro courses. Please respond.

Thanks!

What is a douche bag?

2. A douche bag is a person who doesn't show respect for other people.

3. A feminine hygiene product, used to clean the vagina after intercourse.  After watching a recent Oprah I've been told by a gynecologist that douches are bad and that a vagina is (his words not mine)"a self cleaning oven."

4. A "douche bag" is, colloquially, used as a derogatory term to describe someone who is both an "asshole, and "lame."  That is, such person behaves in a way that is disrespectful, unkind, selfish, or uncaring of the needs and desires of others; and the manner of this behavior is decidedly "uncool."  Someone can be an asshole without being a douche bag.  For example, the star of the film series, Jackass, is an asshole in his behavior towards his relatives--he is disrespectful and does things that anger or hurt them.  However, among many youth, the same film star is considered "cool" because of his rebelliousness and the "live dangerously" image he conveys.  Therefore, he is not a douche bag.  Similarly, the nice but dorky kid, such as the character of Steve Urkel from the television show, Family Matters, is not a douche bag because he is a nice, kind-hearted person, despite his dorkiness.

5. Anyone reminding me of a dirty diaper (poopy, smelly, unpleasant) ** i know that’s not what a real douche bag is, i promise

6. UrbanDictionary.com defines douche bag as "A student or instructor at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities."

7. To me, a douche bag is another name for a self-assured guy that thinks he is extremely cool, but is usually just annoying and poser-esque

8. A douche bag is a product used for vaginal hygiene.

9. Literally speaking, a douche bag is an object used for flushing out the bottom most part of the female reproductive tract. The slang term most popular among the youth of America (and probably other English-speaking countries?) is based off of this definition, and is used when a person is regarded as nothing more than a device used for flushing out a genital canal.

10. A douche bag is someone who does something particularly rude, insensitive, or mean, often knowing that someone will be offended, hurt, or upset by said action (which can be described as being "douchy").  E.G.:  "Sam knows that I love Bon Jovi but that douche bag didn't ask me if I wanted a ticket!"

11. A douche bag is the bag that holds the vinegar solution that a woman uses to douche.  When someone is called a douche bag, I think it generally has different connotations than the word "asshole" or "jerk." It's generally someone who's sleazy, inappropriate, and dumb.  It's less premeditated than being an asshole.

12. A douche bag is 1) a feminine hygiene product; 2) a person worthy of ridicule for personality flaws, namely unwarranted arrogance and the inability to interact with new people/environments.

13. a douche bag is a person who sucks.

14. A douche bag, i believe, is an apparatus used in the process of feminine cleansing.  The bag itself holding the solution to be introduced into the vagina.  it is also a term used as an insult in common parlance.

Have you ever/when was the last time you called someone a douche bag?

1. Between 2 and 4 weeks ago.

2. I use the word on a daily basis. The last time I used it was when leaving the grocery store. I was pulling out of my parking spot, and had to stop short for another driver, who pulled around me to park in the spot next to the one I was vacating. In this instance, I actually called the person a 'douche nozzle.'

3. Probably in the past couple of weeks.

4. I believe that I called my boyfriend a douche bag during the past month.  I do not remember the circumstances exactly, except that it took place in the kitchen.

5. yes, in class referring to a stupid jerk.

6. I hear someone called a douche bag, DB, douchenozzle, or some variant at least once a week. I can't recall any specific occasions.

7. don't remember exactly

8. I generally only use douche bag when i'm really pissed at a person, usually not to their face, unless i'm actually in a verbal argument. I often use the word to be humorous. I'm not sure i've ever looked at a real douche bag up close.

9. Yes, I have called people by this name before. Although I don't remember exactly when, I'm sure it wasn't too long ago.

10. Probably when driving, referring to another driver.

11. I don't call people douche bags generally, unless I'm being facetious.

12. I have indeed called someone a douche bag, most recently an American in Budapest named Josh.

13. I called elmar [my German boyfriend] a douche bag last week, but just as a joke. before that, it has been quite a long time.

14. I have in fact used the term as an insult.  I believe the last time i used it was 4 or 5 years ago.  While working construction this was a much bandied insult.

Why, in your opinion, did this person deserve the label “douche bag”?

1. I don't remember the incident.

2. They didn't show courtesy in letting me continue to back out of my spot, although I began backing out before they turned on to the row I was parked in.

3. First off, it's almost always a guy, the label is hardly ever given to a woman.  If I were to hear someone call a lady a douche bag I'd laugh cause it just doesn't sound right.  To call someone a douche bag is to call someone an asshole, only it's usually more personal.  Slobodan Milosevic is an asshole.  My Uncle that cheated on his wife and took money from my family is a douche bag. If a douche bag is used in a general--non personal way--it is usually used to describe skeevy assholes, such as fratboys or guidos.

4. He was doing something to purposefully annoy me, such as poking me, or turning me upside-down while I was trying to do the dishes, or chasing me around with water on his hands to rub on me--this sort of thing happens so often that I have trouble remembering exactly what was occurring the time the term, douche bag, was uttered.  I called him a douche bag to signify both that the shenanigans were unwanted, and that they made him look like a lame-o fool.

5. Because he resembled a poopy diaper, had natural eyeliner, and thought he was the shit, which is gross.

6. They were acting douche baggy. In other words, they were being self-obsessed.

7. Have a feeling it was a probably a frat guy in a crowded bar making remarks at/about women and thinking he was funny/cool

8.

9. Sorry- don't exactly remember. But in my opinion douche = jerk = ass = schmuck.

10. They were probably driving poorly - either going slow in the left lane on the highway, or changing lanes without signaling - something douchy like that.

11.  

12. Josh was self-righteous in his vegetarianism, fancied himself an adventurer, could not handle his alcohol, nor could he handle the hot pepper oils he got in his eye. What a douche bag.

13. it may have been connected to not doing dishes, or some equally banal chore. don't remember, as i didn't mean it seriously.

14. In the context it was used in at my work it wasn't so much a question of "deserving" everyone was called this at least twice a day. it could be used for anything from being the last one in the truck to cutting a board wrong to using your phone to talk to your girlfriend.

Any spontaneous or humorous comments related to the term or the object or the person, douche bag?

2. The term loses some of its luster once you have seen a picture of a douche bag (I have seen the attached photo, or one like it, before).

3. As most people know, the term "douche bag" is usually truncated to the one syllable "douche."  In college my roommate did not want to go to a certain bar because it was full of skeevy assholes. He wanted to use the plural form of douche to describe them,  he came up with the word "deech."  His thought process was the vowel sound in douche sounds like that of goose, the plural form of goose is geese, so obviously the plural form of douche is deech. In conclusion, "we shouldn't go to that bar because it is full of deech."

6. "A douche bag is a hygienic product, and I'll take that as a compliment." -Wet Hot American Summer

8. Douche means shower in French.

10. Douche bag status is not permanent - we've all been douche bags at one point or another and most of us are not often douche bags.  One can indeed "stop being a douche bag".  Also, the term is more commonly used among men, probably because most of us don't fully understand its function and prefer to use it when our friends are being douche bags.

13. for germans, the word is very strange because "duschen" means to shower. you know how the kids would snicker when they learned that word.

Some stats:

6 women, 8 men answered. All are between 18 and 27 years old; all except one hold or are currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree. 2 are pursuing Master’s degrees.

6 correct references to an object used for feminine hygiene, more or less explicit. 2 as the sole definition, 4 as the first of two definitions.

10 references to a person, i.e. “someone who…”, 6 as the sole definition, 4 as the second definition.

4 references to “a term” (of insult), only 1 of which is not also connected to a person-based definition, i.e. “a term for someone who….”