I'm too young to be a benchmark but I remember the former meaning having a connotation of being annoying to or causing problems for others, but inadvertently so. As in, you're a dimwit who means no harm, but does so because you're a dimwit. But maybe by that time the transformation was already underway.
The forgotten meaning of "jerk"
11–20 of 142 posts
Re: The forgotten meaning of "jerk"
#12When I hear jerk my first thought is always as the second derivative of velocity, because I had a TA in college who was specifically studying jerk as it relates to autonomous driving -- back in the 90s!
So he taught us how to calculate it and its importance, because it turns out the car can handle a lot more jerk than the humans inside!
Re: The forgotten meaning of "jerk"
#13I wonder if it used to be that people largely weren’t on the same page, and didn’t know it. It’s not like people consult dictionaries to learn what slang means, or even usually ask somebody, and the definitions are related enough that responses usually don’t distinguish them. I’ve noticed it’s not uncommon online that a post’s likes are split between opposing interpretations, like agreeing with its politics vs seeing it as satire of politics one disagrees with.
Re: The forgotten meaning of "jerk"
#14I prefer the term "douchebag" for its inclusivity. People of all ages know you're calling the person an asshole. I've also noticed Mormons are less offended by "douchebag" than "asshole".
Too bad it's misogynistic. I'm not sure you already knew that. If I were rude enough to call you a name, I wonder what term I could use that would work either way!
As a gay man, I disagree. I think it's a word that describes someone who doesn't consider others without realizing it.
Re: The forgotten meaning of "jerk"
#15I wonder how much of it is that in today's society it is worse to be disagreeable than it is to be inept.
Re: The forgotten meaning of "jerk"
#16A possible reason people forget the previous meaning despite having used it with the old meaning is that they may have understood and used the new meaning for ages but used the old meaning in more formal settings.
Re: The forgotten meaning of "jerk"
#17Makes you wonder what other words have changed meaning right under your nose, without you noticing.
Re: The forgotten meaning of "jerk"
#18It's a good time as any to remind everyone that The Jerk is still one of the funniest movies ever made. It could never be made today, and I suggest you pick up a copy if you've never seen it.
Re: The forgotten meaning of "jerk"
#19Here’s the sort of spooky thing. It’s not just that there are multiple generations who’ve never known a “jerk” was once a simpleton or sap. It’s that some of the folks who used to use it that way don’t remember that they did. When I asked my mom to define the word this week, she used the modern meaning, with no apparent recollection of her former firm conviction that a jerk was a dope, dodo, or dimwit.
I am gen-X and I have no recollection of that former meaning at all. I was 10 or 11 years old when the movie The Jerk came out, and I recall being mildly confused about the fact that he didn't really seem like a jerk, and sort of thinking that he must be acting that way on purpose.
Re: The forgotten meaning of "jerk"
#20The evolution of "jerk" makes me also think of "nimrod" and how it referred to the biblical hunter and meant someone with great skills in hunting, until it was used to refer to Elmer Fudd, at which point the meaning changed to mean a complete idiot.
https://thehabit.co/nimrod-hectoring-maudlin-eponymns-and-pe...