jackass or jerk?

nick   Mon Feb 04, 2008 1:26 am GMT
Under what situation u call people jackass or jerk? Can we use them interchangeably?
guest   Mon Feb 04, 2008 4:54 am GMT
a jackass is usu. someone who makes a fool or ass out of themselves, usu. without realizing it, or actually thinking they're doing something cool. A jerk is just someone who does something mean on purpose.
nick   Mon Feb 04, 2008 5:03 am GMT
Thanks.
Lazar   Mon Feb 04, 2008 5:34 am GMT
I agree with Guest: calling someone a jerk implies malice on their part. A jackass is more like a fool or idiot.
Geoff_One   Fri Feb 08, 2008 7:48 am GMT
Jerk = Time rate of change of acceleration.

This needs to be taken into account in the design of lifts/elevators.
Guest   Fri Feb 08, 2008 8:12 am GMT
"Jerk = Time rate of change of acceleration. "

I remember learning this in Calculus.
Guest   Fri Feb 08, 2008 12:37 pm GMT
A jackass is an asshole. He's foolish and usually obnoxious.

A jerk can be the same, but it usually means something like being mean or purposely treating somebody badly.

Also, jackass is a swear word (at least where I'm from) and, while it isn't nice unless called for, jerk is not.
Skippy   Fri Feb 08, 2008 3:31 pm GMT
They can be used interchangeably... They're both insults, jackass being slightly more insulting because it has the word "ass" in it.
Guest   Sat Feb 09, 2008 2:32 am GMT
I think it's okay to say "jerk", but since I've become an adult, I've noticed that I don't hear it much in polite company. I almost never hear "jackass" except in comedies or from maybe, can we say "coarse" speakers who are angry. This has nothing to do with money or social class.

I think that, yes, "jackass" is in the swearword category even though I don't find it terribly offensive. We can say "asinine" but not "jackass", lol.
Lazar   Sat Feb 09, 2008 2:48 am GMT
I definitely wouldn't consider "jackass" a swear word. Intemperate, like "idiot" or "moron", but not a swear word.
Lazar   Sat Feb 09, 2008 2:53 am GMT
<<Also, jackass is a swear word (at least where I'm from) and, while it isn't nice unless called for, jerk is not.>>

<<They're both insults, jackass being slightly more insulting because it has the word "ass" in it.>>

Wait...you're aware that the "ass" in "jackass" has nothing to do with the human hindquarters, right? Please don't tell me that you consider it a swear word because of false etymology.
Guest   Sat Feb 09, 2008 3:01 am GMT
<<Wait...you're aware that the "ass" in "jackass" has nothing to do with the human hindquarters, right? Please don't tell me that you consider it a swear word because of false etymology.>>

Well I (the poster of the first statement you quoted) never said anything about that. It doesn't matter what the etymology of the word is, it's still a swear word. For instance, when I was a child I would never have said "jackass" in front of my parents. "Jerk" was no big deal. It's like saying "butthead".
Lazar   Sat Feb 09, 2008 3:09 am GMT
I just don't see how it's a swear word, any more than "moron" or "idiot".
Guest   Sat Feb 09, 2008 3:15 am GMT
I agree with Guest at 3:01. I would not use "jackass" in front of my parents or relatives. "Jerk" was fine. I wouldn't use "butthead" though.
Guest   Sat Feb 09, 2008 3:21 am GMT
Lazar,

My parents did not discuss etymology with us or if they did, I do not remember it. If it was perceived in the community as "cussing" or "coarse" we were not going to use it.

I like your posts well enough, but I found that pretty funny.

"I can call little Kevie a 'jackass' because the etymology of the word 'ass' is different, Mommy."

Nope, it would not work.