Book Report – Assholes by Aaron James

Whoa, wait – am I an asshole? Before reading Aaron James’ brilliant Assholes I never would’ve really thought so. Alas, the reader is forced to ponder the question, which makes good sense as the author is a philosopher after all. Just take driving as one example; a steady habit of cutting across lanes or weaving to position for advantage is clearly assholish in James’ view. The author says that it’s our inner asshole that kills our ability to empathize and understand, “beckoning one into egocentrism and easy rationalization of ever-widening privileges.” Yikes, says the aggressive driver – that’s me! What a relief then, on p. 35, when James makes clear that should one wonder about their possible place in the assholedom, especially when that person feels a sense of shame, it takes them off the hook. Whew. It’s a welcome relief to be removed from the ranks of the assholery.

James theorizes that the asshole “seeks to enjoy special advantages in interpersonal relations out of an entrenched sense of entitlement that immunizes him against the complaints of other people.” Imagine if you will your most annoying co-worker; let’s call him Dink. Dink chews so loudly it sounds like cuff links going up a vacuum cleaner, arrives late to most meetings and therefore has to be caught up, and whines about any extra work sent his way. You and your work buddies are driven nuts by this guy and have been known to call him an asshole (not to his face, of course; only when you rip him behind his back over a few thirsty Thursday drinks).  But hold on – if Dink lacks any of the three aspects of James’ asshole theory – the advantages, entitlement, and/or immunization – then “he is better classified as a jerk, a boor, a cad, a schmuck, or a mere ass.” Dink’s hapless, more clueless than he is repugnant, and is just dim enough to not even understand concepts like being entitled and/or immune. He’s just a dink, and there’s a difference. Good to know.

You may ask yourself, are there more assholes out there than ever before? This is worth pondering, as is the potential explanation that there is simply more reporting thereof, what with the preponderance of infotainment media these past few decades. In related news, Roger Ailes, the “longtime practitioner of blood sport media politics,” is pegged by James as an asshole and who’s to argue with that? The Fox News CEO & chairman has been known to believe that terrorists are out to get him personally and once ordered a corporate lockdown after encountering a dark-skinned man on premises who was – no joke – a janitor. How rich. Thankfully, most of us can find ways to avoid Ailes, Michael Moore, Kanye West, Ann Coulter, Chris Matthews, Rush Limbaugh, Keith Olbermann, and Larry Summers (all of whom are skewered to some degree in the book) and take comfort in the near-zero likelihood that we’ll ever run into Jerry Falwell or Steve Jobs (on Earth, anyway), but it’s foolhardy to think that we can play the game of asshole elimination perfectly. You see, while assholes may be unacceptable they are also inevitable. “The single-minded pursuit of asshole avoidance would come at too high a cost” in our careers, writes James. Sound thinking. So accept the asshole in your life, dear reader. Just don’t feed him.