History Main / CardCarryingJerkass

[[spoiler: -->'''Finn:''' I never should've been nice to you, 'cause you're just a big jerk!]]
[[spoiler: -->'''Magic Man:''' Oh, that's it! You've finally learned your lesson!]]

* Creator/AdamSandler's song "Steve Polychronopolous" is a first-person manifesto of a guy who likes to be a dick to everyone for nothing more than the love of being a dick.

The Card-Carrying Jerkass doesn't need to be told that they're a nasty piece of work; they're self-aware enough to know it already. The problem isn't that they're ''ignorant'' of their jerkassery, it's that they're ''proud'' of it, or at least ''[[TheUnapologetic unrepentant]]''. This character actually considers "being a jerk" a part of their identity and will openly admit it without the slightest hint of shame, seeing no reason to change -- or, at least, not ''caring'' enough to change. Despite this, the Card-Carrying Jerkass is not incapable of kindness or doing what's right, nor do they necessarily go out of their way to screw other people over.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': virtually the entire population of Springfield is this, to the point where they advirtise their town as "Meanest City in America".

* ''WesternAnimation:MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Flim and Flam in are a pair of ConArtist brothers who shamelessly swindle other ponies for a living, and generally act as {{Smug Snake}}s to those who try to stop their scams, gleefully taunting them about their successes. In "Viva Las Pegasus", they [[EnemyMine worked together with the good guys]] to get rid of another villain, then [[RedemptionRejection rejected]] all notions of turning over a new leaf and went right back to conning others.

** Flim and Flam are a pair of ConArtist brothers who shamelessly swindle other ponies for a living, and generally act as {{Smug Snake}}s to those who try to stop their scams, gleefully taunting them about their successes. In "Viva Las Pegasus", they [[EnemyMine worked together with the good guys]] to get rid of another villain, then [[RedemptionRejection rejected]] all notions of turning over a new leaf and went right back to conning others.

* Q from ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' is a humanoid RealityWarper with a fixation on the ''Enterprise'' in general, and on Captain Jean-Luc Picard in particular. He is purposefully thorny, brash and difficult, yet he manages to teach important lessons to the ''Enterprise'' crew. In the pilot episode "Encounter at Farpoint", Q put them on trial for the past murderous savagery of the human race, tested them by forcing them to decide whether to kill one of the creatures that was attacking Deneb 4, and later exposed them to the Borg collective. As Captain Picard notes: "[Q] gave us a kick in our collective complacency."

** In his earliest incarnations, WesternAnimation/BugsBunny really ''was'' a Card-Carrying Jerkass, and he would torment whoever his nemesis was for ''virtually no reason'', as in ''Elmer's Pet Rabbit''. Before long, though, his personality was toned down into a much more likable (and marketable) character. [[note]]DependingOnTheWriter, at least. He was rather nasty in his trilogy of shorts with Cecil Turtle, though Cecil wasn't really any better.[[/note]]

The Card-Carrying Jerkass doesn't need to be told that they're a nasty piece of work; they're self-aware enough to know it already. The problem isn't that they're ''ignorant'' of their jerkassery, it's that they're ''proud'' of it, or at least ''[[TheUnapologetic unrepentant]]''. This character actually considers "being a jerk" a part of their identity, and sees no reason to change -- or, at least, doesn't ''care'' enough to change. Despite this, the Card-Carrying Jerkass is not incapable of kindness or doing what's right, nor do they necessarily go out of their way to screw other people over.

'''''This trope is about the jerk's attitude towards their own behavior, not necessarily the nature, frequency, or severity of their dickish deeds. If they do not show any self-awareness towards their jerkishness, then they're just a plain old {{Jerkass}}.'''''

The Card-Carrying Jerkass doesn't need to be told that they're a nasty piece of work; they're self-aware enough to know it already. The problem isn't that they're ''ignorant'' of their jerkassery, it's that they're ''proud'' of it, or at least ''[[TheUnapologetic unrepentant]]''. This character actually considers "being a jerk" a part of their identity, and sees no reason to change -- or, at least, doesn't ''care'' enough to change. Even so, it's important to remember that the Card-Carrying Jerkass is not incapable of kindness or doing what's right, nor do they necessarily go out of their way to screw other people over. This trope is about the jerk's attitude towards their own behavior, not necessarily the nature, frequency, or severity of their dickish deeds.

Compare CardCarryingVillain, who takes a similar attitude towards being ''evil'' but [[AffablyEvil isn't necessarily]] a ''jerk''. For an Internet-specific form of this trope, see {{Troll}}. For a downplayed version of this trope whose motivation is being ''funny'' and sees a difference between it and being ''cruel'', see TheGadfly. See also ItAmusedMe, for characters whose motivation for jerkassery is personal amusement.

** WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck also started off as a rather extreme hyperactive {{Cloudcuckoolander}} with a cruel streak. While his obnoxiousness and cruelty were likewise toned down over time, he never completely lost his tendency towards being selfish and mean; in fact, today he's most famous for being the openly conniving (if ineffective) {{Foil}} for Bugs Bunny.

Compare CardCarryingVillain, who takes a similar attitude towards being ''evil'' but [[AffablyEvil isn't necessarily]] a ''jerk''. For an Internet-specific form of this trope, see {{Troll}}. For a downplayed version of this trope whose motivation is being ''funny'' rather than ''cruel'', see TheGadfly. See also ItAmusedMe, for characters whose motivation for jerkassery is personal amusement.

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': In high school, Carl King was an even more vicious bully to Peter Parker than Flash Thompson; in the present, he revels in the memory of how much he made Peter's life miserable and freely admits he was a "rotten kid." As [[TheWormThatWalks the]] [[SpiderSwarm Thousand]], he's crossed the line into CardCarryingVillain.

The Card-Carrying Jerkass doesn't need to be told that they're a nasty piece of work; they're self-aware enough to know it already. The problem isn't that they're ''ignorant'' of their jerkassery, it's that they're ''proud'' of it, or at least ''unrepentant''. This character actually considers "being a jerk" a part of their identity, and sees no reason to change -- or, at least, doesn't ''care'' enough to change. Even so, it's important to remember that the Card-Carrying Jerkass is not incapable of kindness or doing what's right, nor do they necessarily go out of their way to screw other people over. This trope is about the jerk's attitude towards their own behavior, not necessarily the nature, frequency, or severity of their dickish deeds.

* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas: Ryder is the rudest member of the Grove Street Families gang and proudly shows off his gangster attitude during most missions he participates in. [[spoiler:Even after he betrays you, he still calls himself a "motherfucking genius".]]

{{Jerkass}}es come in [[TheJerkIndex all shapes and sizes]], and run the [[JerkJustifications gamut of motivations]]. They may be TheFriendNobodyLikes, or they may be a JerkWithAHeartOfGold (even if that heart is [[HiddenHeartOfGold very well hidden]]), or they may be a JerkWithAHeartOfJerk. They may have an IncitingIncident that made them this way, they may be a hero with [[GoodIsNotNice reason to act like a belligerent boor]], or they may just be [[JerkassWoobie insecure, bitter, lonely, angry or confused]], and are lashing out at other people as a form of release. Some may not even realize how they come across to others, and [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone feel remorseful when made aware of their jerkassery]].

{{Jerkass}}es come in [[TheJerkIndex all shapes and sizes]], and run the [[JerkJustifications gamut of motivations]]. They may be TheFriendNobodyLikes, or they may be a JerkWithAHeartOfGold (even if that heart is [[HiddenHeartOfGold very well hidden]]), or they may be a JerkWithAHeartOfJerk. They may have an IncitingIncident that made them this way, they may be a hero with [[GoodIsNotNice reason to act like a belligerent boor]], or they may just be [[JerkassWoobie insecure, bitter, lonely, angry, or confused]], and are lashing out at other people as a form of release. Some may not even realize how they come across to others, and [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone feel remorseful when made aware of their jerkassery]].

[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/DanVs https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mv5bmju0mdmymdkyn15bml5banbnxkftztgwmzq1mdu1mje_v1.png]]]]

->Senior sales representative Mark Seversen, already notorious at Aqua-Dek Water Filtration Systems for being an asshole, made the ultimate asshole move Monday when he triumphantly admitted to being an asshole.

->"Look, I know you all think I'm an asshole," Seversen, 32, told a roomful of fellow employees. "Well, that may be true, but I moved more units for this company last year than any three of you combined. News flash: Nice guys finish last."

->"So I'm an asshole," Seversen added. "Deal with it."