Although I'm told that they don't really use the word 'douchebag' here. Apparently they just use the word 'dick'. And they also don't use 'jerk' but rather 'wolly'. Semantics. They all refer to the same type of person, and I have found that they do indeed exist everywhere. Let me explain (and bear with me, because setting the scene is pretty important for this story...)
Today I was went to the Galaxy Lounge (coffeeshop area on campus) between my class that ends at 12pm and my second class that begins at 1pm. I looked around, and there really weren't very many open spots, but there was a chair open next to a couch that a girl was sitting at. She appeared to be alone, so I walked over and sat down. She looked up at me and just stared Not saying anything but obviously trying to send some sort of message. Taking a guess, I said "Is someone sitting here?" and she answered that yes, she was waiting for someone (although she was the only one on the couch, so why exactly her friend couldn't sit on the couch with her, I'm not entirely sure, but it doesn't really matter. Anyway, I stood up and walked away, very awkwardly (as I tend to do) and quite embarrassed. I grabbed a seat at this sort of high up table that was very small and had three chairs surrounding it, but it isn't a very comfortable or easy table to sit at, and it's obviously not a very sought after spot because it was the only other open table.
Sitting to my northeast was a girl sitting in some of the more comfortable chairs with a small table (a much more desirable place to sit). I will admit, I kept my eye on her to see if she was planning on leaving so that if she did, I could snatch her spot. The area to my right had a smattering of people taking up about three quarters of the chairs and couches, but the open seats were all part of already taken seating groups.
About 10 minutes into the time I was sitting there, I could hear a group of two guys and one girl congregating in the area behind me, obviously unable to find a table at which to sit. They began to talk quite loudly about where they could sit, pointing out the places that there were one or two open places and talking rudely about the people sitting there (interestingly, they didn't mention me at all, for one or both of the following reasons, I would surmise: that my seating location was pretty terrible and they had other places they'd rather sit, or that I was too close and they used the little tact they had to surmise that talking rudely about me would be rude.
Just as I would have preferred the seat that the girl to my upper right was occupying so did they. They spoke (rather loudly) among themselves about who should go up to her and ask (read: tell) her to leave. Based on my observations, I don't think she was yet. aware of this exchange that was occurring about her. Not for long, however. She begins looking in her bag and puts a book into it, and as she does so, one of the guys says very loudly, "Ooh, she's packing up!" It turns out she just had to put one book in and take another book to continue her work and it was pretty obvious that she heard him as she begins to look quite uncomfortable. The other guy quite intelligently (please note the sarcasm) remarked "I think she heard us."
Apparently giving up on that seating location, they begin scanning the room once more. Why they thought it was a good idea to be rude and insensitive as a means to securing a table, I don't quite know. Next up--the girl sitting on the couch from earlier (who still hasn't had her friend join her). One of the boys literally remarked, "Let's go stand by the fat girl on the couch. She looks pathetic enough to get the hint that we want her seat." He actually said that. Where a bunch of other people could hear him.
At that point, as much as I didn't want to go, therefore giving them what they want, I also didn't want them to go and be mean to the girl on the couch. Because I had class that started in only 30 minutes, I decided that I would just suck it up and leave, surrendering my table. After all, I would have to leave in 15 minutes anyway, so it makes sense for me to give the table to someone who could use it longer. And then imagine my surprise when the girl and one of the guys showed up in my Sociology seminar. I cannot tell you how happy I was when we were assigned groups and they weren't in my group--especially since during the course of the class I discovered that my first impression was pretty much right on the nose.
Sorry. Rant over. I guess I just had an unrealistic view of people in Britain. Just like how not every person in America is an ignorant jerk, not every man in England is going to be polite and charming. And I did know that, of course, but I guess I had higher expectations for you, Britain. You kind of let me down.
But I did learn something. Douchebags exist everywhere. Even if the term hasn't reached here yet, the personality has. Just as it has everywhere. Everywhere you go you'll find here nice people, generous people, jerky people and mean people. Because in a way, no matter what language we speech, subjects we study or culture we belong to, people are the same everywhere. And that's how the world goes round.
Edit: I just thought of another thing I witnessed today that goes along with this theme. As I was walking back to the flat from class today, there was a group of three children walking in front of me. They were probably 7 or 8 and were quite mouthy. At first tehy were just talking about their cell phones complaining about how every single one of their phones did something annoying, and I couldn't help but wonder just how many cell phones they'd had in their short 8 year life. I mean, really? Then one of the kids (who was wearing a blue earring) said "I'm so annoyed with George. He keeps f-ing calling me all the time." And one of the other girls said "Yeah, he can be so f-ing annoying." And they said a number of other curse words. Then, earring boy says "I have Jason's mum's phone number now." And they all laughed (why, I'm not quite sure). And someone asked "What are you saving it in your phone as? Jason's Mum?" And earring boy replies "Well, yeah. I can't save it as Ugly B-tch." I was just... I actually could not even... I didn't even know what to think. Apparently it starts young...
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