It seems like the writers of Ghost Whisperer (CBS, with Jennifer Love Hewitt) either Post or Lurk on the SDMB. The word "Asshat’, which I’ve only ever seen used on this specific board, was used by a character on Friday’s 11/17 episode to insult the characters mother, played by Camryn Manheim.
So, who wants to fess up to being a Prime Time script writer?
(C’mon, take a bow…! 
)
Sorry; it’s a general internet thing, not an SDMB thing.
That link says that the first documented use there was 7/18/2002. My brief search of all the threads still searchable found a use here on 4/17/2002. There could be earlier uses that have been archived and not searchable. Can someone make an update to the Wiki article?
Wow. Is that a crap Wikipedia entry.
A cursory search shows “asshat” showing up on Usenet with its current meaning somewhere around January 2002. See What in the name of holy fuck is an asshat in rec.sport.paintball for example.
I always thought it was a Fark thing. Also, you can say asshat on TV, but not asshole?
An asshat is nonsensical word. Asshole refers to your… asshole.
Them’s the FCC rules.
So I could call someone a fuckhead or a shitmonkey? Most profanity doesn’t make any sense.
Let me get this straight. The FCC officially disclaims any descriptive power for the word asshat, such as “a person with hi/r head up hi/r ass, ie: literally wearing his Ass For A Hat?”
Gee. The things people do when they’re trying to avoid addressing corporate consolidation in the media.
And all this time, I thought “asshat” meant that everything above your ass was worthless, as nothing more than a hat…upon your ass.
We’ve done this thread before.
It traces the word on the Dope back to 2001, to That 70s Show to 2000, and to usenet in 1998.
We ain’t all that or that bag of chips.
I came in here to mention I saw “ass hat” on That 70’s Show before I saw it here, but Exapno beat me to it.
“Ass-hat” and “Ass for a hat” were regular turns of phrase on that show.
You can say ASS (having two meanings at least) on tv but an asshole refers a specific dirty part of the body which you can’t say.
Same reasoning why you can say pissed off but not pissed on.
You can’t say shit or fuck on tv so any form of that is a no go.