Garfunkel and Oates hit all the highpoints here.
I’ll bet ya anything that while you’re watching someone quiet, a noisy one will fucking DOUCHE YA !
I did some research.
5 Douchebag Behaviors Explained by Science.
And #5 on this list of 6 Bullshit Facts About Psychology.
The key is a sense of undeserved entitlement. Thinking you deserve something you clearly don’t. The measure of your douchiness is the size of the discrepancy between how much you think you’re entitled to something and how much you actually deserve it.
If you deserve that hot chick you’re standing next to, then you’re cool. If you don’t deserve her, but act like you do, then you’re a D-bag.
Don’t forget the pouty lips! They always gotta have the pouty lips!
So what constitutes a douchecanoe?
Douchecanoe?
I’ve never heard of this. Explain, please.
Also, this thread is a prime example of what makes SDMB so fekkin’ awesome.
I thought a tool was someone who lets himself be used without considering who he is supporting… doesn’t have a mind of his own. You know, someone is using him like a tool. They are generally tools of “the man.” Some cops for example are tools because they support a marginally corrupt system that cares more about making money for the city than safety. A whole freaking lot of media people are tools, like Sean Hannity and Anderson Cooper.
Many of the posters here are right. An asshole does not necessarily make a douchebag. A lot of it comes down to attitude.
Bill O’Reilly is a prick of the highest order, but I wouldn’t label him a douchebag. For one, he doesn’t strike me as someone who enjoys being a prick. He’s just quick to anger, and often lets it get the best of him. And then there’s appearance. He’s not someone who’s overly concerned about looking pretty, and in another life I could see him working as a longshoreman or some other blue collar job.
Sean Hannity, OTOH, is a douchebag of major proportions. He’s the type of smug bastard who revels in his assholitude. And if he were 20 years younger I could easily see him sporting sandals, plaid shorts and dual polo shirts with the collars sticking up, all while sipping a PBR tallboy ironically.
Any Ed Hardy t’s in his wardrobe?
Some people here are missing the point, or more accurately, trying to make a different point.
The word “Douchebag” has taken on a more specific connotation than just “jerk.” In American pop culture, and especially on the internet, “douchebag” does not simply mean someone who is arrogant, rude and selfish; it pertains to a specific demographic of young men who strut around like peacocks and have an overly “made-up” appearance. If you do an image search for “douchebags” almost universally you will get pictures of those kind of guys. It’s gotten to the point where the word almost describes an aesthetic style more than an attitude.
Paper or plastic?
They also seem to be very fond of necklaces that come damn close to being chokers and almost always are made out of hemp, with a little bead in the center.
You could also expand the definition to include anyone who wears any sort of Red Sox paraphernalia.
This website can provide some references.
The terms “tool” and “douche” or “douchebag” seem to be used interchangably these days. Back in the day, tool was more of a synonym for a dork or nerdish loser and douchebag has come to be synonymous with what was once called a dick or an asshole.
Does simply being a member of a fraternity, wearing certain brands like Ralph Lauren, Abercrombie & Fitch, Ed Hardy, Sean Jean, etc, driving certain cars like a Hummer, Iroc-z or any red sports car, or simply being good looking, rich and/or physically fit make you a douchebag?
Not necessarily.
What defines a “douchebag” IMHO is that they are frequently someone who maybe has been born with some element of privilage - wealth, good looks, etc. They define themselves by these superficial qualities that they did nothing to obtain and seek to show everyone that they are better than the rest of the world for possessiong those traits. They also tend to be posers who craft an elaborate image to portray themselves as being wealthier, more attractive, more successful, etc than they really are or than their actual wealth, attractiveness or success justifies.
This, of course, begs the question of where is the balance between being a douchebag and being a sad, pathetic loser? Where does one draw the line between “slob”, “put together” and "dude, you will never be 4 popped collars cool"?
:D:D:D
I have to disagree. I see a douche as being someone who doesn’t have the stones to go full douchebag. Sure you can look like an ass with four popped collars, but it takes serious douchetude to turn yourself Oompa-Loompa orange, because then you’re outed and there’s no going back in the douche closet.
It’s like, you can be a dick, but once you sink even lower, you’re a scrotal sack.
Frosted tips, popped collars, and muscle shirts make more obvious images than, say, unmerited conceit. People don’t loathe douchebags just because they look ridiculous; rather, douchebags exhibit the same Dunning-Kruger effect, aka illusory superiority. Overestimating their own competence and desirability and the consequent sense of entitlement is what makes douchebags and their comrades in arms, hipsters, so infuriating.
Look Maeglin, Imma let you finish, but Argent is one of the biggest douchebags of all time. OF ALL TIME. 
Think of Spencer Pratt (you’re lucky if you don’t know who this is). Think of a myriad of guys on reality shows ending “…Of Love”. Think of every single guy shown weekly on The Soup. You get the picture.
It almost sounds, judging from these responses, that a douchebag is someone too pretty and too much of an asshole to be a hipster. I think half the guys on “The Bachelor” (my wife makes me watch it) and pretty much all the guys on the VH1 reality dating shows qualify.
Bingo.