I have a theory: Jerks are people who culpably fail to appreciate the intellectual and emotional perspectives of others around them. Let me unpack this a bit.

How do they manage to word everything obnoxiously? How about we don't fucking "unpack this" and you just state your stupid opinions without all the stupid trappings.

Jerks culpably fail to appreciate the perspectives of others around them. That is, they do so in a blameworthy way. Babies aren’t jerks. They aren’t blameworthy for failing to appreciate others’ perspectives. And some perspectives are too foolish or noxious to deserve appreciation—for example, the perspective of a neo-Nazi. Sympathetically understanding Richard Spencer’s politics is optional.

Phew, they almost forgot to add the Nazi caveat. Can't have people thinking they're jerk's for refusing to even consider the perspectives of wrong thinkers as people. Good job we added a second standard of decency for people who someone somewhere maybe called a Nazi.

If you feel comfortable eating at a restaurant or drinking at a bar, that’s your call. Yes, you might catch COVID (perhaps you’ll be seated downwind of Sarah Palin). You might even inadvertently pass the disease to someone else, perhaps a relative. But if you haven’t been a jerk about it—if you’ve been open, rule-compliant, and respectful; if you told Dad how you’ve been living before exposing him to the indirect risk—then that’s bad luck, not an ethical slip. The sweetest kid in the world might do that.

I would like to amend my previous "obnoxious" to "teeth grindingly cuntish". That's right, you're a child and you're not just killing grandma, you're killing dad too. All because you accurately assessed the low risk covid currently poses and responded proportionately in line with all the other similar risks we willingly take on a daily basis.