Do You Find This Beloved Term for Massachusetts Residents Offensive?
Massachusetts is known for many things, including the Boston Tea Party, Plymouth Rock, rabid sports fans, and of course that terrible Boston accent.
But there is a lot more to our proud Massachusetts heritage than just those things. Like our terrible driving, or that fact that some people think we're "loud" or "obnoxious" or "hard-headed" (or is that just me?)
In fact, some folks in acknowledgment of our occasional brashness have coined a term that I happen to love, but not all Massachusetts residents appreciate.
Yes, that's right, we're talking about Massholes.
In 2015 the word was officially inducted into the Oxford Dictionary where it's defined as slang used in the U.S. and Canada. Weird, I didn't know our neighbors to the north were getting in on the action too.
Mass·hole /ˈmasˌhōl/ - noun
VULGAR SLANG•US
The controversial nickname is in the pages of the Urban Dictionary as well; "the loudmouth, arrogant jerks living in Massachusetts" The sentence they use it in as an example; On my way into Boston, some Mass-hole cut me off. This city's full of them...
As a born and raised Masshole, the term is a fun, tongue-in-cheek name that I laugh off and even embrace sometimes. While I generally consider myself a pretty easy-going, fun, kind person, I definitely have my Masshole moments, so in a weird way, I somewhat take pride in the term. Like, that's right, I'm a Masshole, and don't you forget it type of thing.
Back in August of 2019, Jeopardy champion and now sometimes host Ken Jennings tweeted his kinder explanation of the term.
What are your thoughts on the beloved and hated term, Masshole?
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