Over a year before the very popular No Asshole Rule was published, the CEO here at Grassroots was interviewing me for a job, and told me that one of his tenets was having a “no assholes policy.” While obviously (if it’s not so obvious, you REALLY need to read the book) this is a good policy for a business, it’s really a good policy for everything else in life too.
One major problem is not knowing that someone is an asshole soon enough. If you’re the type (like I’m probably apt to be) who trusts someone by default, until given reason otherwise, you could be likely to get burned by finding out the true asshole nature of a new acquaintance too late. On the other hand, if you don’t trust anyone until they earn it, you might likely be the asshole we’re talking about. The name of the game is reading people, and I’m here to help.
A Brief History Lesson
Above: A blue-collar guy. Below: A white-collar guy.
Most native speakers of English (and perhaps others) are familiar with the terms “blue-collar” and “white-collar,” which respectively represent workers performing manual labor and those who are in managerial roles. The basis for these terms is simple — if you’re digging trenches, fixing trucks, or welding railroad ties all day, it’s easier to keep a blue shirt looking respectable than a white shirt. Administrative folks, on the other hand, can work exclusively in white shirts without much risk of damage.
This practical difference soon came to be used as a color code for class, since the white-collar jobs usually pay more, and the white shirt became a major symbol of the upper-middle class. For at least a generation, a certain type of manager-type employees would scarcely leave the house without a crisp white shirt on their back.
For the “gentlemen” who considered this to be a symbol they were proud to wear, fashion trends in recent years have raised a conundrum. If color is in style, and color shirts are in style, then how can you possibly maintain your white collar status symbol? Enter The Asshole Collar.
The Asshole Collar
This guy is sporting the Asshole Collar really well.
We’ve all seen it: the blue shirt with a white collar and cuffs. The perfect way to maintain your white-collar social status while wearing a colored shirt like the cool kids. In fact, if you want to be even more of a status symbol, consider similar shirts in pink, green, or the pattern of your choice. Never will you be confused with one of those grunts wearing similar shirts without the white collar, and we can all be thankful for that!
It’s perfect for the office, where you can stand out from those other homogeneous jerks who all wear stark white shirts to express their inner aristocrat. But not only that, it’s also perfect for nights and weekends when you just want to make sure that everyone knows that they might be working for you someday.
Famous Assholes
Above: Bill Lumbergh from Office Space. Below: Ken Lay from Enron. Both are world-class assholes. Both wear the collar.
Assholes nationwide — and probably worldwide — have embraced this new, and highly practical, fashion. In fact, some of the men who best exemplify the asshole archetype have been sporting it for years now. Since they’re fake or dead, we can talk about them.
Consider Bill Lumbergh, the asshole boss in Office Space. He sports the salmon shirt with white collar, perfectly positioned to assert his authority as he asks for a little of your time on Sunday, takes back that stapler (left), or checks in on your TPS reports.
If fictional characters don’t drive it home for you, let’s have a look at Ken Lay, former chairman of Enron and the man whose New York Times obituary was titled “Symbol of Corporate Excess.” While being responsible for $65 billion being essentially stolen from investors large and small, he showed up at his congressional hearing wearing the Collar. Nice guy, that Ken Lay.
In my brief digging, I wasn’t able to find a shot of a definite female asshole sporting the collar. To our readers: is this style on a woman still indicative of asshole tenancies, or just a matter of style? I suspect it still holds, but maybe my suspicions can be confirmed…
Evaluating Assholes
So if you meet someone wearing an Asshole Collar, let this serve as warning that he may not quite be the nice guy he claims to be (if he even bothers to claim). If you’re interviewing someone for a job, and they show up wearing the Collar, make sure you grill a little extra on how well they work with others. In fact, maybe use some of the approaches in Guy Kawasaki’s post on how to identify asshole bosses — it works well for all occasions.
If you, on the other hand, are the wearer of said collar… well, maybe you should take the ARSE.
The best part is the photo you picked to demonstrate said asshole collar. The guy has asshole/d-bag written all over him.
I don’t think the asshole collar exists in women’s fashion. Our collars pretty much always match our shirts, even when we are assholes. I did an image search of Ann Coulter to see if she sported a feminine Collar, but she appears to never wear collared shirts, only tanktops. I suppose a different standard will have to be investigated for women. But I definitely agree with your standard for men!
Zoe: perhaps size of sunglasses? I sometimes get the feeling that the size of accessories often goes a long way toward indicating the character of women… though I haven’t thought too much about it yet :)
[…] The Ahole Collar: A First-Glance approach to the No Ahole Rule (tags: truisms work collars) Leave a Reply […]
I have to completly disgree with your second paragraph. You are saying that people who dont trust people right off the bat are the “asshole”. Thats the biggest load of crap I have ever heard. Maybe in the utopian society you live in that is the status quo but in the real world people are out to better their lives not yours. Im not saying that im a ill willed person nor a mean evil person i just dont open up to people, and i wouldnt expect them to either, kind of a courting dance.
In todays society with everything going to hell in a hand basket why should you open yourself up to someone at first.
Just an observation, maybe you phrased that worng or maybe I read it wrong but I think that was a pretty poorly directed statement.
Other than that the white collar… was dead on.
Not sure clothing is enough. Most of our crew wear tshirts. :) If you are too trusting right off the bat then you are gullible? But if you don’t trust until someone earns it then your a jerk? I know I tend to trust to easily that people until they start asking more of me than I am ready to give.
This year alone I’ve been learning who I should trust and who I shouldn’t all based on the person vs what they wear. My dear friend the outer layer is not enough. Plus in our online world someone may seem fine but then you meet them in real world and they are complete jerks. Or vice versa….
::hugs:: Miss hanging out w/u :)
I am Bob Sutton, author of The No Asshole Rule, your post is wonderful. I will never look at those collars the same.
So notwithstanding what I said in your interview, do you think we lived up to that at Grassroots?
@Bob: Hah, awesome, thanks for dropping a line :)
@Arvind: Not a fair question for a public-ish forum (not that my blog is all that trafficked)! Anyway, I'd probably say yes — there were folks of whom I wasn't an enormous fan, but it wasn't because they were assholes. In fact, the person who came closest to being an asshole, imho, was certainly one of my favorite people there, but he'd wear the asshole badge with pride, I'm sure, and it didn't apply to the workplace too often.
To try to refine your concept a bit further, I would note that the most objectionable character trait that both Lumberg and Lay share is pomposity, and this certainly fits the men whom I've seen wear this type of collar. One advantage to calling this the “Pomposity Collar,” rather than “Asshole Collar” is that this term may be used more easily in so-called polite society; second, calling someone an “asshole” is so vague that they may easily dismiss the criticism, but to observe that they're pompous is to make an accurate observation of their basic character that is not only harder to dismiss, but more deeply painful for them to hear.
Hmm, polite society…
I like the sound of “pomp collar” though. It sounds like “pop collar,” which was always another variation of the asshole collar when I was in college.
Um, HELLO?!? Gordon Gekko, anyone? Most famous wearer of asshole-collared shirts ever?!
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=gordon%20gekko&sa=N&tab=wi&um=1
@AKBARMAN: Totally, mea culpa. He's definitely on the list.
Oh man… I wear these shirts (all though I scored a four on the ARSE test). I've liked them more so because I'm an Art & IT Director who has to wear suits, and they contrast well with vested suits in a bit of irony (a creative and trade man in a business situation). My goal is to look more professor or teacher then banker, I could see how the color pits a contrast to that ideal.
I nave no interest in being Gordon Gekko, your post has prompted their retirement. The girlfriend will be pleased, she always thought they looked more like pajamas:).
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You're perpetuating bs here Wilkinson. This is a ridiculous notion. Any poor honest hard working upfront guy next door could wear one of these shirts. We're in a knowledge economy and there is an obvious and stated onus placed on everyone to dress site appropriate. The white collar regardless of shirt colour is a suggested guide to those unaccustomed to English court gentry attire. Of course a man who takes pride in their appearance may take pride in their work. If he is at least aware enough to follow the rules of civil dress perhaps he as well aware to conduct himself properly in the business he has presented himself for. Of course it goes without saying that every man brought should be tested for his character and merit. It should be so regardless of dress. If a man has presented himself and is applying for good work then those same standards of dress and onus tell him to have the good sense to appear before you in the appropriate attire for conducting the work he is presenting himself for. Dressing slightly up rather than dressing down has always been the suggestion. No intelligent person would hire someone who does not possess the good sense to appear before them in appropriate attire. Whether the position is for gardener, manager, or chef. Of course being neither a young fashion conscious man or old hat I wouldn't own those white collar coloured shirts because it would looks ridiculous today. Preferring rather to present myself appropriate for the job or not at all. Besides any knowledge worker without pretension can wear whatever he chooses under his black jacket and still be dressed fit for work. BH.
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You are over-analyzing this. I work with a lot of guys who wear “asshole collars”, and not one of them is an asshole. The idea that these men are attempting to project a message about their socioeconomic status is a complete rationalization.
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That asshole collar is also know as the power collar…you forgot about Gordon Gekko…ok he was an asshole too…but he was in the position of power.
That asshole collar is also know as the power collar…you forgot about Gordon Gekko…ok he was an asshole too…but he was in the position of power.
I get the humor of the article … It needed to be said, and has some truth to it.
To me the Winchester collar represents thrift and experience. Thrifty businessmen who who have invested in quality shirts (not made by child laborers) will replace their collars and cuffs with white ones when they wear out. Prior to WWII it was common for shirts to have removable collars.