We've Hit Peak Badass. It's Gotta Stop.

Words, Words, Words…

“Badass” is everywhere. It’s taken over the idea of “cool” as the desired social posture. And it doesn’t mean what you think it does.

Published May 9 2015 12:10AM EDT

articles/2015/05/09/this-is-the-most-badass-story-you-ll-ever-read/150508-sheidlower-badass-tease_ndzn7v — Photo Illustration by Emil Lendof/The Daily Beast

The useful slang term badass, increasingly common in recent years, has been seemingly ubiquitous lately. It’s in movie titles (the 2012 film “Bad Ass”), and book titles from major publishers (“You

Jesse Sheidlower

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We've Hit Peak Badass. It's Gotta Stop.

“Badass” is everywhere. It’s taken over the idea of “cool” as the desired social posture. And it doesn’t mean what you think it does.

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Jesse Sheidlower