Bullshit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bullshit (often
bowdlerized to
BS) is a common
English expletive. Its most common usage is as a description of incorrect, misleading or false language and statements. In a literal meaning, it describes the
feces of a
bull. As with many expletives, it can be used as an
interjection (or in many other
parts of speech) and can carry a wide variety of
meanings.
As it contains the word "
shit", the term is sometimes considered
foul language, hence the use of the
euphemistic abbreviations "bull" and "BS". Nonetheless, the term is prevalent in
American English and, as with many words, the term is used in a variety of countries, some dating back to approximately the same era World War I. In
British English,
bollocks is a comparable expletive.
While bullshitting and bullshit can be used in a deprecating sense, the term 'bullshit artist' may imply a measure of respect for the skill required to "bullshit" effectively.
The accuracy of the information is irrelevant whilst "bullshitting"; whether true or false, the true qualifier of "bullshit" is the intention to distort the information to achieve a desirable outcome.
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Uses of "bullshit"
The word "bullshit" is most often applied
adjectivally to deprecate a statement or an action.
Bullshit (as a culturally based activity) commonly occurs in situations where truth and accuracy are far less important than the ability to achieve a suitable response in the audience. In many cases, such a response helps to gain popularity or favor (often needed in
politics,
religion or
advertising). More mundane examples of bullshit often involve the lives of ordinary people. For example, it is not at all uncommon to hear of people
"bullshitting" a
job interview, or attributing their performance in an
examination to their ability to bullshit. In this sense, bullshitting walks the line between extemporaneous speaking and lying outright. It is also common for people to bullshit friends or acquaintances, by spinning an elaborate
tall tale. The object here is to make the bullshittees look foolish by dint of their gullibility in accepting the bullshit as fact. Bullshit does not necessarily have to be a complete fabrication; with only basic knowledge about a topic, bullshit is often used to make the audience believe that one knows far more about the topic by feigning total certainty or making probable predictions. It may also merely be "filler" or nonsense that, by virtue of its style or wording, gives the impression that it actually means something. In his essay on the subject (see
Further reading), William G. Perry called bull[shit] "relevancies, however relevant, without data" and gave a definition of the verb
"to bull[shit]" as follows:
To discourse upon the contexts, frames of reference and points of observation which would determine the origin, nature, and meaning of data if one had any. To present evidence of an understanding of form in the hope that the reader may be deceived into supposing a familiarity with content. The
"bullshitter" generally either knows the statements are false or has no interest in their factual accuracy one way or the other. "Talking bullshit" is thus a lesser form of
lying, and is likely to elicit a correspondingly weaker
emotional response: whereas an obvious
liar may be greeted with
derision,
outrage, or
anger, an exponent of bullshit tends to be dismissed with an indifferent sneer.
Sometimes called
"shooting the shit", bullshit can also be the act of having a very casual conversation with little value. A lot of times, people will say "that's bullshit" when something bad or unexpected happens.
Bullshit is also used in the popular
saying "money talks, bullshit walks" meaning that people who "do something" such as "put their money on the table" will get more results than people who merely talk. Making this statement indicates that the talking up to this time has been bullshit and that it is now time to do something or the speaker will walk away from the proposed deal.
Bullshit can also refer to excessively complex, unreasonable, or burdensome requirements demanded of an individual or organization by another, especially by government agencies or other bureaucracies. For example, a contractor wishing to bid on a government job may refer to the paperwork required to do so as "government bullshit."
The word
"horseshit" is often used in vulgar slang as a synonym for "bullshit" to refer to
nonsense. The usage of "horseshit" (a less common term) differs slightly from "bullshit". People may refer to their own statements and presentations as "bullshit", as in the traditional
folk saying, "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit". "Horseshit" is more often used as a reactive exclamation or profoundly distrustful assessment.
"Bullshit" implies dubious credibility with an understood lack of true malevolence, whereas "horseshit" suggests uncompromised ignorance or deception. "Horseshit" carries with it a certain connotation of indignation; stating that something is a "load of horseshit" usually implies that the speaker feels somehow cheated or wronged by the current situation, whereas calling something "bullshit" can imply anything from indignation to a joking and good-natured intent.
Furthermore, Bullshit can also be used to express surprise, shock and/or humour at a truthful tale - often because the end result of the story or incident is of such fortune that if you didn't know any better you'd instantly assume the tale to be fictional. The statement of "Bullshit!" in this context is more likely followed up by a question (such as "Are you serious?"), or combined in a question (eg. "No way! Are you bullshitting me?"), which serves the purpose of asking the person telling the story to reconfirm the truthfulness of the tale.