The phenomenon of “That Guy”

Whenever one of my roommates was about to do something that was stupid, rude or annoying, one of us would invariably say, “come on, don’t be that guy.” There was no specific action that would warrant this admonishment, but we said it a lot to one another. It came to be a household warning, a signal from someone that an action you were about to take would result in annoyance and possibly anger. Here is a list of things that may make you “that guy.”

• Popped collars
• Sporting a faux hawk
• Not tipping the waiter/waitress/bartender because you’re “running low on funds”
• Ironic consumption of Pabst Blue Ribbon
• Use of the phrase “ironic consumption”
• Insistence that “The Boondock Saints” is the greatest movie ever made
• Pervasive use of “dude,” “bro” or “dude bro”
• An affinity for the Dave Mathews Band, O.A.R. or John Mayer
• Wearing sunglasses indoors, at night, in a bar
• Manscaping
• Having your cell phone ring in a movie theater when your ring tone is “Baby Got Back”
• A complete lack of self-awareness