I’m only just starting to catch on to what is an obvious pattern: if a person’s thing is being a jerk, they are a jerk.

When someone’s public persona is primarily defined by being the one who will ‘say what no one else will say’, or ‘isn’t afraid to step on toes’, they’re probably just a jerk.

Jerks can get a lot done quickly. They don’t have to consider others, or explore other perspectives, or learn and grow from their own mistakes.

I’m not passively-aggressively writing about a particular person. I’m fortunate to not cross paths with many jerks in my life.

This is my extension to Maya Angelou’s “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.” My humble addition is that when people pretend to be something all the time – they may well be what they pretend.

If we someday find out that Larry David was an awful person (I don’t actually know), then my theory will be validated. Hopefully I’m wrong.