Who is more honorable, a jerk or a coward?

Question

No binary answers. Please elaborate.

Answer 1

A Jerk. You can disagree with him, but at least he has the guts to say or do what he believes in. A coward has no honor.

Answer 2

Lets start with the dictionary first...

Jerk. (slang). 3. A contemptibly naive, stupid or insignificant person.

Coward. [kou-erd] n. A person who shows shameful lack of courage or fortitude.


Honorable. In accordance with or characterized by principals of honor. 2. worthy of honor or self respect.

I would say both could be depending upon the circumstance, but you dismissed binary answers from the get go, so I'm going to have to say neither... (not so much binary as it is a complete void.) It is rather hard to attribute honor to either state or condition considering how honor, requires both intelligence and strength or character. A jerk is neither honorable nor a coward... A jerk is often all bravado, all mouth and all show.

But if I had to pick by definition alone... I would have to go with coward and I'll tell you why...

You don't have to be ignorant to be a coward... sometimes it requires intelligence to actually know when to be cowardly... Sometimes it is a good thing! I don't think a jerk would have the presence of mind to know when to be a coward... when it would be appropriate I mean. Like in choosing safety over stupidity.

but you do have to be ignorant to be a jerk! It is a kind of prerequisite. I don't know anyone that is a jerk, that has ever been honorable... I think the two terms are just a bit more contradictory than the other two combined.

Answer 3

Well.....

It all depends what angle you are looking from.

For example: Everyone in my office thinks my boss is a 'jerk', but I get along with him really well - because I completely admire his honestly. He has no qualms about confrontation, and doesn't apologize for his personal opinions. But in the same respect, I have never heard him say a bad word about anyone, or defame anyone. So it's his honesty that people cannot stomach. Does that technically make him a jerk?

Pacifists are often considered cowards, yet by many they are actually peace-keepers to the point of personal harm or even death. Keeping peace is honourable right?

Elaboration would be more feasible had we the actual definitions of 'jerk' and 'coward' you are working with.

Answer 4

A jerk is more honorable, at least they stand up for things even though they may be an as-. A coward on the other hand is exactly that a coward. Cowardice shows nothing but fear, there is no honor in fear unless you face the fear. Cowards don't face the fear.

Answer 5

A coward. The negative quality demonstrated by a coward is passive. That demonstrated by a jerk is imposing, active. A coward, left alone, doesn't do much harm. A jerk, by nature, is a jerk.

Answer 6

Cowards are dishonorable because they would back off from something honorable only because they are afraid. A jerk could be pretty hard to deal with, but atleast could still stand up for the things that they should.

~Kyle

Answer 7

A coward, because a jerk does not cooperate or help others because he does not want to, while a coward may morally want to help someone but lacks the courage to do so.

Answer 8

I think that this is a loaded question, so I will go with a coward.

Those deemed by the world in the history of time as being cowards were the most honorable people in time.

Answer 9

A coward,he may sh!t his pants because of a cowardly soul,but the jerk poised upon the illusion of his own self worth and intelligence,is less honorable than the smear of sh!t in the cowards pants!!

Answer 10

I'd definately say a jerk..

Because a jerk is mearly stupid which has no direct relationship with "honorability" .. it's "incongruous"

wheras a coward is in direct conflict with one of the core "congruous" tenets of being honorable..

Thank Professor Strunk for my succinctity