I don't care for reviewers who are disrespectful, and even less for reviewers who like labeling themselves as bitchy. Why? Well, simply because I just don't like bitchy attitude. Then there are folks in bloggerland who want to classify their bitchiness under the label "Snarky". And it is disturbing to me that more and more frequently the snarks in question are authors like myself. Writers who have no qualms to make the most distasteful -and very personal- comments to get back at reviewers they aren't happy with.

The blog post (and accompanying thread) that most poignantly sparked my interest on this matter was written by an author. Now the woman was apparently very put out with some reviewers. To be fair, some of these reviewers have been none too shy to showoff to the world just how bitchy they can be during the course of a review. But as much as I disagree with their style of reviewing and often shallow observations about our community, I will say I've yet to find them participating in the brand of bitchery the author in question has indulged in at their expense. She posted photographs of these women taken at a RWA event (provided by a pretty well-known e-book author), and subsequently enjoyed a high old time with her visitors making snide remarks about the reviewers' bodies. Ok, this was all sordid enough, but what truly snapped my buttons over this ridiculous rivalry/hate/resentment/foolishness was that the blogging author also seemed to find it necessary to validate her act of bitchery. And how? To define herself as a Snark, and present an argument via her blog how Snarking differs ever so much from Bitchery.

Now remember, this is a professional author. A person who is supposed to be a crafter of the written word; a wordsmith. Yet in her post it is apparent that she wants the world to think that Snarking means the condition of a person finding humor, while bitching means, well just that.

She left me wondering, gee, am I stupid? I thought they meant the same thing. So I did some research-

Snarky, defined by Dictionary.com:
–adjective, snark·i·er, snark·i·est. Chiefly British Slang.
testy or irritable; short.
[Origin: 1910–15; dial. snark to nag, find fault with (appar. identical with snark, snork to snort, snore, prob. < D, LG snorken to snore)

Snarky, as defined at American Heritage Dictionary:
adj. snark·i·er, snark·i·est Slang

1. Rudely sarcastic or disrespectful; snide.
2. Irritable or short-tempered; irascible.

Snarky, as defined by the Online Etymology Dictionary:
snarky (adj.)
"irritable, short-tempered," 1906, from snark (v.) "to snort" (1866), from an imitative source akin to Low Ger. snarken, N.Fris. snarke, Swed. snarka

Bitch, as defined by Dictionary.com:
Slang.
4.a. a complaint.
5. Slang. to complain; gripe: They bitched about the service, then about the bill.
–verb (used with object)

Bitch, as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary:
n.

1. A female canine animal, especially a dog.
2. Offensive
1. A woman considered to be spiteful or overbearing.
2. A lewd woman.
3. A man considered to be weak or contemptible.
3. Slang A complaint.
4. Slang Something very unpleasant or difficult.

v. bitched, bitch·ing, bitch·es Slang

v. intr.
To complain; grumble.

Bitch, as defined by the Online Etymology Dictionary:
(adjective) The adj. bitchy "bad-tempered" (usually of females) is first attested 1925. The verb meaning "to complain" is at least from 1930, perhaps from the sense in bitchy, perhaps influenced by the verb meaning "to bungle, spoil," which is 1823. But bitched in this sense seems to echo M.E. bicched "cursed, bad," a general term of opprobrium (e.g. Chaucer's bicched bones "(unlucky) dice"), which despite the hesitation of OED, seems certainly to be a derivative of bitch. Insult son of a bitch is O.N. bikkju-sonr. Slang bitchen "good" is first attested 1950s. Bitch-goddess coined 1906 by William James; the original one was success.

I went back over and compared the definitions of these two words several times, and was confirmed with my prior belief -Yep, to Snark and to Bitch do mean the same: to grumble, complain,be snide, be disrespectful, ect. Now, like I said, I don't really know this author, and yes, I am familiar with the "bitchy" reviewers. I can honestly say I wouldn't want to be reviewed or blogged about by these reviewers if my life depended on it. I suspect strongly they have in some way callously hurt her feelings, and likely the feelings of some of her friends. But with this aside, I have to say that I've got more respect for any real bitch who doesn't pretend to be anything else than I do for someone who stoops to personal jabs at others and then tries to validate herself by saying, "OH, I'm just a snark."

Get real. If you think you've got a reason to be hateful to others don't pretend that snark and bitch mean two different things. There is no basic difference. But there is a huge difference between being admittedly irascible and just being childishly spiteful.

© July 2007 by Desiree Erotique

Desiree is an author of fantasy, horror, erotica and romantic BDSM.
You may visit her website at
http://www.romanticsurrender.com