 | This is a humorousessay. It containshumorous advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors and isn't meant to be taken seriously. This is not an encyclopedia article or one ofWikipedia's policies or guidelines and may not representcommunity consensus. |
 | This page in a nutshell: Don't-give-a-fuckism is the idea that attachment to things (articles, policies,AfDs, etc.) which are essentially beyond your control is a stumbling block to being a good Wikipedian. |
Don't-give-a-fuckism ("DGAFism") is anism concerned mainly with not giving afuck. This is not a joke; it's as serious an endeavor as anything else.
The motto draws on two of theFour Noble Truths of theBuddha: Suffering (conflict and stress) is caused by attachment (giving a fuck) and can be relieved by detachment (not giving a fuck).
An example is atUser:Antandrus/observations on Wikipedia behavior, Observation #60:
It is easier to get a sincere 'thank you' for reverting 'you're a faggot' from someone's userpage, than it is for writing a researched, thorough, and referenced encyclopedia article on an encyclopedic topic. The best way to continue as a writing Wikipedian for many years is to be, as the Buddha recommends, 'indifferent to both praise and blame.' Indifference to praise is a hard task for mere humans, but millions of potential anonymous readers demand it of you, for if you require praise you will burn out…
Not giving a fuck improves your quality of life significantly by drastically reducing your capabilities of giving a fuck.
"Don't give a fuck" originated fromEngland, originally used as "Don't care a rap for". A rap was a half-penny, or a very low denomination. "Don't care a ___ for" means that you wouldn't sacrifice even this very small thing for whatever it is you are talking about. Variations of the phrase include "Don't give a rat's ass" or "Couldn't care less". A common Irish variant "Ah sure, it'll be grand" literally rejects the possibility that something bad will happen. This is a good example of not giving a fuck being far more than a reductive approach to stress. The origins of this phrase are shrouded in mystery, presumably because no one could be arsed to write it all down—and even if they did, sure, who'd give a fuck?
Indirect variations include DILLIGAF ("Do I look like I give a fuck?"), "You could cry me a river", "Blow it out your butt", "Tell somebody who cares", or "My heart is bleeding", basically meaning that any damaging of the subject's credibility is accepted. Another option is the phrase "I think you're mistaking me for somebody sitting under theI Care Sign". This phrase is difficult to work into ordinary conversation, but enormously satisfying when you can. Many DGAFers are skilled players of theworld's smallest violin.
One can even extend the wording by suggesting that you would rather do anything else but care, such asI will spend the time that I would have spent on this doing something more useful and entertaining, like maybe gouging my eyes out with forks. This is the ultimate in don't-give-a-fuckism.
Contributors who couldn't care less help both Wikipedia and themselves in many ways:
Using DGAF as rationalization fora dickish action is an abuse of the live-and-let-live ethos of don't-give-a-fuckism. Behaving like anangry mastodon, maybe stemming from excessivelypossessive feelings toward an article you have created or edited, is symptomatic of caring too much. Take a deep breath. Count to ten. Consider moving on. Better yet, count downfrom 10—after promising yourself that from the moment you reach zero you will move on.
DGAFism is not to be confused withnihilism. You have to really care to commit deeply to a negative view of life. Likewise, being deliberately sloppy in your editing and sourcing is an abuse of Wikipedia, and has nothing to do with true DGAFism.
A true DGAFer is likely to not GAF about promoting their position much, but if you would like to support this essay, you can use one of these userboxes:
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| {{User:UBX/DGAF}} |
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| {{User:UBX/DGAF2}} |
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| {{User:UBX/DGAF3}} |
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| {{User:UBX/DGAF4}} |
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| {{User:UBX/DGAF5}} |
