Wikipedia:Don't-give-a-fuckism
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This essay contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. Essays may represent widespread norms or minority viewpoints. Consider these views with discretion. Essays are not Wikipedia policies. |
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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 is an ism concerned mainly with not giving a fuck. This is not a joke; it's as serious an endeavor as anything else.
An example is at User:Antandrus/observations on Wikipedia behavior, Observation #60:
"It is easier to get a sincere 'thank you' for reverting 'ur 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 '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..."
Suffering (conflict and stress) is caused by attachment (giving a fuck) and can be relieved by detachment (not giving a fuck).
Not giving a fuck improves your quality of life significantly by drastically reducing your capabilities of giving a fuck.
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[edit] Variations
Some variations of the phrase include "Don't give a rat's ass" or "Couldn't care less". In Britain and Ireland, the term is frequently expressed as "can't be arsed", which can be found abbreviated to "cba", for example in a text message, where the sender couldn't be arsed to write "can't be arsed". The origins of this phrase are shrouded in mystery, presumably because no one could be arsed to write it all down.
The phrase originated from England, and was 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 low denomination for whatever it is you are talking about.
[edit] Wikipedia and not giving a fuck
Contributors who couldn't care less help both Wikipedia and themselves in many ways
- By not caring, they are far less likely to act on strong emotions and do something mindlessly stupid
- This detachment means they are not slaves to strong opinions they previously formed
- This freedom from pre-formed ideas means it is easier for them to see what is actually happening in front of them
- Detachment from strong opinions leads to neutrality; and neutrality is important on Wikipedia
- Not caring reduces fear and inhibition, and lends itself to ignoring all rules and being bold
- Come on... really. This is not a big deal!
[edit] Bad ways to not give a fuck
Using apathy as rationalization for a dickish action is an abuse of the live-and-let-live ethos of don't-give-a-fuckism. Behaving like an angry mastodon, perhaps stemming from excessively possessive feelings toward an article you have created or edited, is symptomatic of caring too much. Take a deep breath. Count to ten.
DGAFism is not to be confused with nihilism. 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 DGAFism.
[edit] Expressing your don't-give-a-fuckism
A true DGAFer is unlikely to bother promoting their position much, but if you would like to support this essay you can use one of these userboxs:
| Code | Result | ||
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| {{User DGAF}} |
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| {{User DGAF2}} |
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| {{User DGAF3}} |
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| {{User DGAF4}} |
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