Certain situations, and people, don’t deserve full words. Fate often calls on us to offer as little Fuck as humanly possible, so as not to deplete our limited supply. This variation is conveniently condensed to express your true feelings.
Defined:
shock, disbelief, astonishment, joy, stress, aggression, rage
Shorthand: WTF
In a sentence:
“Did you see that, what the fuck...”
“What the absolute fuck is wrong with this country?”
Today marks one week since 50 FUCKS given was launched. Thanks for the reads, y’all! I sincerely hope you’re enjoying this writing project, because I have 42 more Fucks to give you.
WTF is king and queen of acronym profanity. Everyone uses it. You’ve likely used it, and if you haven’t, you should. WTF is everywhere—spoken, typed, written as graffiti on walls and bathroom stalls. It’s plastered all over the internet, as if Al Gore himself made it that way.
And for good reason. What the Fuck offers an endless supply of communication value based on tone and volume. A soft utterance is great for confusion or worry. Mid-range fits any daily life setback or frustration. Loud and enunciated will not only stop a conversation in its tracks, it can also start completely new ones, sometimes with strangers.
What the Fuck is common profanity in modern adult shows and movies. It was difficult to pick my favorite example. There are so many entertaining options to choice from, and I love them all equally for their own unique worth. But, one WTF scene has always stayed with me over the years.
From the film Burn After Reading, John Malkovich delivers a lovely package of hilarious and relatable profanity. I’m a big Malkovich fan, bias alert, however, this scene is flawless. His character is a CIA analyst that’s pulled into a meeting and informed his career is over, by a superior he has zero respect for.
If you’ve ever been unjustly laid off from a job, you know the sideswiped feeling of the pack your shit and get lost conversation that takes place. In a post-Covid job market, many can relate, and will continue to do so as the global economy tanks. Amazon, the second largest employer in the world, recently announced laying off 18,000 workers. Hey, at least they waited until after the holidays, right?
My fondness for the below WTF scene is most certainly tied to my own lay off experience in 2016. From a homeless nonprofit I poured years into creating, funding, and expanding, no less. The newly hired lawyer leading what should have been a meeting between myself and the ED tipped me off. After a few minutes of his dancing-around-the-point word salad, I interrupted him and calmly asked, “Are you… am I being fired?”
After being assured I wasn’t being fired, my position was simply being liquidated, I turned the ED and said, “What the fuck, Rick?" This is ridiculous.” And walked out. Not long after, they reached small settlements with several former employees. The organization listed these legal settlements as “consultant fees” on their tax form the next year. Anyway, those assholes have long since been let go themselves. Funny how life works.
Below is the glorious WTF excerpt. I promise you’ll, at the very least, chuckle.
“Hmm. This is an assault. I have a drinking problem? Fuck you, Peck, you’re a Mormon. Next to you, we all have a drinking problem. What the fuck is this? Who’s ass didn’t I kiss? Huh? Let’s be honest. I mean, let us be fucking honest— this is a crucifixion. This is political. And don’t tell me it’s not.”
Now I’m eagerly awaiting to see if da fuck? Is included or if it’s separate.