Monday, July 18, 2011

wtf

The marvelous thing about the acronym WTF, aside from the miracle of its mere existence and the pleasure it brings mankind as a spot-on means of expression, is the nuance you can infuse by using bold to emphasize one of the three letters.

For example, when you highlight the W in bold, as in WTF, to represent laying stress on the word WHAT when you ask WHAT the fuck, it is like a seeker begging for clarity, for something to be identified by name, and escorted into court.

Alongside crippling bewilderment, when you bold the F as in what the FUCK (WTF), it expresses severe moral, philosophical, religious or narcissistic outrage, depending on the context. It is also a means of warning any and all readers that you may be about to go at least temporarily insane. In days of yore, this ground was covered by “I’m very confused.”

Lastly, highlighting the T as in what THE fuck (WTF) is like throwing the whole of the universe into question, as WTF becomes the deepest of all existential questions, as the word THE is the most existential of words, and the acronym now asks who or what has presumed to claim a title or designation, and whether this town is big enough for it and us.

3 comments:

Anon said...

Interesting! I read this joke about a son who wrote "WTF dad" on his father's facebook wall and later clarifies it as "Welcome to facebook". So totally off the point and not exactly funny but still, wtf!

SarahJane said...

"welcome to facebook" is hilarious.

Leslie Morgan said...

Brilliant! I really dislike many of the current acronyms - LOL annoys me because I enjoy getting a complete, heartfelt laugh rather than an abbreviated snort. But WTF fills so many needs. I use it, perhaps, too often. I UNDERSTAND WTF instantly.

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