FTW - 'For the WIN'? Seriously...Who let that happen?

If you think this should be made
in the shape of a cupcake, you
might be soon offended... read on.
Something menacing is creeping.

It's a little something that might not mean a lot to some folk, but to many the change is unthinkable, and completely misses the potency of the original.

In short, who the fuck signed off on the concept involving the acronym "FTW" as now meaning "For The Win"?

For the win?


That's not just castrating the essence of the original FTW, it's handing is removed spherical appendages back strung on a necklace and saying, "Wear these around, would you? We want to show the other acronyms that there's a new generation in town..."


For generations of bikers, rockers and those just up against it,  FTW has optimised the guts of a life lived outside the crushing influence of rule and regulation.

FTW has been tattooed across countless knuckles, hypodermically scrawled amongst other prison art, sprayed on walls of 'the establishment', and generally thought to say something.

To MEAN something.

Something visceral.

"For the win" is found on Hello Kitty products and EMO kid's Facebook posts about how they cheated getting mugged by throwing daffodils at their assailants.

"For the win" is a something that describes a cupcake tower in the shape of a lead character in a cartoon series.

"For the win" involves everyone gets a trophy day and polite society.

"Fuck the World" is a statement that says that no matter what odds are stacked against me, I will survive. I might get beat up, but ultimately I will prevail, or die trying.

"Fuck the World" suggests that while an individual might be outnumbered, they will never be outgunned.

"Fuck the World" would totally kick the living crap out of "For the Win" in a fight. Even if "For the win" wasn't throwing daffodils at it while wearing a persimmon top hat, with a peacock feather tucked into the hatband and listening to fallout boy. Or, indeed, in spite of those things.

I am completely down with losing LOL as an acronym. It had its place in the early chat-room era, and then had a great run with early phone text, but it's more than done. When used now, LOL is usually appended to the posts of people new to the internet (yes, there are a couple of people yet to enjoy the wonders of free porn and eBay junk) or if not new, simply unable to accept that LOL was a trend, and like balloon skirts and 'choice' brand paper jackets, it's well past its use by date.

FTW was never a trend, it was the call to arms for those on the periphery of society to rise up and throw rocks (figuratively or otherwise) at 'The Man'. It was the battle flag for the down trodden.  Between tattoos, t-shirts and prison brandings it was found on 90% of concert goers for bands like Black Flag, The Ramones, RaTM and even Metallica.

Generation Me, I'm looking at you, and at the Gen Y-ers who hate the fact that Generation X sounds way cooler so instead are trying to band together with the generation below them.

Gen Y-Me : I suggest that the passion for remakes you miserable little turds seem to consume (no matter how stinking the writing and production) has made you feel at liberty to just redo everything. FTW is too gnarled and weather-worn to stand up to sharp focus. Its strength is in its traditional place, just outside the light.

What I am saying is that this is just another attempt at remaking something that should have been left alone.

Gen Y-Me: Innovation -  it's what gave you the technology to bitch and moan on a global scale about having to wait for a bus because your parents are tired of you unable to move with anything approximating reasonable speed due to your pants being around your knees. More ridiculous when you are 28 and still bitching and moaning about same, then tapping it into your laptop, in your bedroom, at your parent's place.

Gen X and above: Apathy won't help. FTW is not theirs. It is most definitely ours. We need to take it back.

Unhappy at the amount of swearing in this post?

Iddy biddy feelings hurt?


I don't care.


Andrew Webber wrote a novel that won enough international stuff to legitimise his claim of being a writer. So, now he writes for other people...a lot. Because 'critical acclaim'  surprisingly holds no real benefit at bill paying time. Buy him a coffee (part of a coffee, actually) by purchasing Erasure by ATH Webber at


  1. I get that you're an aussie, so it probably never showed there, but it's from a TV show in the US called Hollywood Squares. You can find instances of it on Youtube from the early 80s.

  2. Oh man. That comment just made me LOL - i.e the contemporary version, not the older version of Lots of Love LOL. Dumb aussie. Get it together ; - )

  3. Anon: Yes, we had that version piped through to our grainy CRT televisions in Australia.

    In context "Sammy Davis Junior for the win" makes sense should the adjacent squares already hold the potential for a devastating noughts and crosses style take.

    Random dude photographed at a comic-con wearing a Zena warrior princess/storm trooper combo has no contextual attachment to "for the win".

    Jen Frahm: LoL? really? REALLY? Are we adopting it again? :-p

  4. Being dyslectic I always thought FTW meant What The Fuck, but I'm just a dumb Aussie too, Jen!





Rant on people, rant on.

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