Writing the FUBAR Way

The movie FUBAR (fucked up beyond all recognition) was one of the earlier mockumentaries--comedies posing as documentaries. It came out in 2002, a year after the UK The Office. It's about two white trash best friends, and their last big weekend before one of them goes in for a cancer operation.

The last big weekend is described as givin'er--a Canadian expression, though I don't know how wide spread because you don't hear it in Quebec. The Urban Dictionary defines it as short for "fucking give it to her" and it means "To party as hard as possible and let nothing get in your way."

During my Masters in Political Science I took a graduate level political philosophy course, and my prof (who was from out west) commonly used "give'r" when talking about the books we read. He greatly admired writers who would leave it all on the page; who would come up with a theory, and then unapologetically beat it to death. Balls to the walls. Damn the torpedoes.

For example, we read Karl Marx's Capital, and it's a perfect example of givin'er. I don't even remember his arguments, I just remember being delighted by his conviction, by the slow, methodical drubbing meted out upon capitalist production:

When a certain stage of development has been reached, a conventional degree of prodigality, which is also an exhibition of wealth, and consequently a source of credit, becomes a business necessity to the "unfortunate" capitalist. Luxury enters into capital's expenses of representation. Moreover, the capitalist gets rich, not like the miser, in proportion to his personal labour and restricted consumption, but at the same rate as he squeezes out the labour-power of others, and enforces on the labourer abstinence from all life's enjoyment.  [AKA Your Rolex was bought at the expense of your employees' spare time, but we understand. Keeping Up Appearances is the sacrifice you must make in order to conduct business. Poor you. (Motherf*cking capitalists!)]

I suspect that most books rejected by a zillion publishers, then picked up by one, to become a runaway hit, are give'rs. Books that authors gave their all to, or written in a hasty passion, or experiments they thought would only please themselves.

This is why I love the Kanyes and Princes and Mariahs of the world--they're completely mad, and completely passionate. They fail and succeed spectacularly. There was nothing on the radio that sounded like "When Doves Cry" or OutKast's "Hey Ya."



So. Whether it's in our writing, or music, or business ventures, or some other aspect of or lives... as long as we're willing to risk Failing Big, then we should give'r. Anyone can shot gun beers and trash bus stops, but can you write the literary equivalent? ;-)



(And also, see FUBAR. It's damn funny. "I recommend you try another sport! Like knitting!")