From mleejr

ive thought abt this a lot but never fully shared in writing...felt like now would be a good time to do that:

philosophical v speculative: the mfer pfp is rooted in philosophical beliefs like self-sovereignty, freedom, and the spirit of decentralization. its abt expressing a digital identity that aligns with my views on autonomy and the ethos of the crypto world. in contrast, choosing a pfp for speculative reasons (wen moon) is mostly driven by financial gain rather than any deeper connection to the assets underlying principles.

gsd culture v wen culture: the mfer pfp represents a culture of gsd (get shit done) without relying on a centralized entity or founder...never having to ask for permission. this has brought together a community that shares similar values abt the digital asset and crypto space. on the other hand, "wen culture" is often times more focused on what financial incentives can be gained from being part of a project...wen token, wen announcement, wen airdrop, wen founder pump my bags, wen moon, etc (i like and own some "wen culture" assets but prefer not to use them as a representation of my digital identity - i simply own them for speculative reasons).

decentralization v centralization: the mfer pfp signifies an endorsement of decentralized community-driven outputs (mfers onchain, best-selling physical products in fortune 50 lowes, rare mfers, mferGPT, studiotbd, merch shops, irl events, demon hrs, etc). this contrasts with pfps issued by private venture backed companies where company growth and profitability might not directly translate to value for the pfp holder. pfp holders do not own equity or have a contractual claim on private company profits (shout to osf for working to change this for rekt guy holders).

cultural value v monetary value: the mfer pfp represents an appreciation for cultural value within the broader web3 space. mfers are stamping their cultural footprints all over the blockchain. conversely, choosing a pfp for its potential monetary appreciation seems to be less abt culture and more about the potential financial return. tbf, i love financial return too - but look for it and find it in other areas of the crypto space than my pfp (meme coins, defi, investing in protocols, other nfts and digital art, etc).

long term engagement v short term gain: the mfer pfp expresses a long-term view to the philosophy it represents and the type of individual it attracts. in contrast, those focused on short-term incentives like price appreciation or "wen airdrop" may not be as committed to the longevity and development of the community or project...especially when tides get rough.

simplicity v complexity: mfers are cartoonish stick figure drawings - a 5 year old could probably draw them lol, but theres something deeper here. it represents a personal value for authenticity and simplicity over complexity or polish. simplicity is easy to relate and connect with creating a feeling of inclusivity (we all mfers) which is important for cultural relevance.

humor and memes: mfers are heavily laced with humor and satire...and good clean fun trolling (the mfer fade shop as an example). i like to use jokes and memes to comment on the absurdities of both the real world and the nft space. i love humor and joking around while still being able to critically engage with the space while not taking it too seriously. all in all, my approach to nfts and digital identity are closely aligned with my irl beliefs. this feels important to me as our digital and irl realities become increasingly intertwined. besides, everyone likes to use the word mfer - its just fun...thanks for reading motherfucker.