RTFM is often used in frustration by those of us who play "tech support professional" from time to time. While I'm neither a technician, nor a tech support professional, my job has required me to play that role rather well from time to time, and RTFM is a phrase I've come to cherish. And since I write a lot of those manuals, RTFM is particularly near and dear to me!
You see, at any given moment, in any given field, only about a fourth or fifth of us are reading anything that is really important to our jobs and our roles! Of course, we never know who those people are, until they screw up. But the Pareto Optimality or 80/20 rule, as it is also known, is alive and well, and lives in all user communities. (Google Pareto, the economist, for more info.)
The classic reason for "RTFM!" is that about half the personality types in the world seem to operate on the principal of "Ready, Fire!, Aim?" The rest of us occasionally read procedures, manuals, instructions, etc. because we don't want to fail... It's not that we're afraid of failure or "learning the hard way"; we just think it's often an enormous waste of time and money, and it can be embarrassing. So we like to AIM before we FIRE.
I'd be willing to bet that the vast majority of bloggers and blog readers are in that half of humanity that reads more often and more deeply than tweet-level (or is it twit-level?) trivia. So, for those of you who appreciate the deeper meaning, here's a bit of anonymously attributable wit regarding RTFM: (I am not the author. I do appreciate the satirical wit of the author.)
In speech, inflection is everything. In print, we use bold face, italics, underlines, and other cues to connote inflection or tone of voice and different meanings to the reader.
Take, for instance, the popular acronym, RTFM, which means, "Read The F___ Manual":
RTFM — Please read the fine manual. It will be rather helpful in directing you back onto the correct path.
RTFM — Helpful information is available. Please take advantage of it. It's in the manual.
RTFM — Important information is available, if you'll only read it!
RTFM — Read the sex manual if you think you’re not doing it right.
RTFM — As your therapist, I suggest you read the Kama Sutra, mother of all sex manuals. You seem to have the basics down, but perhaps you and your partner need more variety.
RTFM — Yeah, I know you say you read the manual, but you obviously didn't understand it. Please go read the manual again!
RTFM — Your complete, utter disregard for printed instructions has driven me into a bout of fleeting depression. Please read the instructions again, or use them as a suppository!
RTFM!! — Your incompetence has driven me to the point where the SWAT team is on standby, and the men in little white coats are coming to take me away! GAAAA! Only Dilbert would understand this!
— Anonymous
