Русский пофигизм, of course, goes back much further than the Soviet era. The quintessential «народный пофигист» («national loafer») in Russian folklore was Yemelya, who was completely indifferent to … everything. He lounged on his warm stove all day, and his answer to every appeal to get off his butt was мне неохота (I don't feel like doing it). At the end of this fairy tale, which every Russian parent reads to his child, Yemelya is rewarded for his пофигизм when he marries the tsar's daughter and rules the country — a peculiarly Russian version of a Hollywood хэппи-энд (happy ending).
<...>
Пофигизм is especially popular among young Russians. Many students гуляют (have a good time) all semester, passing exams only with the help of шпаргалки (cheat sheets) - which most professors see, of course, but then ignore because many of them are also пофигисты.