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United States

place · in 128 videos (2007–2013)

Mentions by year: 2007: 26 · 2008: 11 · 2009: 24 · 2010: 14 · 2011: 16 · 2012: 18 · 2013: 19

Threads

What the videos say

2007

2008

2009

  • 2009-01-12 · SOMALI PIRATES! France Penetrates Chad! — The wars can't be explained as age-old tribalism: there is tribalism in Chad, but also in America, as any Alabama-Auburn football game shows. (00:00:32)
  • 2009-03-03 · Eating Man Meat — Hank tells John meat is bad: 80% of America's agricultural land is used to feed animals raised for food. (00:01:50)
  • 2009-03-15 · Lighting a candle for Rwanda — John says that 15 years ago the US, the UN and Europe got almost all of 'our people' out of Rwanda unharmed, leaving the hundreds of thousands killed to conclude they were 'a them'. (00:00:54)
  • 2009-05-26 · A Message to the Class of 2009 — Hank compares graduates to the first generation born in America: they are the first generation born on the internet. (00:00:57)
  • 2009-07-13 · On Iran, Islam, and Amazingly Stupid Comments — Answering a commenter, John says caring about America and caring about Iran are not mutually exclusive; Iranians must solve Iran's problems, but the two countries share a planet. (00:00:59)
  • 2009-08-17 · Health Care Overhaul Summarized Via MASSIVE PIG — John likens the boar to America's healthcare system: impressively or distressingly huge; the debate boils down to killing him, putting him on a diet, or feeding him. (00:00:18)
  • 2009-08-17 · Health Care Overhaul Summarized Via MASSIVE PIG — John says nearly everyone, conservative or liberal, agrees the US spends too much of its GDP on healthcare and that its system is radically unfair. (00:01:05)
  • 2009-08-17 · Health Care Overhaul Summarized Via MASSIVE PIG — Despite cries against socialism, John says America already shares the cost of schools, roads and the military, and already has bloated, inefficient socialized medicine since hospitals treat anyone. (00:02:47)
  • 2009-09-04 · Health Care Reform Thought Bubble — John likens the boar to America's healthcare system, impressively or distressingly huge; the debate boils down to killing him, a diet, or feeding him. (00:00:36)
  • 2009-09-04 · Health Care Reform Thought Bubble — John says nearly everyone, conservative or liberal, agrees the US spends way too much of its GDP on healthcare and its system is radically unfair. (00:00:36)
  • 2009-09-04 · Health Care Reform Thought Bubble — Despite cries against socialism, John says America already shares the cost of schools, roads and the military, and has bloated, inefficient socialized medicine since hospitals treat anyone. (00:02:24)
  • 2009-09-21 · Health Care Reform: The Hank Factor — John calls this the real conservative economic argument for a public health-insurance option across America. (00:02:33)
  • …and 23 more statements in 2009 (most important shown)

2010

  • 2010-01-29 · An Extremely Brief History of Superbowl Commercials — Hank says the first Super Bowl aired in 1967 and that it has since become America's most watched yearly event. (00:00:00)
  • 2010-01-30 · The iPad and Dolphin Murder — Hank says the YouTube rentals are available only in America and a rented movie can be watched for 24 hours. (00:01:16)
  • 2010-02-01 · Writing as a profession — Maureen, in England, says today is an enormous day for her: her book Scarlett Fever goes on sale, mostly in America. (00:00:00)
  • 2010-04-12 · On the Separation of Conjoined Twins — John lists advantages of conjoinedness (going from poor in Thailand to rich in America, never being lonely) and notes ordinary human anatomy has disadvantages too, such as not flying. (00:01:52)
  • 2010-04-30 · The Greek Debt Crisis Explained in Four Minutes — John says sovereign debt is not a particularly political problem: a chart of US gross federal debt as a share of GDP by president shows no link to party, as in other developed countries. (00:00:13)
  • 2010-04-30 · The Greek Debt Crisis Explained in Four Minutes — John says that in 1945 US debt was over 100% of GDP and the deficit over 20% of GDP, yet this immediately preceded the largest economic expansion in US history. (00:00:59)
  • 2010-04-30 · The Greek Debt Crisis Explained in Four Minutes — Against those blaming wasteful spending, John says the US isn't close to a balanced budget: it would have to eliminate both its two biggest expenses, Social Security and defense, to come close. (00:02:36)
  • 2010-05-26 · How to Be Green Without Being a Prick — Hank argues the solution is understanding: without it you can only change yourself, and since China emits faster than the US, changing ourselves will not solve the problem. (00:01:56)
  • 2010-09-20 · Life Is Like Pizza — John says we all want to be on the inside of our communities (Ireland, the US, a clique, Nerdfighteria), and whether insiders need outsiders is a hard question Ulysses explores. (00:01:39)
  • 2010-09-20 · Life Is Like Pizza — John says asking what we really mean by such identifiers is a better start for conversations about who is American or a Nerdfighter than shouting at each other. (00:01:54)
  • 2010-11-05 · God and Grain: The French Revolution, Part I — To show the scale of France's debt, John says the US spent 5% of its federal budget servicing its debt in 2009, while France in 1789 spent 50%. (00:00:51)
  • 2010-12-30 · Baby on the Road: Thoughts from Places — Driving north, John reflects that his old road trips all went west, partly because that is where America's open space is and partly because of a line in All the King's Men. (00:01:16)
  • …and 11 more statements in 2010 (most important shown)

2011

2012

2013

  • 2013-01-29 · Across Three Continents: A Tale of Tumblr, Copyright, and Excellent Posters — John sums up: his book written in the US inspired a painting by a reader in the Philippines, which inspired a poster by a reader in Norway, and international copyright law isn't ready for that. (00:02:18)
  • 2013-03-12 · Understand the Sequester (Spoiler: It's Bananas.) — John says the US has a long-term debt problem but not a short-term one: it can borrow extremely cheaply because it is a strong economy that has never defaulted. (00:01:36)
  • 2013-04-05 · North Korea: Explained — Hank says military dictatorships need an enemy; rattling sabres at the US lets the regime pretend to its isolated citizens that it is a global power. (00:02:48)
  • 2013-04-09 · Inside North Korea — John says Shin is a hero because he developed an ethical center after escaping, in China, South Korea and the US: in Shin's words, evolving into a human being. (00:02:41)
  • 2013-05-10 · Some Mind-Bending Earth GIFs — Hank says America's appetite for cheap coal to power its lifestyles has led to mountaintop removal mining in much of Appalachia, which he finds astounding and terrifying to watch. (00:00:49)
  • 2013-05-31 · Optimism is Not Insane — Showing a graph of health and wealth of every country from 1900 to 2011, Hank says every country is better off, and some African countries now do better than the US did in 1900. (00:01:51)
  • 2013-08-20 · Why Are American Health Care Costs So High? — John says that, although free health care elsewhere is said to be paid for by higher taxes, the US spends more tax money per capita on health care than Germany, Australia, the UK or Canada. (00:00:08)
  • 2013-08-20 · Why Are American Health Care Costs So High? — John says the US spends about 18% of its GDP on health care, against 9% in Australia. (00:00:55)
  • 2013-08-20 · Why Are American Health Care Costs So High? — John compares prices: a hip replacement costs $13,000 in Belgium but often over $100,000 in the US; a colonoscopy over $1,100 in the US vs $655 in Switzerland; a month of Lipitor $124 in the US vs $7 in New Zealand. (00:01:20)
  • 2013-08-20 · Why Are American Health Care Costs So High? — John says the richer US spends not a little but a ton more and gets nothing for the extra money (like paying people to dig and refill holes): it ranks 33rd in life expectancy, and a nonpartisan study finds outcomes not notably superior. (00:01:40)
  • 2013-08-20 · Why Are American Health Care Costs So High? — John says the reason is that the US does not negotiate as aggressively as other countries with providers, drug makers and device makers, as the UK's NHS does when it puts a huge hip contract out to the cheapest safe bidder. (00:05:11)
  • 2013-08-20 · Why Are American Health Care Costs So High? — John says that until the US negotiates with health-care providers as effectively as Australians and British people do, its costs will keep rising faster than anywhere else without better outcomes. (00:06:41)
  • …and 26 more statements in 2013 (most important shown)