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Essential videos of 2015

38 of the 115 videos uploaded in 2015 were judged high on "words matter": the ideas are the point of the video, so reading or watching for the argument pays off — a reading guide, not a best-of list. Each entry gives the thesis (with a link to where the argument starts) and one line on why it was judged idea-dense. Back to the overview.

Main speaker: Hank: 19 · John: 19

  • 2015-01-16 · Hank · Is School Broken? (Also...ANNOUNCEMENTS OF IMPORT) · Everyday life, letter vlog
    • Hank argues that education should build a problem-solving toolkit, but American schools often train test-taking over real learning and give everyone the same toolkit, glutting the market; he then announces new Crash Course series and his interview with President Obama. (00:00:38)
    • Why it is here: Hank states a definition of education (a problem-solving toolkit) and two argued problems with US schooling, plus concrete announcements (Crash Course series, the Obama interview).
  • 2015-01-27 · John · Will Life Get Better for the Poor? · Global development, letter vlog
    • John relays the 2015 Gates letter's prediction that the poorest people's lives will improve dramatically in 15 years, argues the gap between rich and poor worlds is unnecessary, and urges listening better to people in poverty, since there is only one world. (00:00:00)
    • Why it is here: Dense numeric claims about child mortality, malaria, malnutrition and cheap interventions, plus an argued position that there is one world and an empathy gap created by online life.
  • 2015-01-30 · Hank · Thoughts from the Edge · US politics & society, letter vlog
    • Hank uses the ecology of ecotones, where biomes blend, to argue that the boundary between political ideologies is productive only as a gradient, and that ideological diversity marks a thoughtful, not divided, nation. (00:01:45)
    • Why it is here: An argued essay: an ecological analogy (ecotones, edge effect, monoculture) applied to personal transitions and to American ideological division.
  • 2015-02-06 · Hank · You Will Be Forgotten ...And That's OK · Philosophy & meaning, letter vlog
    • Hank argues that being remembered forever is unachievable and that 'success' does not exist; lasting satisfaction comes from solving problems and making things, not from recognition. (00:00:36)
    • Why it is here: An argued essay on remembrance and success, using a viral Tumblr post and Hank's own milestones as evidence.
  • 2015-02-10 · John · Understanding Boko Haram · World affairs, explainer
    • John argues that Boko Haram grew out of a northern Nigeria left impoverished, uneducated and poorly governed by resource allocation and colonial legacies rather than by religion, and that its atrocities must be known and not go unnoticed. (00:02:21)
    • Why it is here: A dense historical and statistical explainer with an argued causal claim (colonial legacy and resource allocation, not religion) and many checkable numbers.
  • 2015-02-17 · John · Places I've Never Been · Internet & YouTube, letter vlog
    • John tells how a line long attributed to his novel Paper Towns, and sold as a DFTBA poster, was in fact written by a 13-year-old Nerdfighter, and argues that his own failure to notice shows how broken credit, sourcing and copyright are online. (00:02:36)
    • Why it is here: A public correction of a misattributed quote, with concrete remedies (royalties, a new poster) and an argument about online credit and copyright.
  • 2015-03-17 · John · What Are Paper Towns? · History & curiosities, explainer
    • Ahead of the Paper Towns trailer, John explains the real 'paper towns': fictitious entries planted by mapmakers, encyclopedias and dictionaries that sometimes become real, and argues made-up things can matter and that we should imagine the world as complexly as we can. (00:00:46)
    • Why it is here: Dense with checkable claims about fictitious entries (Agloe, Argleton, Beatosu, Mountweazel, esquivalience) and ends on a stated view about made-up stories, language and imagining the world complexly.
  • 2015-03-20 · Hank · A Sacrifice of Individuality and the Internets · Philosophy & meaning, letter vlog
    • Hank argues that the internet's distributed crowds make us forget crowds are made of individuals, and that, as he learned at concerts, briefly sacrificing individuality to a crowd can be wonderful because crowds can be kind. (00:00:49)
    • Why it is here: An argued essay with specific claims (crowdfunding figures, the share of viewers who pay) and a personal conclusion that crowds are kind and that giving up individuality briefly is a gain.
  • 2015-03-24 · John · Is Obamacare Working? The Affordable Care Act Five Years Later · US politics & society, explainer
    • John argues that five years on the Affordable Care Act is working insofar as it insures people who lacked coverage without disturbing others, but, not being radical, it leaves US health care spending unsustainable; fixing that means facing messy trade-offs. (00:03:20)
    • Why it is here: An anniversary assessment of a major law with many numeric claims (spending shares, 44 million uninsured, 12 million enrolled) and an argued verdict on its limits and the trade-offs of reform.
    • Replies to: 2015-03-20 A Sacrifice of Individuality and the Internets
  • 2015-05-15 · Hank · Happy Graduation, Future Dead People · Philosophy & meaning, letter vlog
    • In a graduation message, Hank tells viewers they are among the most powerful people who ever lived, that their job is to solve more problems than they create, and, via EVE Online, that culture is the collective actions of people, so their actions build our world. (00:00:18)
    • Why it is here: An argued commencement-style essay whose claims (absolute power, culture as collective choice, choosing compassion) are the point of the video.
  • 2015-05-19 · John · Pain Destroys Language: John after the Dentist · Health, letter vlog
    • Just after his fourth oral surgery for chronic mouth pain, John says, citing Elaine Scarry's The Body in Pain, that pain destroys language; reflecting that his suffering is necessary but much is not, he launches a Save the Children fundraiser for Syrian refugees and pledges to match up to $20,000. (00:00:41)
    • Why it is here: A sincere argument about pain and its relief, tied to a concrete fundraiser and a matching pledge.
  • 2015-06-08 · John · Monday Bonus Video! · Economics, letter vlog
    • In a four-part bonus video John announces Paper Towns movie tour stops in Europe and a US tour chosen by Tumblr vote, the debut of the Dear Hank and John podcast, and answers Hank on the decoupling of wages and productivity: wealth inequality is one of the biggest US issues, but history is too short for confident economics and the outcome is still ours to decide. (00:00:00)
    • Why it is here: Part 4 is an argued economic view with figures (1% owning ~40% of wealth, the Engels pause) and a stance on inequality and on the openness of history.
  • 2015-06-09 · John · What Does It Mean to Be Human? · Philosophy & meaning, letter vlog
    • Prompted by Bill Gates's Big History video contest and his own novel-in-progress, John argues that definitions of humanness by biology, stories or literacy exclude and dehumanize people, and that we confer personhood on each other through empathy, compassion and trust. (00:00:19)
    • Why it is here: An argued essay on personhood: why common definitions of humanness exclude people, historical and present dehumanization, and John's own definition.
  • 2015-06-12 · Hank · Why is College So Expensive? · Economics, explainer
    • Hank explains that US college costs rose not from instruction, which kept pace with inflation, but from administration, student services and amenities as colleges compete for students as customers; college is still a good deal, but he argues it should be a better one focused on education. (00:01:50)
    • Why it is here: Dense with figures on college costs, debt, salaries and staffing, an explanation of where the money goes, and Hank's argued view that college should be a better deal.
  • 2015-06-19 · Hank · 19 Ways to Not Suck on the Internet · Internet & YouTube, list
    • Hank, who feels he is from the internet more than from Missoula, offers guidelines for good internet citizenship: treat people online as people, cite sources, attribute creators' work, fix Wikipedia, forgive newcomers and yourself, and leave people and places better than you found them. (00:00:27)
    • Why it is here: A rule list for online behaviour whose wording is the content: people online are people, cite sources, attribution, Wheaton's Law, leave places better.
  • 2015-06-26 · Hank · How to Get Good at Everything · Everyday life, letter vlog
    • Hank, daunted by his slow first novel and his writer brother, argues with Carol Dweck's growth mindset that skill and talent are not innate but built through work, so recognizing this is the first step to getting good at anything, including writing a book. (00:00:58)
    • Why it is here: An argued case for the growth mindset over the fixed mindset, tied to Hank's own novel; the framing of skill as acquired is the point.
  • 2015-07-03 · Hank · Thoughts from Yachts · Economics, letter vlog
    • Hank, back from presenting at a lavish advertising convention in the south of France, argues that its displays of wealth come from manufactured discontent and personal insecurity, worries that no one will ever be satisfied, and says real happiness comes from being secure in yourself rather than from money. (00:00:45)
    • Why it is here: An argued essay on advertising, conspicuous wealth, insecurity and happiness, with Hank's stated positions on consumerism, wealth concentration and money and happiness.
  • 2015-07-07 · John · Understanding the Financial Crisis in Greece · World affairs, explainer
    • John explains how Greece's debt crisis developed, from joining the euro and fudged deficits through bailouts, austerity and the 2015 referendum, and argues the Eurozone's root problem is its inability to decide how unified it is. (00:06:32)
    • Why it is here: A dense explainer of a real crisis with many dated figures and claims, ending in an argued point about European unity.
    • Replies to: 2010-04-30 The Greek Debt Crisis Explained in Four Minutes
  • 2015-07-17 · Hank · Is YouTube Good for Humanity? · Internet & YouTube, letter vlog
    • Anxious a week before VidCon, Hank weighs whether online video and the internet are good for humanity: he sees connection, access and tolerance alongside platform consolidation, bias and creator success turning into traditional fame, and says culture can't be controlled but its members should consider its effects. (00:00:39)
    • Why it is here: A sincere, argued essay on the internet's benefits and harms, mainstreaming and fame, from someone who runs VidCon.
  • 2015-08-07 · Hank · Is This Video Cool? · History & curiosities, letter vlog
    • Hank argues that the many, fast-changing words for 'cool' show culture defining itself, that these words mostly come from marginalized cultures and are co-opted by the mainstream in a kind of colonization, and that we should examine that process. (00:00:00)
    • Why it is here: A short argued essay on slang, cultural self-awareness and the mainstream's co-option of marginalized cultures' words.
  • 2015-08-11 · John · 454 Days: Understanding America's Ridiculous Political Campaigns · US politics & society, explainer
    • John argues that US presidential campaigns, far longer and costlier than other democracies', once helped underdogs like Kennedy but now buy little but crowded-out governing, so he pledges to ignore the 2016 race until 100 days before Indiana's primary. (00:00:35)
    • Why it is here: A compact argument with many comparative numbers on campaign length and cost, a historical case for and against, and a public pledge.
  • 2015-09-01 · John · The Road Less Traveled By · Books & writing, letter vlog
    • John argues that Frost's 'The Road Not Taken', meant to gently mock agonizing over small choices, is remembered as advice to take the road less traveled because it sounds good, which shows how poetry can really shape choices and why language needs care. (00:01:30)
    • Why it is here: An argued essay on how a poem is misread, why the road-less-traveled rule fails, and how poetry shapes real decisions.
  • 2015-09-04 · Hank · Addicted to Outrage · US politics & society, letter vlog
    • Hank argues that America's most common irrational fear, that half the country is terrible, comes from an addiction to manufactured outrage that blinds people and fuels an electoral arms race; he counters it with awareness of his own biases, belief in others' goodness and compassion. (00:00:21)
    • Why it is here: An argued essay on outrage as a political fuel, how it distorts understanding, and the habits Hank uses against it, plus census results.
  • 2015-09-08 · John · Understanding the Refugee Crisis in Europe, Syria, and around the World · Global development, explainer
    • John explains the Syrian and wider refugee crisis, the difference between refugees and migrants and refugees' rights under international law, blames nearly every government for the response, and argues that all countries have legal and moral obligations to give refugees safe harbor and fund host countries. (00:02:27)
    • Why it is here: A dense news explainer with many statistics, a legal distinction (refugee vs migrant), an allocation of blame and an explicit moral argument about obligations to refugees.
  • 2015-09-11 · Hank · Yellowstone: The Terror of Change · Science & nature, letter vlog
    • Hank argues from Yellowstone's supervolcano and ever-shifting geysers that nothing constant is real: change is inevitable, terrifying and exciting, and Yellowstone is honest about it in a way the rest of life isn't. (00:01:07)
    • Why it is here: A reflective essay on change and stability built on Yellowstone geology, with checkable volcano and geyser facts.
  • 2015-09-18 · Hank · Muslims Aren't Dangerous · US politics & society, letter vlog
    • Prompted by the arrest of Ahmed Mohamed over his homemade clock, Hank argues that Americans' fear of Muslims is our problem, built on ignorance and fear-driven media, and that we should fight it in our own heads. (00:00:20)
    • Why it is here: An argued essay on anti-Muslim bias in America with checkable demographic facts about Muslims.
  • 2015-09-22 · John · Is Poverty Necessary? Looking back at the Millennium Development Goals · Global development, explainer
    • Ahead of the UN meeting on new global goals, John reviews the eight Millennium Development Goals of 1990-2015 and argues they largely worked: poverty, hunger, child and maternal deaths fell, so the new goals deserve attention. (00:00:38)
    • Why it is here: A data-heavy review with many checkable figures and an argued claim that the MDGs' attention and investment made a difference.
  • 2015-09-25 · Hank · Pissed Off for a Better World · Global development, letter vlog
    • Answering John's good-news video on the day 193 leaders sign on to the UN Global Goals, Hank argues that good news fails to move people, and urges viewers to get angry for a good reason, hold leaders accountable and share the goals. (00:00:30)
    • Why it is here: An argued call to action: anger at real injustice, not outrage at other people, is what will make the Global Goals happen.
    • Replies to: 2015-09-22 Is Poverty Necessary? Looking back at the Millennium Development Goals
  • 2015-10-23 · Hank · Benghazi: Explained · US politics & society, explainer
    • Hank explains the 2012 Benghazi attack and argues that, after eight investigations finding significant but not criminal mistakes, the inquiry has become a partisan, taxpayer-funded campaign against Hillary Clinton, while the attack's real consequences fell on Libya. (00:02:55)
    • Why it is here: A careful, sourced-sounding account of a disputed event, separating what happened from partisan claims, with judgements on negligence, investigations and McCarthy's admission, several numbers and a reflection on outrage-driven media.
  • 2015-10-27 · John · Understanding YouTube Red: Paid Subscriptions and the Future of Online Video · Internet & YouTube, explainer
    • John weighs YouTube Red, the new $10-a-month ad-free subscription: good for creators and a welcome step away from sole reliance on advertising, but he worries it could create two classes of viewers and make YouTube more like cable TV. (00:02:02)
    • Why it is here: A reasoned weighing of advertising versus subscription models for online video, with concrete claims about creator pay, platform flatness and audience access, and John's stated ambivalence.
  • 2015-11-13 · Hank · Feeling About Paris · World affairs, letter vlog
    • Filming while people are being killed in Paris, Hank says this is a time for feeling rather than analysis, that any emotional response is appropriate, and that he wants to think about the rescuers, the bereaved and the lost. (00:00:00)
    • Why it is here: An unscripted emotional response to an attack in progress; how Hank frames the right response (feeling, not analysis or hatred) is the whole content.
  • 2015-11-16 · John · On Our Way to the Dance (Pizzamas Day 6) · History & curiosities, letter vlog
    • John reads his favourite photograph, August Sander's 1914 'Young Farmers', as a picture of mass production lifting rural class and of young men walking toward World War I, and argues that history is not inevitable but made of collective choices. (00:01:02)
    • Why it is here: A short, tightly argued essay: the class-and-industry reading and the 'history is choices' thesis are the point.
  • 2015-11-19 · Hank · Is Success a Bad Idea? (Pizzamas Day 9 of 10) · Philosophy & meaning, letter vlog
    • Hank argues that 'success' as society uses it (being richer, more powerful or better known than most) rests on scarcity and luck, is not needed for happiness, and that people should be valued in ways that have nothing to do with scarcity. (00:00:29)
    • Why it is here: A compact argument distinguishing achieving one's goals from scarcity-based social success, with Hank's own position on fame, luck and happiness.
  • 2015-11-20 · John · On Mental Illness (and the end of Pizzamas) · Health, letter vlog
    • John, disclosing his OCD and a recent bad stretch while changing medication, argues that chronic and mental illness do not fit the 'get well soon' story, that we invent blameworthy causes for illness, and that mental illness is treatable and there is hope. (00:00:56)
    • Why it is here: A personal disclosure of OCD that carries a short argument about chronic illness, invented causation and stigma, plus a message of hope and resources.
    • Replies to: 2015-11-19 Is Success a Bad Idea? (Pizzamas Day 9 of 10)
  • 2015-11-24 · John · Crime and Outrage · Internet & YouTube, letter vlog
    • John argues that because we seek out and share what outrages us, attention hops between small outrages (pennies, Martin Shkreli) while complicated problems go unaddressed, leaving Americans more afraid and pessimistic than the data on crime, health and the economy warrant. (00:01:09)
    • Why it is here: A data-heavy argument about outrage cycles with many checkable figures (crime rates, polls, drug prices) and John's revised view of his own penny outrage.
  • 2015-12-11 · John · The Refugee Crises: Project for Awesome 2015 · Global development, letter vlog
    • Opening P4A 2015, John focuses on South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia's Gambella region, argues there is no such thing as other people's problems, and calls donations to Save the Children and the UNHCR investments rather than gifts. (00:02:08)
    • Why it is here: A charity appeal built on checkable refugee and development figures and an argued claim that distant crises are everyone’s problem and aid is an investment.
  • 2015-12-22 · John · The Myth Reawakens · Pop culture, recommendation
    • John argues, without spoilers, that the original Star Wars films mattered as myth on Joseph Campbell's hero's-journey model, and that The Force Awakens revives and broadens that myth, especially its sense of who counts as a person. (00:01:12)
    • Why it is here: A compact argument about myth, personhood and why the original trilogy, prequels and The Force Awakens land differently, with a defined Campbell quotation.
  • 2015-12-25 · Hank · On Hating Christmas · Everyday life, letter vlog
    • Hank argues that culture is like light, visible only where holidays focus it, so Christmas draws complaints; holidays are a chance to change culture by choosing traditions without whining at others, and giving shines through. (00:00:34)
    • Why it is here: A short, tightly argued essay with a central metaphor (culture as light, holidays as lenses) and a clear position on Christmas complaints and giving.

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