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Register 2022: hedges and bits

Statements from 2022 that are not plain sincere assertions: sincere claims the speaker hedged or marked as uncertain (with the hedge words quoted), and statements made as a bit. Plain sincere, unhedged statements are on the video pages. Back to the overview.

John

1016 statements · sincere 85% · playful 14% · other bits 1% · hedged or unsure 6%

Sincere but hedged (47)

Split by hedge type (derived from the quoted hedge words with a fixed word list — see the overview): epistemic doubt 30 · wish / hope 3 · opinion marker 1 · other hedge 10 · hedge words not recorded 3.

Epistemic doubt (30)

real uncertainty about whether it is true

  • 2022-01-11 · The Fault in Our Stars - Ten Years Later — John muses that maybe he is always writing about how we can make meaning in our lives without minimizing or denying the meaning in other people's lives, though maybe not. — hedged: “Maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:24)
  • 2022-01-25 · My Least Relatable Story: The Parisian Dentist — John says the story's moral is having a need capably met by a compassionate expert, which should not be an unrelatable story at all. — hedged: “I guess” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:55)
  • 2022-02-15 · My Most Valuable Books — John's most financially valuable book is probably a first edition of Slaughterhouse-Five, a gift from Sarah years ago, now worth about $2,000 and stressful to touch. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:29)
  • 2022-02-24 · How to Make Potatoes While Dread Presses In from Every Direction — John says that, rather than tuberculosis, King Tut might have died of a fractured femur. — hedged: “might” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:56)
  • 2022-03-01 · Hard Week — The description says John is probably going to take next week (week of 7 March 2022) off. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (video description)
  • 2022-03-15 · Ukraine and Russia: What Caused the War? — John says it is hard to overstate the Holodomor's horrors: perhaps one in every eight Ukrainians died in two years. — hedged: “Perhaps” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:26)
  • 2022-03-29 · An H of G — John says 'H of G', short for a hermeneutics of generosity, is maybe his very favorite of Paul Farmer's many sayings. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:00)
  • 2022-04-05 · Celebrities I've Met and Whether I'd Vote for Them??? — The Rock has never held elected office, and John probably wouldn't vote for him. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:56)
  • 2022-06-14 · Should Hank and I ... box each other?? — John says he doesn't know that he wants to lift up regulated violence as the number one strategy for content creators to grow their platform or revenue. — hedged: “I don't know that” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:55)
  • 2022-06-14 · Should Hank and I ... box each other?? — John concludes the brothers should spend the next nine months writing books, making educational videos and raising money for Partners In Health rather than training to box, a shame since he could have been a contender. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:24)
  • 2022-06-21 · On Disease — John says historical narratives focus on kings, wars and political philosophies, but disease is a terribly important historical force, maybe the most important. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:58)
  • 2022-08-09 · How to Cook Beans and Resist Dread — John suggests that maybe his whole life shouldn't worship at the altar of efficiency anyway. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:58)
  • 2022-08-09 · How to Cook Beans and Resist Dread — John reflects that maybe this is the point: being a fleshy worm with consciousness can feel like a lot, but it also lets him share food he worked on with people who love him. — hedged: “maybe this is the point” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:44)
  • 2022-09-26 · PIZZAMAS IS UPON US — John loves Pizzamas every year but might love this year's (2022) the most. — hedged: “might” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:19)
  • 2022-10-11 · Most People Have Never Been 20 — In a comment John credits public health interventions such as clean water, vaccination and toxin regulation, saying good sewer systems have probably saved more lives than all medicines. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (creator comment)
  • 2022-10-11 · Most People Have Never Been 20 — According to the Population Reference Bureau, the median human ever born, the 58.5 billionth, was probably born between 10 and 100 CE, about 2,000 years ago. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:58)
  • 2022-10-11 · Most People Have Never Been 20 — John says the median person almost certainly could not read or write, probably was not monotheist, probably died before adulthood, and if not, probably farmed and lost children. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:27)
  • 2022-10-11 · Most People Have Never Been 20 — John says it is likely that most of the 110 billion humans who have died never saw the age of 20. — hedged: “it's likely” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:24)
  • 2022-10-25 · Instantly Debateable — His most notable example is his long crusade against the US penny: he gets engagement from the idea that pennies are minted because Congress cares mostly about divisive, re-election issues. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:56)
  • 2022-11-01 · Is This Painting Upside Down? — John says the intended orientation is probably better, recalling Flannery O'Connor's title Everything That Rises Must Converge. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:27)
  • 2022-11-01 · Is This Painting Upside Down? — John says the story is more complicated: the piece is unfinished and unsigned, Mondrian was probably working on it when he died and often worked upside down or sideways, so its intended orientation is unknowable. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:56)
  • 2022-11-08 · Dr Pepper Enthusiast John Green Taste Tests Dr Pepper and Its Misbegotten Pretenders — The description admits the video is over four minutes and probably not educational, so John technically probably owes Nerdfighteria a punishment. — hedged: “Probably so” [epistemic doubt] (video description)
  • 2022-11-15 · 3 Years In: What Happened, Why, and What's Next — John says the clinic may see even more patients as it grows stronger, making this a critical time; they hope support will increase too. — hedged: “it may” [epistemic doubt] (00:05:50)
  • 2022-11-22 · John's 2022 Gift Guide — John's favorite young adult novel of the year is probably All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir, her first standalone and first contemporary novel, which he calls beautiful. — hedged: “it would probably be” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:57)
  • 2022-11-29 · The Weight of Life — John says humans are a little self-aggrandizing, placing themselves at the center of Earth's story, which he grants is justified in some ways. — hedged: “I guess” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:56)
  • 2022-12-06 · AI tells me if AI will write novels. — John says humans have fairly sophisticated strategies for deciding what counts as plagiarism among people, but maybe not for AI. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:26)
  • 2022-12-06 · AI tells me if AI will write novels. — John's biggest worry: computers are nothing like us (we are far more like kangaroos), and as AI improves we may see human consciousness and cognition as digital rather than organic, a big mistake. — hedged: “I think my biggest worry might be” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:55)
  • 2022-12-27 · We're here because were here. — John did this once before in 2020 and may make it a tradition of sorts. — hedged: “may” [epistemic doubt] (video description)
  • 2022-12-27 · We're here because were here. — At least three of the verses were probably Burns's own, though he later said he took the song down from an old man. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:46)
  • 2022-12-27 · We're here because were here. — Burns died at only 37 of a heart condition, possibly worsened by his drinking. — hedged: “possibly” [epistemic doubt] (00:07:10)

Wish / hope (3)

a wish about the future, not a claim about what is true

  • 2022-01-11 · The Fault in Our Stars - Ten Years Later — John is emerging from a long bout of the flu, not COVID, an old-school virus that makes him feel like he is in the 1990s. — hedged: “hopefully” [wish / hope] (00:00:00)
  • 2022-01-18 · The Miracle of the Leone Stars — On Thursday the Leone Stars play Equatorial Guinea; a win would reach the knockout stages, and the world will be watching and hopefully celebrating. — hedged: “hopefully” [wish / hope] (00:03:24)
  • 2022-07-12 · Nauseous Puddle Water — The description explains the club ships only in the US because freshness and the money raised for charity both decrease the further coffee is shipped; hopefully that will change one day. — hedged: “hopefully” [wish / hope] (video description)

Opinion marker (1)

marks a view as the speaker's own; not doubt

  • 2022-12-06 · AI tells me if AI will write novels. — John notes the AI relies on cliches like 'window into the soul' and 'tapestry of words', he thinks because they are evocative yet common enough not to be plagiarism. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (00:01:57)

Other hedge (10)

a hedge that matches none of the word lists

  • 2022-01-04 · After 15 Years on YouTube, THIS IS THE MOST AMAZING THING — John announces the project is on track to raise over $25 million, meaning if monthly donations continue at about their current level. — hedged: “assuming donations continue at about the same monthly level” [other hedge] (00:01:27)
  • 2022-01-04 · After 15 Years on YouTube, THIS IS THE MOST AMAZING THING — They hope to raise another $4 million in that time, taking the project from $25 million to $31 million to support the Kayima clinic and expand the MCOE; some will come from Pizzamas. — hedged: “hoping” [other hedge] (00:08:00)
  • 2022-02-22 · On the Death of My Hero — When John last spoke to Paul he asked what keeps him going; Paul said something like: getting to do hard work with friends. — hedged: “something like” [other hedge] (00:03:24)
  • 2022-06-21 · On Disease — John says that over the last 2,000 years more people almost certainly died of tuberculosis than in all wars combined. — hedged: “almost certain” [other hedge] (00:01:27)
  • 2022-07-12 · Nauseous Puddle Water — John hopes the club, like the Awesome Socks Club before it, will give ongoing support to charities building stronger health systems, starting with the Maternal Center of Excellence in Sierra Leone. — hedged: “our hope is” [other hedge] (00:02:44)
  • 2022-09-13 · A Million Things at Once — John says he will try to make some John's Channel videos about the film. — hedged: “I'll try” [other hedge] (00:00:00)
  • 2022-09-20 · Against Nihilism — John says something like 275 million stars are going to die tomorrow, which makes earthly affairs like bridges, sewers and voting hard to get excited about. — hedged: “Something like” [other hedge] (00:00:00)
  • 2022-10-11 · Most People Have Never Been 20 — John says that, from population modeling and genetic research, the best current guess is that about 117 billion modern humans have ever lived. — hedged: “our best current guess” [other hedge] (00:00:00)
  • 2022-10-11 · Most People Have Never Been 20 — John says the best current guess is that when the median person was born 2,000 years ago, half of all people died before age 10. — hedged: “Our best current guess” [other hedge] (00:02:26)
  • 2022-12-20 · The Best Books Get Better — John says that, at least so far, as Hank's books have aged they feel more contemporary, which is astonishing. — hedged: “at least so far” [other hedge] (00:02:55)

Hedge words not recorded (3)

marked as unsure, but the hedge words were not quoted

  • 2022-03-15 · Ukraine and Russia: What Caused the War? — John doesn't know how the war will end, only that it has already caused tremendous suffering; he hopes for a way forward other than more suffering but doesn't know what it is. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:07:18)
  • 2022-09-30 · COMMIT TO THE BIT — John recalls a Dear Hank and John listener who planned to secretly learn the fiddle and surprise their family with a concert; he doesn't know if they did, but enough time has passed. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:03:17)
  • 2022-10-06 · The Pizzamas Magic Is Almost Over… — Asked whether social media's creation outweighs its harm, John says it doesn't matter because we can't get rid of it; he doesn't know, and would need to only if an off button existed. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:02:19)

Satire (2)

a mock position (e.g. a fake moral panic) — the opposite of what is meant

  • 2022-06-14 · Should Hank and I ... box each other?? — John mocks the school administrators who recently banned his books, saying they can confirm that reading about something makes you want to do it and good at it. (00:00:58)
  • 2022-09-13 · A Million Things at Once — John says ironically that his YouTube success does not depend at all on having started in 2007, meaning it largely does. (00:00:47)

Parody (2)

imitating a genre or a person (mock documentary, mock critic)

  • 2022-12-06 · AI tells me if AI will write novels. — The AI script says whether AI can write a novel depends on the definition: it could produce a lengthy fiction, but a novel is a story, a journey, a tapestry of words. (00:00:29)
  • 2022-12-06 · AI tells me if AI will write novels. — The AI script answers nay: AI cannot understand human experience or capture a writer's voice; writing is a uniquely human endeavor and always will be. (00:00:58)

Joke (4)

a gag; not a claim

Hypothetical (1)

a thought experiment or "what if"

  • 2022-08-16 · cars vs. covid — If he had to do Cars vs. Giant Ramp to save the human race, John says second-grade him would want to be the hero, but adult him is cowardly and would seek a volunteer. (00:02:30)

Playful (141)

a real point made in a joking way; the paraphrase records the meant core

Hank

952 statements · sincere 91% · playful 9% · other bits 1% · hedged or unsure 8%

Sincere but hedged (71)

Split by hedge type (derived from the quoted hedge words with a fixed word list — see the overview): epistemic doubt 42 · wish / hope 1 · opinion marker 8 · other hedge 9 · hedge words not recorded 11.

Epistemic doubt (42)

real uncertainty about whether it is true

  • 2022-01-07 · For Our 2000th Video: Just a Normal Snowy Day — Hank has no idea whether he is halfway through; he has probably made most of the videos he will ever make, but he couldn't have guessed how the last 15 years would go. — hedged: “Probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:55)
  • 2022-02-04 · How John and I Talk About Ideas — Hank says they talk about ideas so much they have developed a near-incomprehensible shorthand, which he shares hoping the frameworks are useful to others. — hedged: “hopefully, these frameworks might be useful” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:29)
  • 2022-02-11 · Knowing is not Understanding - Pluto and the P4A — Even without a grant, Hank says, an organization might use a viewer's P4A video to promote its work. — hedged: “might” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:55)
  • 2022-02-18 · You Don't Want a Gas Stovetop — The description says where Hank lives gas (maybe hydrogen) will likely still need delivering to homes, since it gets below -20 degrees F and heat pumps struggle there. — hedged: “likely” [epistemic doubt] (video description)
  • 2022-02-18 · You Don't Want a Gas Stovetop — Hank says replacing your gas stove now is not important, probably best not to; what matters is not thinking it is better than induction. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:08)
  • 2022-02-25 · When You Can't Fix Everything… — Hank says this is in a way maybe not the best time for a charity livestream: it's a messy world and everyone wants to know what is happening and what it means. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:00)
  • 2022-03-11 · Is it All Hopeless? — Hank thinks phone functions being implanted in eyes or skin is possible, but a sturdy little rectangle would still be nice to have. — hedged: “I think that that might, that's possible” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:50)
  • 2022-03-11 · Is it All Hopeless? — Admitting he is the more optimistic brother, Hank says both he and John agree humans will exist in 200 years, probably with much more advanced technology: the most likely outcome. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:19)
  • 2022-03-11 · Is it All Hopeless? — Hank says this happens under a global climate changing faster than it maybe has ever changed in the planet's history. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:49)
  • 2022-03-18 · How to Fix Daylight Saving Time — Hank says the Senate vote is not the full process of a bill becoming law, but its unanimity suggests the change might very well actually happen. — hedged: “might very well” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:25)
  • 2022-03-18 · How to Fix Daylight Saving Time — Hank looked at the papers: there seem to be very small but detectable differences in health outcomes for people in the far west of time zones, with later sunrises and sunsets. — hedged: “it seems” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:20)
  • 2022-04-01 · I Don't Have a Good Title for This Video. — Alternating between horror and beauty, grief and joy isn't helping him get anything done, so Hank wonders if there is a way to see both at the same time. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:17)
  • 2022-04-29 · 5 Ways to Actually Understand Very Large Numbers — Hank says it might be better to measure other things, such as how effective a country's tax policy is at reducing inequality. — hedged: “might” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:55)
  • 2022-05-06 · Why I Didn't Quit YouTube (yet) — The description says Hank probably will at some point before he dies decide his work on YouTube is over, whether from platform decline, community weakening or his capacity. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (video description)
  • 2022-05-13 · What Elon Musk Got Wrong About Twitter — The description predicts Musk will likely back out of the deal once shown how hard it is to balance open speech with a platform people don't flee; otherwise he becomes the bogeyman. — hedged: “It seems likely” [epistemic doubt] (video description)
  • 2022-05-13 · What Elon Musk Got Wrong About Twitter — Hank suggests the problem is not Twitter's free-speech dedication but that we invited a private company into the role of de facto town square, which Musk buying Twitter won't solve. — hedged: “Maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:26)
  • 2022-07-01 · 7 Movie Reviews in Four Minutes — Watching Dune while feverish, Hank found it felt a lot like every other Dune thing he has consumed, but accepts that it looks very good; he will watch the next one and cried once. — hedged: “I'm not sure if you should take my opinion super seriously” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:29)
  • 2022-07-01 · 7 Movie Reviews in Four Minutes — Hank started to think he may be a bit over superhero movies turning every plot point into a fight or chase scene, though that is the point of the genre and not Shang-Chi's fault. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:58)
  • 2022-07-01 · 7 Movie Reviews in Four Minutes — Derek DelGaudio's In and Of Itself, suggested by Sam Reich, was maybe the best thing Hank has ever seen: a live one-man show that held his attention better than Shang-Chi's fight scenes. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:27)
  • 2022-07-08 · Sad COVID Boy Hank Green Eats Foods He Hates but Can't Taste — Hank says that, probably partly because he takes medicine to control an autoimmune disease, he got a kind of COVID that goes away and comes back, which has him looking for the bright side. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:00)
  • 2022-07-15 · Thoughts From the Universe - Woah — Hank says the first James Webb Space Telescope images have just arrived, and many people seem to feel small, humbled or insignificant. — hedged: “it seems” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:00)
  • 2022-07-15 · Thoughts From the Universe - Woah — Hank says there may also be some kind of objective answers to whether we matter. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:00)
  • 2022-07-15 · Thoughts From the Universe - Woah — Hank says practically infinite fields seem to make particles exist and interact, and oxygen and hydrogen spectra in galaxies billions of light-years away show the rules are consistent throughout the universe. — hedged: “seems to be basically” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:16)
  • 2022-07-15 · Thoughts From the Universe - Woah — Hank says it does not seem very common for the universe to find paths toward waking up. — hedged: “does not seem very common” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:37)
  • 2022-07-22 · What are These Boys Doing?? — Hank does not think this is a small or even medium-sized idea, though he could be wrong. — hedged: “I could be wrong” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:05)
  • 2022-07-29 · How Climate Change /Actually/ Works...in 4 Minutes — The description says Hank made the video because it feels like the US may finally pass a climate bill that measurably reduces emissions on a fairly tight time scale, which would be massive. — hedged: “maybe MAYBE” [epistemic doubt] (video description)
  • 2022-07-29 · How Climate Change /Actually/ Works...in 4 Minutes — Hank says the energy imbalance causes three things: more heat (molecules moving faster), more severe weather (many molecules moving together), and, probably worst, things being different. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:00)
  • 2022-07-29 · How Climate Change /Actually/ Works...in 4 Minutes — Hank says human infrastructure assumes rainfall and temperature stay as they were; as they change, crop yields might fall and leave people hungry, power grids fail under air conditioning, and forests burn. — hedged: “might” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:46)
  • 2022-07-29 · How Climate Change /Actually/ Works...in 4 Minutes — Hank says the hotter air might draw more moisture from the soil, causing more wildfires, and evaporate more ocean water, causing bigger storms. — hedged: “might” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:12)
  • 2022-08-03 · Why is it So Hard to Say 'I Love You'? — Hank's first reason it might be getting easier: they are getting older, and accomplishment and competition are more tempered. — hedged: “might” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:27)
  • 2022-08-12 · The Biggest Climate Bill of Your Life - But What does it DO!? — Hank says Joe Biden is probably signing today the largest single piece of climate legislation any country has ever enacted. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:00)
  • 2022-08-12 · The Biggest Climate Bill of Your Life - But What does it DO!? — Citing Jesse Jenkins's models, Hank says US emissions will probably fall to 3.5 billion tons within 15 years, 50% below the peak. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:31)
  • 2022-08-12 · The Biggest Climate Bill of Your Life - But What does it DO!? — Hank thinks this might be the last chance for years to do something substantial; four weeks earlier, like much of Build Back Better, it seemed it wouldn't happen. — hedged: “might” [epistemic doubt] (00:18:20)
  • 2022-08-12 · The Biggest Climate Bill of Your Life - But What does it DO!? — We might be in a narrow window when effects are too present to ignore but not yet so present they block solutions. — hedged: “might” [epistemic doubt] (00:21:02)
  • 2022-08-19 · What if a lot of the Cynicism is Unjustified??? — Hank suggests that leaders who must listen to millions are mostly big bags of well-meaning worry, trying to do right when the right thing is never clear. — hedged: “this might be a stretch” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:00)
  • 2022-10-07 · Planets Don't Exist — Hank says we don't know why there is matter, what light is, what is real or whether time is real, and the universe may be two-dimensional. — hedged: “it seems like” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:27)
  • 2022-10-21 · This 'Math Test' Changed How I See Humanity — An unclear math problem is a poorly made one, but for almost any other problem unclarity is a good sign it is real; if the solution is clear, it is probably not big. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:27)
  • 2022-11-04 · My Secret Obsession — His oldest sign photos are from a power station behind the lab where Hank worked in 2004, possibly the start of his obsession. — hedged: “Possibly” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:58)
  • 2022-11-11 · Elon Was Right — The description suggests Musk thought Twitter's previous owners deliberately exercised power over him, and so feels justified exercising power over others: trolled, he now trolls back. — hedged: “It seems a little bit like” [epistemic doubt] (video description)
  • 2022-11-11 · Elon Was Right — Hank has no idea whether a sustainable business can be built this way, but it seems like it would be hard. — hedged: “It seems like it would be hard” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:55)
  • 2022-12-09 · Things are Changing Very Fast — Hank says groups around AI are forming in real time now, and it will probably be five or ten years before we know what questions we are asking and what the dominant perspectives are. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:29)
  • 2022-12-16 · What I Would Have Tweeted — The description says Hank feels much better and good about not being on Twitter, which seems messy and increasingly unimportant, though that is probably how it felt to everyone not on it. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (video description)

Wish / hope (1)

a wish about the future, not a claim about what is true

  • 2022-10-06 · The Pizzamas Magic Is Almost Over… — Hank compares the printing press and newspapers, for which we created norms and laws; by learning from the past we can hopefully do it faster, as change is faster now. — hedged: “hopefully” [wish / hope] (00:02:48)

Opinion marker (8)

marks a view as the speaker's own; not doubt

  • 2022-05-20 · It's My Fault Too — Hank often walks a stretch of sidewalk near a convenience store, where he thinks people buy chips or a drink and drop the wrapper on the ground on their way home. — hedged: “I think that what happens is” [opinion marker] (00:00:00)
  • 2022-07-01 · 7 Movie Reviews in Four Minutes — Hank thinks he has seen six movies in the five and a half years since Orin was born (Parasite, Knives Out, Little Women, Coco, Encanto, Into the Spider-Verse) and decided to double that in days. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (00:00:29)
  • 2022-07-22 · What are These Boys Doing?? — Hank thinks someday there may be Awesome Coffee Club subscribers who have no idea who Hank and John Green are. — hedged: “I think it's possible” [opinion marker] (00:03:10)
  • 2022-07-22 · What are These Boys Doing?? — The coffee club has already donated $100,000 to Partners In Health, Hank thinks. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (00:03:30)
  • 2022-08-26 · I Searched for 'Science Side of Twitter' and Answered As Many Questions as I Could — Hank says a brain freeze is nerve pain, the brain misreading a confusing signal: cold constricts blood vessels near nerves, rewarming floods the area with blood, and facial nerves are closely packed. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (00:02:26)
  • 2022-09-29 · The Kony 2012 of Roads - Solar Freakin' Roadways — In a comment, Hank says the product's makers did not make the viral video; a family friend who wanted to support them did, he thinks. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (creator comment)
  • 2022-10-28 · I'm Changing the Way I Think About Politics — Hank recalls celebrating Barack Obama's first election with John, he thinks while they were on tour. — hedged: “I think?” [opinion marker] (00:00:29)
  • 2022-11-18 · How Much Does Humanity Weigh? — Hank thinks one can make the case that we are doing it more thoughtfully now than 100 years ago. — hedged: “I think that you can make the case” [opinion marker] (00:03:05)

Other hedge (9)

a hedge that matches none of the word lists

  • 2022-01-21 · How to Be Hopeful About Doomsday — Hank zooms out: four billion years ago water, energy and carbon became alive, and somewhere between a few million and a few hundred thousand years ago the universe started to talk to itself. — hedged: “depending on how you count” [other hedge] (00:00:56)
  • 2022-02-18 · You Don't Want a Gas Stovetop — The description says it is completely possible the extreme-cold problem will be solved within the next 20 years. — hedged: “it's completely possible” [other hedge] (video description)
  • 2022-03-25 · US College Students Need Help — Hank's first impulse is that this is a learning problem, which is part of it, but arguably the larger part is understanding a tremendously complex system: admissions, aid, credit transfer, degree paths. — hedged: “arguably” [other hedge] (00:00:29)
  • 2022-04-29 · 5 Ways to Actually Understand Very Large Numbers — Hank suggests much political arguing is about relatively small policy differences. — hedged: “Almost as if” [other hedge] (00:02:55)
  • 2022-07-15 · Thoughts From the Universe - Woah — Hank says that, strangely, he is not sure whether he feels very small right now or very big. — hedged: “I'm actually not sure” [other hedge] (00:00:00)
  • 2022-08-19 · What if a lot of the Cynicism is Unjustified??? — Hank asks viewers to consider that almost all people are pretty good, trying to make things better for themselves and those they love in a world with a lot of inertia. — hedged: “What if” [other hedge] (00:00:00)
  • 2022-09-16 · Here's Why Younger People are Getting Shingles — SARS-CoV-2 may cause more than one disease: COVID-19, with a blurry line between it and long COVID. — hedged: “it looks like” [other hedge] (00:00:29)
  • 2022-10-28 · I'm Changing the Way I Think About Politics — Hank says Tranel has put about 50,000 miles on her minivan crossing one of America's largest districts, talking to people in 16 counties and two tribal nations. — hedged: “like” [other hedge] (00:02:15)
  • 2022-12-09 · Things are Changing Very Fast — The description bets there will be many negative outcomes and that systems to handle them may take a generation or two, as with the internet. — hedged: “potentially” [other hedge] (video description)

Hedge words not recorded (11)

marked as unsure, but the hedge words were not quoted

  • 2022-03-11 · Is it All Hopeless? — Hank says this is a hard moment, bad on different scales for different people; he doesn't know what to do, and experts say they don't know how to fix it or what's ahead. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:02:47)
  • 2022-04-01 · I Don't Have a Good Title for This Video. — Hank doesn't know what the right way to see these things is. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:00:56)
  • 2022-04-01 · I Don't Have a Good Title for This Video. — Hank doesn't know which to see more, or whether he sees the right amounts of joy, harm, grief or aid. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:02:48)
  • 2022-04-15 · Are You Stuck in The Sad Gap — Hank doesn't know how far this comes from how people communicate and how far from how the social internet is built. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (video description)
  • 2022-05-27 · The Time for Politics — The description says those playing these politics have been well rewarded for it, and Hank is honestly not sure what can be done. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (video description)
  • 2022-07-08 · Sad COVID Boy Hank Green Eats Foods He Hates but Can't Taste — Since the foods he dislikes tend to be vinegary and vinegar is very sour, Hank guesses he will still hate vinegary foods. — speculative (hedge words not recorded) (00:00:29)
  • 2022-09-16 · Here's Why Younger People are Getting Shingles — Hank guesses the shingles vaccine will eventually be available to younger people. — speculative (hedge words not recorded) (00:03:13)
  • 2022-12-02 · I Know How to Fix YouTube Rewind — Hank guesses YouTube must have known people would dislike the 2018 Rewind, but did it anyway because it was the thing they do. — speculative (hedge words not recorded) (00:01:36)
  • 2022-12-09 · Things are Changing Very Fast — Hank says he doesn't know what those perspectives will be, what questions need asking, or their answers. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:00:58)
  • 2022-12-09 · Things are Changing Very Fast — Hank lists open questions: can you sue an AI for this, is training on copyrighted works without consent okay, should artists opt out, is it illegal or a call for new law, who will it help or hurt; he doesn't know. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:01:27)
  • 2022-12-16 · What I Would Have Tweeted — A would-be tweet asks whether bubble water is addictive; Hank would like scientists to tell him. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:00:58)

Satire (1)

a mock position (e.g. a fake moral panic) — the opposite of what is meant

Hypothetical (5)

a thought experiment or "what if"

  • 2022-05-20 · It's My Fault Too — Hank reasons that one person dropping one piece of trash a day makes 30 pieces after a month, and may be one of hundreds of shoppers: almost no one litters, yet the street is covered. (00:00:00)
  • 2022-05-20 · It's My Fault Too — Hank says what changed his mind: one person picking up two pieces of trash every day would leave no trash after two weeks. (00:00:29)
  • 2022-10-07 · Planets Don't Exist — Hank says that in a world where Jupiter were a star its moons would be planets, though nothing about them changed. (00:06:08)
  • 2022-11-11 · Elon Was Right — Hank says that if those people leave, Twitter becomes an $8-a-month subscription to the Elon Musk fan club, which is not a good website. (00:02:26)
  • 2022-12-02 · I Know How to Fix YouTube Rewind — Hank's thought experiment: a 'Spotify rewind' video summing up the whole music industry's year in six minutes, which no one wants because it makes no sense. (00:00:29)

Playful (84)

a real point made in a joking way; the paraphrase records the meant core

Other voices

51 statements · sincere 92% · playful 8% · other bits 0% · hedged or unsure 2%

Sincere but hedged (1)

Split by hedge type (derived from the quoted hedge words with a fixed word list — see the overview): epistemic doubt 1.

Epistemic doubt (1)

real uncertainty about whether it is true

  • 2022-05-24 · Hello! Meet Daisy! — Cree Cicchino: Asked for her favourite Beatle, Cree gives her sister's favourite, Ringo; her favourite colour is burgundy. — hedged: “which I'm pretty sure is” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:00)

Playful (4)

a real point made in a joking way; the paraphrase records the meant core