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Dumping My Girlfriend

2010-09-24 · John, Fran · watch on YouTube · Everyday life · reflection essay

John follows up Hank's lexical-gap video (the missing word for non-virgins shows our obsession with sexual purity), 'dumps' his 15-year-old girlfriend Fran by phone, and tells 15-year-old Hank that sex and romance are not the only important things.

What is said

00:00:08 — Follow-up on Hank's lexical gaps: Romanian does have a word for non-virgins, the 'plug that gap' pun, 'virg-out', and the obsession with sexual purity

  • ★★ Correcting Hank's lexical-gap examples, John says that it turns out Romanian does have a word for people who aren't virgins. — 00:00:16
  • ★★ John says that, as Hank pointed out on Twitter, the best antonym for 'virgin' suggested in the comments by far was 'virg-out'. (playful) — 00:00:28 · Twitter
  • ★★★ John says the non-virgin lexical gap made him think that our obsession with sexual purity means that once you are no longer a virgin, you are 'indescribable'. — 00:00:34

00:00:47 — Taking up Hank's 'dump your girlfriend', John phones Fran, his girlfriend at 15, to 'break up'

  • ★★ Taking up Hank's order to dump his 15-year-old girlfriend, John phones Fran, his girlfriend at 15, to 'break up'; both are now married, and they agree to stay friends. (playful) — 00:00:55
  • ★ Fran says she is a big fan of Nerdfighteria and feels like she is a Nerdfighter. — 00:01:54 · Nerdfighteria

00:01:59 — Letter to 15-year-old Hank: sexuality matters but is not the only important thing; romantic relationships are not the only important relationships

  • ★★★ In his letter John tells 15-year-old Hank that sex is not that big a deal: sexuality is important, but certainly not the only interesting or important thing happening to him. — 00:01:59
  • ★★★ John says they both live in a world that says only two things matter, acquiring goods and acquiring or avoiding sex, but who is a virgin is not the most interesting question. — 00:02:07
  • ★★ John tells 15-year-old Hank that the romantic relationships in his life are not the only important relationships. — 00:02:21
  • ★★ John realizes as he gives it that the advice is meant not for 15-year-old Hank, who is 'doing great', but for 15-year-old John. — 00:02:24

00:02:29 — My Little Pony in the background; people will paint ponies about Hank's songs, which John will steal; sign-off

  • ★ John points to a My Little Pony behind him and tells 15-year-old Hank that people will one day paint ponies about his songs, which, he jokes, his brother will then steal. (playful) — 00:02:31

Humor (significant)

  • Proposing a fix for the missing word for non-virgins, John slips into a double entendre, then claims jokes like that won him a Printz Award. — 00:00:20 > «we need to plug that lexical gap and then plug it again and ag-»
  • After John's phone 'break-up' with his 15-year-old girlfriend, Fran cheerfully says she is a big fan of Nerdfighteria. — 00:01:58 > «Well, she seemed devastated.»
  • John tells 15-year-old Hank that people will paint ponies about his future songs. — 00:02:45 > «Which your brother will then steal. Some things never change.»

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