July 27: How Nerdfighters Drop Insults
2007-07-27 · John · watch on YouTube · Nerdfighteria · comedy performance
John announces he has finished cataloguing his home library, asks why being called a nerd is an insult, argues contemporary insults are lame and stages a dialogue of real Shakespearean insults instead, then tours his library.
What is said
00:00:00 — Greeting; John has finished cataloguing his home library (LibraryThing, a New York Public Library guide 'in your pants')
- ★★ John has finished cataloguing his home library with LibraryThing and a New York Public Library guide, a goal since leaving New York so he never loses a book again. — 00:00:24 · New York City
00:00:54 — Flamers will say 'you are a nerd': why is being a nerd bad?; contemporary insults are lame
- ★★★ Anticipating flamers calling him a nerd, John asks why being a nerd is bad: it means preferring intelligence and thoughtfulness to stupidity and vapidity. — 00:01:01 · nerd
- ★★★ John argues most contemporary insults are lame; he doesn't mind being insulted, only being insulted so poorly. (playful) — 00:01:15
00:01:37 — A dialogue of contemporary insults vs. one of real Shakespearean insults; Nerdfighters for the win; sign-off
- ★★★ John contrasts a dialogue of contemporary insults (dork, geek, you suck) with one built from real Shakespearean insults, which he performs. (playful) — 00:01:37 · William Shakespeare
- ★★ John concludes that Shakespeare is how you insult people: Nerdfighters for the win. (playful) — 00:02:39 · Nerdfighteria, William Shakespeare
00:02:44 — Tour of the home library's sections, ending with first editions of books about conjoined twins
- ★★ John tours his home library's sections for Hank, from Shakespeare and religions to author copies and foreign editions of his own books, fiction, YA and humor. (playful) — 00:02:46 · William Shakespeare, An Abundance of Katherines, Looking for Alaska
Humor (significant)
- John names his library guide with the 'in your pants' suffix, then wonders about it. — 00:00:50 > «I wonder exactly how many books can fit inside the library in my pants.»
- Mid-way through the Shakespearean insult dialogue, John stops to admire one insult. — 00:02:04 > «Dude, "carcass fit for hounds"? That's a burn.»
- Touring his shelves, John notes a wicker basket placed between the Islam and Christianity sections. — 00:03:00 > «You have to separate them with the wicker basket so they don't get mad at each other»
- The library tour ends on one last, very specific collection. — 00:03:30 > «my collection of first editions of books that are about conjoined twins.»
Threads in this video
- tell · John catalogues his home library (2007) — John tells Hank he has finished cataloguing his home library, something he wanted since packing his books to leave New York, and later tours its sections. (00:00:24)
- callback · 'In your pants' suffix game (2007) — John adds 'in your pants' to the title of his library guide and wonders how many books fit in 'the library in my pants'. (00:00:40)
- restate · Is unironic enthusiasm better than being cool? — John asks why being a nerd is bad, since calling someone a nerd means they would rather be intelligent and thoughtful than stupid and vapid. (00:01:01)
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