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Nov. 30th: A CHRISTMAS RANT

2007-11-30 · letter vlog · John · 2:51 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Everyday life (also: Nerdfighteria) · mode: Comedy & performance · tags: community lore, calendar ritual

John says the Nerdfighter happy dance project will be finished in December rather than by December 1, then rants that he likes the religious Christmas but not its secular, commercial side, suggesting gifts only for people who need them.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Greeting; jammy pants; Part 1: the happy dance project will be finished in December, not by December 1

  • ★ John admits it is 12:30 in the afternoon and he is still in his jammy pants; he says a man who works from home is entitled to one jammy-pants day a week. (playful) — 00:00:00
  • ★★★ John says he was supposed to finish the happy dance project by December 1 but will not; he will finish it in December instead. — 00:00:00

00:00:39 — Promise that the happy dance project will happen; Part 2: like Hank, John opposes the secular Christmas; Santa Claus and Uncle Sam

  • ★★ John promises Nerdfighters that there will be a happy dance project and that it will change their lives. (playful) — 00:00:39 · Nerdfighteria
  • ★★★ Noting that Hank has railed against the commercialization of Christmas, John says he is also opposed to Christmas: he likes the religious holiday but nothing about its secular side. (playful) — 00:00:39 · Christmas, Hank Green
  • ★★ John says Santa Claus was invented by the same man who invented Uncle Sam. — 00:00:39
  • ★★ John sees the connection: Santa Claus basically tells people to spend more money on consumer goods in December. (playful) — 00:00:39

00:01:09 — Dislikes: Uncle Sam, red with green, outdoor Christmas lights, reindeer, elves, toy soldiers

  • ★★ In a comic list John says he dislikes Uncle Sam, red with green, outdoor Christmas lights (a waste of electricity), reindeer, elves unless played by Liv Tyler, toy soldiers, eggnog and indoor Christmas trees. (playful) — 00:01:09 · Christmas

00:01:38 — Toy soldiers and elves apocalypse; eggnog; indoor Christmas trees

00:02:07 — Ornaments are the exception; rule: only pre-1800 Christmas; a recession if everyone agreed; gifts for kids who need clothes

  • ★ John says Christmas ornaments are the one secular thing about Christmas he likes. — 00:02:07 · Christmas
  • ★★★ Saying he does not believe in a past golden era, John gives his basic rule: he likes everything about Christmas that was thought up before 1800. — 00:02:07 · Christmas
  • ★★ John says that if everyone felt as he does there would be a worldwide recession and the economy would collapse. (playful) — 00:02:07
  • ★★ John says he is buying some gifts this year (2007), but only for children he does not know who need clothes. — 00:02:07

00:02:36 — Policy: gifts only for people who need them; sign-off; no scavenger clue this weekend, go to the forum to solve its identity crisis

  • ★★★ John suggests that maybe the policy should be to give gifts only to people who need gifts. (hedged) — 00:02:36
  • ★★ John says there is no scavenger hunt clue this weekend; instead Nerdfighters should go to the forum ('my pants') and help solve 'our identity crisis'. — 00:02:36 · Nerdfighteria, Brotherhood 2.0 forum

Humor (significant)

  • John admits he is still wearing his jammy pants at 12:30 in the afternoon. — 00:00:00

    “a man who works from home is entitled to one day in his jammy pants per week.”

  • Listing the parts of the secular Christmas he dislikes, John gets to reindeer. — 00:01:09

    “They seem like regular deer, only more dangerous.”

  • John imagines toy soldiers and elves teaming up: hijacking Santa's sleigh and putting lead paint in all our toys. — 00:01:38

    “we wouldn't be able to defend ourselves because all the lead poisoning made us stupid.”

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: consumerism · Nerdfighter Happy Dance Project

Also: Brotherhood 2.0 forum (“my pants”) · Christmas · in your pants (“my pants”) · Liv Tyler · Nerdfighter Scavenger Hunt · Santa Claus · Uncle Sam

Also centred on consumerism: November 23rd: BLACK FRIDAY! · November 27th: Eagle's Nest, Blogger's Choice and Shopping · CHUBBY BUNNY...blergh! · Thoughts from Yachts

Also centred on Nerdfighter Happy Dance Project: August 30th: A Secret Project for Nerdfighters · September 7th: Fatalities, Dances and Thanks · October 4th: Happy Dances, Feuds, and Raccoon Infestations · THE NERDFIGHTER HAPPY DANCE PROJECT · Dec. 26th: Christmas, Manga, and Goat Poop · John and Hank Hanging Out but they Keep Getting Younger and More Pixelated

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