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Guys Love Giraffe Love

2008-05-20 · Q&A · John · 3:58 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Nerdfighteria (also: Books & writing, Internet & YouTube, Personal life) · mode: Q&A & conversation · tags: recurring series, community lore, self promotion

In the first of two Question Tuesdays this week John answers viewer questions on books, Twilight, YouTube popularity (loyal, collaborative Nerdfighters; men watch only the giraffe-sex videos), last words and his marriage, and solves the Evil Baby Orphanage's time-travel premise.

What is said

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

00:00:00 — Question Tuesday opens: favourite band, Vonnegut and Morrison; In Dubious Battle and teenagers; Edward or Jacob

  • ★★ Asked for favourites, John names The Mountain Goats as his band, Mother Night as his favourite Vonnegut novel and Song of Solomon as his favourite Toni Morrison book. — 00:00:00
  • ★★★ Asked how In Dubious Battle relates to teenagers, John rejects the idea that readers must identify with characters to enjoy a book; it is about group psychology and the machine and its cogs. — 00:00:00
  • ★★★ John thinks we have to get past the idea that art is supposed to be merely pleasurable. (hedged) — 00:00:41
  • ★★ On Edward or Jacob, John calls Edward Cullen a beautiful but empty vessel for our hopes; people who are mostly ideas attract more, but loving one is not sustainable, so he picks Jacob. (playful) — 00:00:41

00:01:10 — Key to YouTube popularity: loyal Nerdfighters, collaborative community, men watch only giraffe-sex videos; romantic last words (W. C. Fields)

  • ★★★ Asked the key to YouTube popularity, John says YouTube's new demographics feature shows Nerdfighters are extremely loyal, which he thinks is because nerdfighting is something they all do together. (hedged) — 00:01:10 · YouTube, Nerdfighteria, nerdfighter
  • ★★ John reports that 294 of the brothers' 296 videos have been watched by more women than men; the two exceptions have giraffe sex as the thumbnail. — 00:01:10 · Vlogbrothers
  • ★ John asks the men of YouTube to explain in the comments what fascinates them about giraffes who love giraffes. (playful) — 00:01:10 · YouTube
  • ★★★ John's advice: to become marginally popular on YouTube and help create a community you care about that is composed entirely of awesome, build a truly collaborative community. — 00:01:44 · YouTube
  • ★★ Asked for his last words, John says romantic last words are almost always lame; the only exception he knows, W. C. Fields's words to Carlotta, is spoiled because she was his mistress. — 00:01:44

00:02:13 — Two years married today; flowers from Hank and Katherine; jealous of Hank?; who the F is Hank

  • ★★ John says his last words would probably tell the Yeti he loves her; they have been married two years today, and he thanks Hank and Katherine for sustainably farmed flowers. — 00:02:13 · Sarah Urist Green, Hank Green, Katherine Green
  • ★★ Asked if he is jealous of Hank, John says no, although Hank has eight of their nine most viewed videos. (playful) — 00:02:13 · Hank Green
  • ★★ Answering 'Who the F is Hank?', John says Hank is a tiny yellow songbird said to represent the soul of France, with an undetermined role in the Omnictionary Project. (joke) — 00:02:13 · Who the Eff Is Hank, Hank Green

00:02:42 — Million dollars or punching Hitler: the time-machine Evil Baby Orphanage plan and its premise; sign-off with Paper Towns giveaway

  • ★★★ Choosing between a million dollars and punching Hitler, John would time-travel to put evil baby Hitler, Stalin, Idi Amin and others in the Evil Baby Orphanage in Tibet, then sell the time machine. (joke) — 00:02:42 · Evil Baby Orphanage
  • ★★ If the time machine's buyer killed John first, a Schrödinger's cat situation would follow; John thinks this solves the Evil Baby Orphanage's relation to history and is their premise. (playful, hedged) — 00:03:11 · Evil Baby Orphanage, Hank Green
  • ★★ John reminds viewers there is one more Question Tuesday this week (week of 19 May 2008) and that he gives a Paper Towns copy to a random commenter every day; leave questions in comments. — 00:03:40 · Paper Towns, Question Tuesday

Humor (significant)

  • Asked his favourite band, John answers as if asked about rubber bands. — 00:00:00

    “I don't know, probably Rubber. Oh, wait, you mean like musical band.”

  • Only two of the brothers' 296 videos were watched by more men than women. — 00:01:10

    “The two exceptions? Both feature giraffe sex as the center screenshot.”

  • John answers the recurring question 'Who the F is Hank?'. — 00:02:13

    “Hank is a tiny yellow songbird said to represent the soul of France.”

  • John imagines the time machine's buyer going back and killing him before he rescues the evil babies. — 00:03:11

    “I would be both alive and dead, and evil baby Hitler would live both in 19th century Austria and in 21st century Tibet.”

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: Question Tuesday · YouTube

Also: People: Adolf Hitler · Carlotta Monti · Elizabeth Báthory · Idi Amin · Joseph Stalin · Ranavalona I · Sarah Urist Green · Vlad the Impaler · W. C. Fields

Projects: Omnictionary (website)

Works: In Dubious Battle · Mother Night · Paper Towns · Song of Solomon

Groups: The Mountain Goats

Terms: Evil Baby Orphanage · jokes · nerdfighter · Who the Eff Is Hank

Concepts: giraffe · Schrödinger's cat · time travel

Places: Tibet

Characters: Edward Cullen · Jacob Black

Products: YouTube Insight

Only in the description or credits: John Steinbeck · Katherine Green · Kurt Vonnegut · Toni Morrison

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