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All Aboard the Fail Boat

2009-02-08 · letter vlog · John · 3:26 · watch on YouTube

Topic: World affairs · mode: News analysis · tags: timely hook, heavy topic, community lore, recurring series

On Newsday John takes the Willy-captained 'Fail Boat' to two places of world suck: the Vatican's lifting of Holocaust denier Richard Williamson's excommunication, which he calls an error, and Australia's deadliest wildfires, sending sympathy to Australian Nerdfighters.

What is said

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

00:00:00 — Newsday: boarding the Fail Boat, captained by Willy, to places of world suck

  • ★★ John introduces the Fail Boat, the puppy-captained vessel Nerdfighters use to travel Nerdfighteria and to sail the world learning about places experiencing world suck. (playful) — 00:00:06 · Willy, Nerdfighteria, world suck, Fail Boat

00:00:28 — The Vatican lifts Holocaust denier Richard Williamson's excommunication; John expects him to recant and calls rehabilitation an error

  • ★ John calls Richard Williamson a crazy person and jokes that his craziness is why he had been excommunicated from the Catholic Church. (playful) — 00:00:36
  • ★★★ John reports that Pope Benedict recently lifted the excommunication of Richard Williamson so the church could possibly rehabilitate him as a bishop. — 00:00:44
  • ★★★ Many people are upset because Williamson has repeatedly denied that the Holocaust involved the murder of six million Jews. — 00:00:52
  • ★★ After public outcry Williamson agreed to reconsider the historical evidence of the Holocaust, which John likens to reconsidering whether America had a president called Ronald Reagan. (playful) — 00:01:00
  • ★★★ John guesses Williamson will say there was a Holocaust and apologise so he can be a bishop, and says rehabilitating him would be an error. (hedged) — 00:01:10

00:01:19 — Williamson's views on women (no college, no pants); John defends in-your-pants jokes; Willy barks at Williamson

  • ★★ John says Williamson also holds other crazy beliefs, such as that women should not be allowed to go to college or to wear pants. — 00:01:22
  • ★★ John says Nerdfighteria takes the attack on women's pants personally: the in-your-pants book-title joke is funny, a hoopskirt designed to rob women of power is not, and Williamson will not take his in-your-pants jokes. (playful) — 00:01:33 · Nerdfighteria, in your pants

00:02:22 — Australia's deadliest wildfires: heat, arson, damage; thoughts with Australian Nerdfighters

  • ★ John titles the Australia item 'Just because it's cold in your house doesn't mean global warming is a lie' news. (playful) — 00:02:24 · Australia
  • ★★★ The deadliest wildfires in the history of Australia are raging in the south of the country. — 00:02:27 · Australia
  • ★★ It has been very hot, dry and windy in Australia, around 117 degrees Fahrenheit, and these conditions combined with apparent arson in at least some cases. — 00:02:32 · Australia
  • ★★★ Hundreds of square miles of wilderness have burned, entire towns have been destroyed and many people have died. — 00:02:48
  • ★★ The brothers have many Nerdfighter friends living in southern Australia; John says they are both concerned and sends their thoughts and prayers. — 00:02:54 · Nerdfighteria, Australia

00:03:04 — John in a Hank costume sends best wishes; a Nerdfighter-made John disguise with a Kim Jong-il haircut

Humor (significant)

  • Williamson agreed to 'reconsider the historical evidence' of the Holocaust. — 00:01:06

    “Which is like reconsidering the historic evidence that America had a president called Ronald Reagan.”

  • John contrasts the funny 'in your pants' book title with a not-funny hoopskirt designed to rob women of power. — 00:01:56

    “And Richard Williamson, you, bishop or no, will NOT take away my in-your-pants-jokes.”

  • John asks Captain Fireball (Willy) what he wants to say to Williamson; Willy barks. — 00:02:11

    “Oh my, you tiny, white, fluffy pirates sure do have dirty mouths.”

  • John thanks the Nerdfighter who made his John disguise. — 00:03:21

    “but why did I get Kim Jong-Il's haircut?”

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: Australia · Black Saturday bushfires · Richard Williamson

Also: People: Kim Jong Il · Pope Benedict XVI · Ronald Reagan

Works: Everything That Rises Must Converge

Organizations: Catholic Church

Rituals: Newsday

Terms: best wishes · in your pants · world suck

Concepts: climate change denial · gender role · Holocaust denial

Places: Italy · Vatican City

Events: The Holocaust

animal: Willy

Only in the description or credits: Sistersalad · Victoria (state)

Later videos replying to this one

Part of an exchange of 5 videos, 2009-02-08 – 2009-02-21.