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The Bank of Nerdfighteria

2011-11-11 · announcement · John · 3:48 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Global development (also: Economics) · mode: Announcements · tags: fundraising ask, community lore, recurring series

In a mock quarterly report, John says the Bank of Nerdfighteria is thriving while Europe fears bank runs: its giving arm, the Foundation to Decrease World Suck, has over $8,000 with the brothers' match, and its lending arm has loaned over $75,000 through Kiva.

What is said

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

00:00:00 — John's fancy studio and the quarterly report of the Bank of Nerdfighteria

  • ★ Although he promised not to film Vlogbrothers videos in his fancy studio, John films there because it is so fancy, with a trampoline, his chair and a globe. (playful) — 00:00:00
  • ★★ John delivers the quarterly report of the Bank of Nerdfighteria, a bank that spans the entire globe. — 00:00:00 · Bank of Nerdfighteria
  • ★ John calls Silvio Berlusconi, whose resignation has been promised, a national embarrassment. (playful) — 00:00:00

00:00:28 — Berlusconi's resignation and Europe's fear of bank runs; the Bank's two arms, like Toby Turner

  • ★★ John says Silvio Berlusconi's resignation has not calmed the markets, and there is still great fear of bank runs and credit crunches in Europe, a nightmare for the whole world. — 00:00:28 · Europe

00:00:54 — The giving arm: over $4,000 for the Foundation to Decrease World Suck, Hank's goatee, the $10,000 match for the Project for Awesome

  • ★★ John says the Bank of Nerdfighteria has a lending arm and a giving arm; most banks have a taking arm, but the Bank dispensed with it. — 00:00:54 · Bank of Nerdfighteria
  • ★ Having compared the Bank of Nerdfighteria's two arms to Toby Turner's, John says he loves Toby and promises Hank not to make a Toby joke for at least three videos. (playful) — 00:00:54 · Bank of Nerdfighteria
  • ★★★ Thanks to T-shirt and game sales and the vote on Hank's goatee, Nerdfighters have donated more than $4,000 to the Foundation to Decrease World Suck. — 00:00:54 · Foundation to Decrease World Suck
  • ★★ John tells Hank he hates his goatee and cannot believe he has to live with it for another 20 days. (playful) — 00:00:54
  • ★★★ John says he and Hank will match Nerdfighters' donations to the Foundation to Decrease World Suck for the first $10,000. — 00:01:23 · Foundation to Decrease World Suck
  • ★★★ With the brothers' match, the Foundation to Decrease World Suck has already raised more than $8,000, to be distributed through the Project for Awesome. — 00:01:23 · Foundation to Decrease World Suck, Project for Awesome

00:01:47 — The lending arm: $75,000 through Kiva, loans to Edith and Hayam, what Kiva is, what the loan graphs show

  • ★★★ John reports that the lending arm of the Bank of Nerdfighteria works across six continents: Nerdfighters have loaned more than $75,000 through Kiva.org. — 00:01:47 · Bank of Nerdfighteria
  • ★★ John lent money to Edith in El Salvador, whose bookstore also sells candy, to refurbish it and buy new stock, and she paid him back. — 00:01:47
  • ★ John thanks Edith, his Kiva borrower in El Salvador, for reporting back that her business is growing. — 00:02:17
  • ★★ John was also repaid by Hayam, an accountant in Lebanon whose name he says he probably mispronounced; she renovated her office with his loan and reports her income has gone way up. — 00:02:17
  • ★★ John has made more than 70 loans through Kiva.org and has always been paid back. — 00:02:17
  • ★★★ John explains that Kiva.org lets anyone lend to entrepreneurs in the developing world, who almost always pay back, so it is like charity except free. — 00:02:17
  • ★★ John points viewers to a doobly-doo link to join the Nerdfighters group on Kiva and contribute to the lending arm of the Bank of Nerdfighteria. — 00:02:17 · Bank of Nerdfighteria, doobly-doo
  • ★★ The graphs of Nerdfighter Kiva loans show that Nerdfighters like food and prefer to lend to women. — 00:02:17 · Nerdfighteria
  • ★ John suggests Nerdfighters prefer lending to women perhaps because Nerdfighters are mostly women. (hedged) — 00:02:17 · Nerdfighteria

00:03:05 — Favourite countries, growth of both arms, links and thanks to Hank

  • ★★ John says the Nerdfighter Kiva loans are remarkably well spread geographically, and the two favourite countries are Peru and the Philippines. — 00:03:05
  • ★★★ John reports the giving arm of the Bank of Nerdfighteria grew from zero to over $8,000, and the lending arm at Kiva.org grew by more than 234% this quarter. — 00:03:05 · Bank of Nerdfighteria, It's Over 9000!
  • ★★ John points Nerdfighters who want to join either arm of the Bank of Nerdfighteria to links to fightworldsuck.org and the Nerdfighter Kiva group. — 00:03:35 · Foundation to Decrease World Suck, Bank of Nerdfighteria
  • ★ John thanks Hank for being so committed to reducing world suck that he will endanger his marriage and sully his face with the goatee. (playful) — 00:03:35 · world suck

In the description and comments

  • ★★ Answering people who asked, John says he is not paid by Kiva; he thinks it is an amazing way to help people that almost never ends up costing actual money. — video description
  • ★★ John says the Vlogbrothers have never done paid product placement and never will. — video description · Vlogbrothers

Humor (significant)

  • After calling Berlusconi a national embarrassment, John reacts as if told his real title. — 00:00:28

    “He's not, that's not his job title? It's Prime Minister? Really? That doesn't seem likely.”

  • John describes Hank's goatee. — 00:01:23

    “distant descendant of a Tribble attacked your face.”

  • John boasts he has never not been paid back on his Kiva loans. — 00:02:17

    “Said the novelist using a double negative.”

  • The giving arm has grown to over 8,000. — 00:03:05

    “Can we just give an extra thousand bucks and so I can say, it's over 9,000!”

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: Bank of Nerdfighteria · Foundation to Decrease World Suck · Kiva

Also: People: Silvio Berlusconi · Toby Turner

Projects: Project for Awesome

Works: Pac-Man

Concepts: bank run · credit crunch · double negative · microfinance

Places: Antarctica · El Salvador · Europe · Lebanon · Peru · Philippines

Characters: Tribble

Memes: It's Over 9000!

Also centred on Kiva: June 28: How to Be a Microfinancier · How to be a Microfinancier Part 2 · Brotherhood 2.0: July 2nd: The Law of Compound Nerdfighting · October 24th: RANDOM NERDFIGHTING · Puppy Elephant Defends Capitalism · Awesome Bankers?

Replies to

  • continues · IS THIS HEAVEN? — “I know I promised I wasn't going to film Blogbrothers videos in my fancy studio”

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