Tiny Chickens Invade, But Still I Vote

2012-05-08 · letter vlog · John, Sarah Urist Green · 2:16 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Personal life (also: US politics & society) · mode: Personal update · tags: community lore, self promotion, timely hook

Sick with 'tiny chicken disease', John is reminded by Sarah to vote and goes, keeping a promise made after missing the 2000 election, though he doubts his vote matters much because microbes, not voters, drive history.

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 has tiny chicken disease, caught from the Yeti; a night of snot

★ For nerdfighters in training, John defines tiny chicken disease: tiny chickens invade your nose and poop snot, which makes you sick. (playful) — 00:00:11 · tiny chickens, nit
★★ John is sick with 'tiny chicken disease', which the Yeti caught over the weekend; he spent the night swallowing snot and didn't sleep. (playful) — 00:00:21 · tiny chickens, Sarah Urist Green

00:00:51 — Sarah calls to remind him to vote; his promise to always vote after missing the 2000 election in Florida

★★ Sarah Urist Green: Sarah phones John to remind him to vote. — 00:00:52 · Sarah Urist Green
★★★ John doesn't want to vote while sick, but after failing to vote in Florida in the 2000 presidential election he promised himself and his country he would always vote. — 00:01:10 · Florida, United States presidential election

“I made a promise to myself and to my country that I would always vote.”

00:01:21 — He doesn't think his vote matters much: Crash Course research says microbes, not voters, are history's most important actors

★★★ John likes voting and is grateful to vote, but doesn't think his vote matters much, and not in the obvious sense that his is one vote among many. (hedged) — 00:01:21
★★★ From his Crash Course research John has become increasingly convinced that the most important actors in human history are microbes, not voters. — 00:01:29 · Crash Course

“the most important actors in human history aren't voters, they're microbes.”

00:01:38 — Wrong polling place, nerdfighting poll workers; he votes: 'I vote. I count.'

★★ John goes to the wrong polling place and has to try again; on the upside he meets two nerdfighting poll workers. (playful) — 00:01:38 · Nerdfighteria
★★ Having voted, John declares 'I vote. I count.': the tiny chickens will win in the end, but until then he is doing his part. (playful) — 00:01:51 · tiny chickens

00:01:59 — P.S.: Google+ hangout with Hank on the Crash Course channel tomorrow at 3 p.m. Eastern

★★ John and Hank will hang out via Google+ on the Crash Course channel tomorrow (9 May 2012) at 3 p.m. Eastern; viewers should subscribe to watch. — 00:01:59 · Crash Course

In the description and comments

★ The description says John voted in the Indiana primaries and will now go back to bed. — video description · Indiana

Humor (significant)

For nerdfighters-in-training, John explains the old tiny-chicken bit as if it were medicine: tiny chicken disease is — 00:00:18

“and then they poop snot which makes you sick.”
John, sick after the Yeti's cold, describes his night. — 00:00:31

“I drank like 14 liquid tons of snot.”
Dragged out sick to keep his always-vote promise, John reaches the polls. — 00:01:38

“I went to the wrong polling place.”

Threads in this video

told · John, sick with 'tiny chicken disease', goes out to vote in the Indiana primary (May 2012) — John, sick with tiny chicken disease caught from Sarah, is phoned by her to vote, groans, goes anyway, tries the wrong polling place first and finally votes; the description says it was the Indiana primary. (00:00:21)
callback · Hank's 'tiny chickens' illness bit (2007) — John explains 'tiny chicken disease' to nerdfighters in training: tiny chickens invade your nose and poop snot; he has caught it from the Yeti. (00:00:14)
progress update · John: always vote, a promise made after he failed to vote in Florida in the 2000 US presidential election — John recalls promising himself and his country, after failing to vote in Florida in the 2000 presidential election, that he would always vote, and keeps it today despite being sick. (00:01:10)
refine · Does one vote matter? — John says he likes voting and is grateful to vote but doesn't think his vote matters much, because microbes rather than voters are history's most important actors; he votes anyway: 'I vote. I count.' (00:01:21)
reminder · Hank asks viewers to watch the Crash Course Q&A and behind-the-scenes hangout (2012) — John reminds Nerdfighters that he and Hank will hang out via Google+ on the Crash Course channel tomorrow at 3 p.m. Eastern; subscribe to watch. (00:01:59)
retold · John misses the voter registration deadline after moving to Chicago (2000) — John doesn't want to vote while sick, but after failing to vote in Florida in the 2000 presidential election he promised himself and his country he would always vote. (00:01:10)

Where the stories that moved here went next

John: always vote, a promise made after he failed to vote in Florida in the 2000 US presidential election — standing commitment (last affirmed 2012); last: progress update, 2012-05-08

Mentioned

Central: microorganism · paradox of voting · tiny chickens

Also: Crash Course · Florida · Google+ · nit · Sarah Urist Green · United States presidential election

Only in the description or credits: Indiana

Also centred on microorganism: My New Obsession · In Which Hank Worries for a Little Bit and then Looks at Microbes

Also centred on paradox of voting: You. Must. Vote. · Ten Terrible Reason to not Vote (and two good ones) · Our Massive Project: How to Vote in Every State · Why I Didn't Vote (And Six Reasons You Might Not)

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