Gettin' Real with Hank

2014-09-26 · letter vlog · Hank · 3:55 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Nerdfighteria (also: Personal life) · mode: Personal essay · tags: civic or action cta

Hank says it is easy to forget how lucky the brothers are and that viewers are the reason their projects exist, admits he still feels insecure, sad and undeserving, and, on John's suggestion, asks viewers to rank in a survey what the brothers should do next.

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; Hank's new office (Games with Hank, Vlogbrothers, his desk) and a picture of John

• ★ Hank shows his newly set-up office, with areas for Games with Hank and Vlogbrothers and his actual desk. — 00:00:01 · Games With Hank, Vlogbrothers

00:00:16 — How cool their work is (Games with Hank, John's FIFA team, Crash Course in schools, Bill Gates, $260,000 for clean water); luck and viewers as the reason it exists

• ★★ Hank says it is easy to forget how cool the things the brothers get to do are. — 00:00:16
• ★★ Hank lists their luck: he has a channel where he just plays video games, and John has a fictional soccer team that helps fund a real one. — 00:00:21 · Games With Hank, AFC Wimbledon
• ★★ Hank says they work in a new medium that, despite what people in it say, no one understands or knows what to do with. — 00:00:26
• ★★ Hank says Crash Course is now used as a tool in literally thousands of schools. — 00:00:32 · Crash Course
• ★★ Hank says John got to hang out with Bill Gates, who would be the world's richest person had he not given so much money away, and discuss market forces in Ethiopian rural agriculture. — 00:00:36
• ★★★ Hank says that in about four days the community raised $260,000 to help people get clean water, and the most common donor comment is 'I'm sorry I couldn't give more.' — 00:00:50 · Nerdfighteria
• ★★★ Hank says their weird and wonderful position was granted by pure dumb luck and by the viewers, who forget they are the reason things exist. — 00:01:08 · Nerdfighteria
• ★★★ Hank says that by watching, viewers grant him power; in a world of infinite content (30 Rock, Breaking Bad, PewDiePie, cat videos) he finds it weird they choose this, and is honored by their time. — 00:01:30

00:01:46 — Real talk: still insecure, a normal amount of sadness, feeling undeserving and overworked

• ★★★ Hank says he is still insecure and still gets sad sometimes. — 00:01:46
• ★★ Hank says he doesn't think he struggles with depression: he has a normal amount of sadness and sometimes feels unmotivated and undeserving. (hedged) — 00:01:52
• ★★★ Hank thinks feeling undeserving is rational, since nothing special about him means people should watch him, but he doesn't want to feel he's faking it. (hedged) — 00:02:07
• ★★ Hank says feeling undeserving and being sad are normal but not socially acceptable to talk about, unlike saying you're overworked, which he is. — 00:02:15

00:02:27 — Overwhelming decisions; John's suggestion to ask viewers; the survey

• ★★ Hank says the decision about what to do with their time and resources is hard; John suggested on the phone that he just ask viewers. — 00:02:27
• ★★★ Hank has made a survey where viewers rank things the brothers might do and add ideas for what to do with the community's power. — 00:02:43 · Nerdfighteria

00:03:06 — Feeling better; gratitude for vlogbrothers as motivation

• ★★ Hank says he felt a little down yesterday and is better now; high among the things he is grateful for because of vlogbrothers is that it is always there to motivate him to get out of bed and make things. — 00:03:06 · Vlogbrothers

00:03:30 — Sign-off; closing gags: giant balls, a Smash Mouth line, E.T.

Threads in this video

• restate · Is online video a new kind of medium, or old entertainment delivered a new way? — Hank says the brothers work in a new medium that, whatever people working in it claim, no one understands or knows what to do with. (00:00:26)
• result reported · John asks viewers to raise $100,000 via Water.org for clean water in Ethiopia, matched by Bill Gates (2014) — Hank reports that in about four days the community has raised $260,000 to help people get access to clean water. (00:00:50)
• restate · Do people get what they deserve, or do luck and privilege decide? — Hank says the brothers' position was granted by pure dumb luck and by viewers, and that nothing special about him means he deserves to be watched. (00:01:08)
• asked · Hank asks viewers to rank in a survey what the brothers should do next with the community's resources (2014) — Hank asks viewers to fill out his survey, ranking things the brothers might do and adding their own ideas for what to do with the community's power. (00:02:43)

Where the stories that moved here went next

• John asks viewers to raise $100,000 via Water.org for clean water in Ethiopia, matched by Bill Gates (2014) — reported back; last: thanks, 2014-09-30
• Hank asks viewers to rank in a survey what the brothers should do next with the community's resources (2014) — reported back; last: result reported, 2014-09-30

Mentioned

People: Bill Gates · PewDiePie

Projects: Crash Course · Games With Hank

Works: 30 Rock · All Star · Breaking Bad · E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Organizations: AFC Wimbledon

Groups: Smash Mouth

Concepts: agricultural economics · depression · impostor syndrome · social privilege · water scarcity

Places: Ethiopia

Characters: AFC Wimbledon Wimbly Womblys

Later videos replying to this one

• 2014-09-30 · Keeping it EVEN REALER (John) — answers (result on Hank asks viewers to rank in a survey what the brothers should do next with the community's resources (2014)) — John reports Hank's survey results: more time with friends and family first, then explaining current events, charity and Crash Course; more Vlogbrothers and science education; viral videos dead last. (00:02:21)