Pain Destroys Language: John after the Dentist
2015-05-19 · letter vlog · John · 2:34 · watch on YouTube
Topic: Health (also: Personal life, Global development) · mode: Personal essay · tags: fundraising ask, heavy topic
Just after his fourth oral surgery for chronic mouth pain, John says, citing Elaine Scarry's The Body in Pain, that pain destroys language; reflecting that his suffering is necessary but much is not, he launches a Save the Children fundraiser for Syrian refugees and pledges to match up to $20,000.
What is said
The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).
00:00:00 — Fresh from invasive oral surgery: the pain since 2007 and his fourth, most dramatic surgery
- ★★ John says he has just had a pretty invasive oral surgery. — 00:00:06
- ★ John says he is the highest he has ever been while making a vlogbrothers video. (playful) — 00:00:10 · Vlogbrothers
- ★★ John says he first referred to this still-continuing pain in his second vlogbrothers video, in 2007. — 00:00:14
- ★★ John says that after his gum was sewn back, his mouth tasted like cement, blood and burnt meat. — 00:00:24
- ★★★ John says this was his fourth and most dramatic surgery. — 00:00:30
- ★★ John says he has great care, a great oral surgeon and dentist, and is confident it will finally work. — 00:00:34
- ★★ John says chronic pain is just the worst. — 00:00:39
00:00:41 — Physical pain is inexpressible: Elaine Scarry's The Body in Pain; the metal rod in his gum
- ★★★ John says physical pain is almost inexpressible. — 00:00:41
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★★★ John cites Elaine Scarry's great book The Body in Pain: pain doesn't just defy language, it destroys language. (hedged) — 00:00:45
“pain doesn't just defy language, it kind of destroys language”
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★★★ John says language cannot make others understand your physical pain, because it is always only yours. — 00:00:55
- ★★★ John says the surgery was needed because a metal rod had erupted from his gum and pressed against his lip, the best he can do to describe the pain. — 00:01:01
00:01:22 — Necessary versus unnecessary suffering; the Save the Children fundraiser for Syrian refugees and John's match
- ★★ John has been thinking how lucky he is: with access to the best oral surgeons and dentists, his suffering is necessary. — 00:01:22
- ★★★ John says much suffering is completely unnecessary, and his favorite thing about the Nerdfighter community is that it tries to do something about it. — 00:01:32 · Nerdfighteria
- ★★★ John says this led him to start a fundraiser at Save the Children for its work with Syrian refugees. — 00:01:38 · Save the Children
- ★★ John says Save the Children does amazing work getting kids in refugee camps health care, education and nutrition. — 00:01:44 · Save the Children
- ★★ The fundraiser is called 'Nerdfighters Opposed to Human Suffering Including but not Limited to John's Post-Operative Pain'; a Tumblr Nerdfighter abbreviated it and John gives it a silly pronunciation. (playful) — 00:01:49 · Tumblr
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★★★ John pledges to match all Nerdfighters' donations up to $20,000, not because he is high: Sarah agreed. — 00:02:04 · Sarah Urist Green
“I will match all your donations up to $20,000”
00:02:12 — Pain just sucks; where we can alleviate it we should; donate if you can; sign-off
- ★★★ John says the only thing he can say about pain is that it sucks; he doesn't think it is romantic or transcendent. (hedged) — 00:02:12
- ★★★ John says that where we can help alleviate pain, we should. (hedged) — 00:02:20
- ★★★ John asks viewers to donate if they can, to this fundraiser or another, adding it is okay not to and to take care of themselves. — 00:02:23
- ★ John signs off because Alice needs him to read her an Elmo story. — 00:02:30 · Alice Green
Threads in this video
- told · John's fourth oral surgery for chronic mouth pain (2015) — John reports his fourth and most dramatic mouth surgery a few weeks ago, for pain he first mentioned in his second vlogbrothers video in 2007; a metal rod had erupted from his gum. (00:00:21)
- launched · John's one-week Nerdfighteria fundraiser for Save the Children's work with Syrian refugees (2015) — John says this led him to start a fundraiser at Save the Children for its work with Syrian refugees. (00:01:38)
- promised · John: match Nerdfighters' donations to the Save the Children refugee fundraiser up to $20,000 (2015) — John pledges to match all Nerdfighters' donations to the Save the Children fundraiser up to $20,000, with Sarah's agreement. (00:02:04)
- asked · John asks viewers to donate to his Save the Children fundraiser for Syrian refugees, or another (2015) — John asks viewers to donate if they can, to this fundraiser or another. (00:02:23)
- refine · Does suffering have meaning, or is it mostly unnecessary harm to be reduced? — John says the only thing he can say about pain is that it sucks; he doesn't think it is romantic or transcendent. (00:02:12)
- update · John's face is hit by a bike messenger in Chicago, starting years of chronic mouth pain (about 2003) — John says he first referred to this still-continuing pain in his second vlogbrothers video, in 2007. (00:00:14)
Where the stories that moved here went next
- John asks viewers to donate to his Save the Children fundraiser for Syrian refugees, or another (2015) — reported back; last: result reported, 2015-05-26
- John: match Nerdfighters' donations to the Save the Children refugee fundraiser up to $20,000 (2015) — kept
- John's one-week Nerdfighteria fundraiser for Save the Children's work with Syrian refugees (2015) — completed; last: outcome, 2015-05-26
- John's face is hit by a bike messenger in Chicago, starting years of chronic mouth pain (about 2003) — followed over 3 videos (2013–2016); last: told, 2016-05-10
Mentioned
Central: chronic pain · Save the Children
Also: Alice Green · Elmo · pain · refugee · Sarah Urist Green · Syria · The Body in Pain · Tumblr
Only in the description or credits: Elaine Scarry
Also centred on chronic pain: On Pain
Later videos replying to this one
- 2015-05-22 · 15 Rants in Four Minutes (Hank) — answers — “I'm sorry about your face” (00:00:00)