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Awkward Stranger Conversations

2015-10-02 · letter vlog · Hank · 3:52 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Everyday life (also: Projects) · mode: Personal essay · tags: self promotion

Hank tells awkward stories of shop workers chatting with him and argues that, because people seen online and in the news seem less nice than those met in real life, talking to strangers gives a more accurate picture of people; he then plugs NerdCon: Stories, Wizard School, Night Vale shows and two new channels.

What is said

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

00:00:00 — First Missoula grocery trip: the cashier's 'So, tacos tonight?'; moving to a town where strangers chat

  • ★★ When Hank first moved to Missoula, at around 23, a grocery cashier ringing up his taco ingredients asked 'So, tacos tonight?'; never having chatted with cashiers, he was flabbergasted. (playful) — 00:00:02 · Missoula, Montana
  • ★★ Hank says he had moved from a place where chatting with strangers wasn't normal to one where it is, and he kinda likes it, though some people don't. — 00:00:36 · Missoula, Montana
  • ★ Hank says he used to be terrified even to tell the person at Wendy's what hamburger he wanted. (playful) — 00:00:47

00:00:55 — Pita Pit 'how's your day been?'; liquor-store clerk's remarks about his age and an interracial couple

  • ★ At Pita Pit, asked how his day had been, Hank said 'really weird', then had no time to tell the worker who settled in to listen. (playful) — 00:00:55
  • ★★ A liquor-store clerk, checking Hank's ID, said she'd never have thought he was so old, then told him, with others in line, that an Asian customer with a white girlfriend seemed improper to her. — 00:01:08
  • ★★ Hank's reaction: the clerk clearly has issues he is not the person to deal with; he just wants to buy his brown liquor and take it home. (playful) — 00:01:29

00:01:47 — Talking to strangers is pleasant; people online and in the news seem less nice than in real life, so talk to strangers

  • ★★★ Mostly, Hank finds talking to strangers, on the street or in commercial interactions, very pleasant; he likes strangers and talking to them at shows, bars or clubs. — 00:01:47
  • ★★★ Hank says people seen on the internet or the news tend to be less nice than those met in real life, so to get an accurate picture of people, talk to strangers. — 00:02:00
  • ★★ Hank admits talking to strangers is not normal advice (don't get in their cars) and says it is also good practice: he was never comfortable until he did it all the time. — 00:02:15

00:02:24 — Taco Bell 'good morning' at 4 p.m. and the 'enjoy your meal' comeback that never came

  • ★★ At Taco Bell at 4 p.m. a worker said 'Good morning'; Hank said 'Not quite', then promised to mirror her slip by answering 'enjoy your meal' with 'you too', but she never said it. (playful) — 00:02:24

00:02:45 — Plugs: NerdCon: Stories prep, Wizard School Kickstarter, Welcome to Night Vale shows, Engage by Uplift and The Financial Diet; sign-off

  • ★★ Hank says NerdCon: Stories is next week (week of 5 October 2015) and he is very busily prepping for it. — 00:02:49
  • ★★★ Hank is overwhelmed by the Wizard School Kickstarter's success: over 1000% funded, so they will get to make the game. — 00:02:52 · Wizard School, Kickstarter
  • ★★ Hank asks viewers to still pledge to the Wizard School Kickstarter because there are stretch goals they want to hit. — 00:03:00 · Wizard School, Kickstarter
  • ★★ Hank will be in Portland and Seattle with Welcome to Night Vale, a super fun show he has done before. — 00:03:08 · first in: 2015-08-07, Is This Video Cool?
  • ★★★ Hank announces two of 'our newest video project things': Engage by Uplift, on abuse and sex in virtual spaces, and The Financial Diet, on living well young without ruining your future. — 00:03:18 · The Financial Diet
  • ★★ Hank asks interested viewers to click on the two new shows around him and check them out. — 00:03:45 · The Financial Diet

Humor (significant)

  • A Pita Pit worker settles in to hear why Hank's day has been really weird. — 00:01:01

    “But I don't have time to tell you, I need a pita.”

  • After the clerk's remarks about an interracial couple, Hank just wants to buy his brown liquor and go. — 00:01:35

    “take it home so that I can drink it faster than I normally would have now that I've had this interaction.”

  • Hank recommends talking to strangers, admitting it is not normal advice. — 00:02:15

    “Don't get in their cars or anything.”

  • Hank promises a Taco Bell worker he'll reply 'you too' to her 'enjoy your meal' so she can feel better about her 'good morning'. — 00:02:39

    “she didn't say "Enjoy your meal", so I couldn't do the thing, which I thought was gonna be super funny.”

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: Wizard School

Also: Projects: Engage by Uplift · NerdCon: Stories · The Financial Diet

Works: Welcome to Night Vale

Organizations: Kickstarter · Pita Pit · Taco Bell · Wendy's

Concepts: racism

Places: Missoula, Montana · Portland, Oregon · Seattle

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