Viewer questions, 2016

62 viewer questions, requests and challenges answered in 15 videos uploaded in 2016, grouped by topic (the domain of the part of the video the answer is in), in upload order within a topic. Each question is followed by the answer as summarised, with the speaker and timestamp. Question Tuesday marks the Q&A series. Back to the overview.

Topics: Nerdfighteria (27) · Books & writing (8) · Personal life (8) · US politics & society (6) · Projects (5) · Internet & YouTube (3) · Everyday life (2) · Philosophy & meaning (1) · Pop culture (1) · Science & nature (1)

Nerdfighteria

• Q: “How's the writing going?” (00:00:44) — The Looking for Alaska Movie, Davos, and Hufflepuff Shade: It's Question Tuesday · Question Tuesday
  • John: Asked how the writing is going, John says he thinks it is going well and apologizes that it is taking so long. (00:00:45)
• Q: “Hey, what's going to be the title of your new book?” (00:00:47) — The Looking for Alaska Movie, Davos, and Hufflepuff Shade: It's Question Tuesday · Question Tuesday
  • John: Asked the title of his new book, John says he doesn't know and asks viewers to leave title ideas in the comments. (00:00:49)
• Q: “What is your opinion of inside jokes?” (00:00:53) — The Looking for Alaska Movie, Davos, and Hufflepuff Shade: It's Question Tuesday · Question Tuesday
  • John (joke): Asked his opinion of inside jokes, John answers with Cheez Doodles Guy shouting joyfully. (00:00:55)
• Q: “Who are you going to vote for presi-” (00:01:01) — The Looking for Alaska Movie, Davos, and Hufflepuff Shade: It's Question Tuesday · Question Tuesday
  • John: Asked whom he will vote for, John says he is not paying attention to the so-called presidential election until 100 days before Indiana's primary, and will enjoy his last few days of not thinking about it. (00:01:02)
• Q: “Can you six degrees of Kevin Bacon yourself?” (00:01:21) — The Looking for Alaska Movie, Davos, and Hufflepuff Shade: It's Question Tuesday · Question Tuesday
  • John: Asked to six-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon himself, John says he acted in The Fault in Our Stars movie (scene cut, but in the extended version) with Laura Dern, who was in Novocaine with Kevin Bacon. (00:01:23)
• Q: “How should a dog wear pants?” (00:01:31) — The Looking for Alaska Movie, Davos, and Hufflepuff Shade: It's Question Tuesday · Question Tuesday
  • John: Asked how a dog should wear pants, John says that on dogs with pants he stands with the president. (00:01:33)
• Q: “At this point do presidential debates actually accomplish what they're supposed to accomplish?” (00:01:36) — The Looking for Alaska Movie, Davos, and Hufflepuff Shade: It's Question Tuesday · Question Tuesday
  • John: John says that, as far as he can tell, presidential debates now exist to sell expensive advertising on cable news networks, and at that they are very effective. (00:01:39)
• Q: “How do you think the world will end?” (00:01:47) — The Looking for Alaska Movie, Davos, and Hufflepuff Shade: It's Question Tuesday · Question Tuesday
  • John: Asked how the world will end, John says he has a top-ten list of eschatological anxieties but sides with T.S. Eliot: not with a bang but with a whimper. (00:01:49)
• Q: “Do you like snapchat filters?” (00:01:26) — Snapchat Question Time!
  • John: Asked about Snapchat filters, John admits he barely knows Snapchat, but says in Jordan their interpreter used the filters with kids, who loved them, and he found them amazing. (00:01:27)
• Q: “Should this young woman condition or shampoo first?” (00:02:01) — Snapchat Question Time!
  • John & Hank: Both brothers say you always shampoo, then condition; neither had heard of conditioning first. (00:02:04)
• Q: “What's your favourite food to eat when you're sick?” (00:02:35) — Snapchat Question Time!
  • John: John, who has strep throat, says his favorite food when sick is Chloraseptic Max, which numbs the back of the throat where the strep is. (00:02:37)
• Q: “How goes the book writing John?” (00:02:57) — Snapchat Question Time!
  • John: Asked how the book writing goes, John says he is writing; the last word he wrote is 'coffee', in a line about stirring milk into morning coffee that he gives 50-50 odds of surviving. (00:02:58)
• Q: “Why do you love writing?” (00:00:21) — My New Book, Marriage Advice, and Hamilton: 50 Snapchat Questions Answered! · Question Tuesday
  • John: John says he loves writing because it is his number one way of escaping the prison of his consciousness. (00:00:21)
• Q: “Biggest lesson from the refugee camps?” (00:00:25) — My New Book, Marriage Advice, and Hamilton: 50 Snapchat Questions Answered! · Question Tuesday
  • John: John says the refugee camps taught him the horror of dislocation: trauma within your own community differs from loss in a place that isn't yours, among strangers. (00:00:25)
• Q: “Should I read 'The Fountainhead'?” (00:01:52) — My New Book, Marriage Advice, and Hamilton: 50 Snapchat Questions Answered! · Question Tuesday
  • John: Asked whether to read The Fountainhead, John replies that there are so many good books, implying it is not one. (00:01:52)
• Q: “Honest opinion on Donald Trump?” (00:02:00) — My New Book, Marriage Advice, and Hamilton: 50 Snapchat Questions Answered! · Question Tuesday
  • John: Asked his honest opinion of Donald Trump, John quotes Cyrus Ching: never wrestle with a pig; you get filthy, and the pig likes it. (00:02:00)
• Q: “We're newlyweds! How do we build a strong marriage?” (00:03:18) — My New Book, Marriage Advice, and Hamilton: 50 Snapchat Questions Answered! · Question Tuesday
  • John: To newlyweds asking how to build a strong marriage, John passes on his parents' two words of advice that have helped him: mutual generosity. (00:03:18)
• Q: “Is there gonna be more CrashCourse with you?” (00:03:37) — My New Book, Marriage Advice, and Hamilton: 50 Snapchat Questions Answered! · Question Tuesday
  • John: John says there will be more Crash Course with him: more literature this summer, and they are reading the books now. (00:03:37)
• Q: “Opinions on gerrymandering?” (00:00:51) — Questions (and Announcements) from VidCon · Question Tuesday
  • Hank: Asked for opinions on gerrymandering, Hank suggests watching CGP Grey's video about it. (00:00:51)
• Q: “Easy might be adopting two kittens tomorrow, what should she name them?” (00:01:13) — Questions (and Announcements) from VidCon · Question Tuesday
  • Hank: Asked what a viewer adopting two kittens should name them, Hank suggests Asiago and Cheddar. (00:01:13)
• Q: “Patrick wants to know if I have any tricks for conquering insomnia.” (00:01:22) — Questions (and Announcements) from VidCon · Question Tuesday
  • Hank: Asked for insomnia tricks, Hank says he reacts to stress with sleep; his insomnia has mostly come from caffeine, so he avoids it. (00:01:22)
• Q: “If you could have a fictional person be a guest at VidCon who would it be?” (00:01:43) — Questions (and Announcements) from VidCon · Question Tuesday
  • Hank: Asked which fictional person he would have as a VidCon guest, Hank weighs Luna Lovegood, Galadriel and Huck Finn and says he'd have to write a fanfic. (00:01:43)
• Q [challenge]: “and I'm tagging the vlogbrothers, either one.” — asked by Grace Helbig (00:01:02) — I'm Just Going to Talk for Four Minutes
  • Hank: Grace Helbig tagged the Vlogbrothers in her put-stuff-on-your-head video; Hank replies he has already put stuff on his head across their 1,427 videos and Grace is nine years behind. (00:01:00)
• Q: “How’s the new book coming along?” (00:00:06) — Decathlons, Pretension, and the Weirdest Animal I've Met: It's Question Thursday · Question Tuesday
  • John: Asked how the new book is coming along, John says that in general the less he talks about it, the better it is going. (00:00:08)
• Q: “How do you want to be remembered?” (00:00:16) — Decathlons, Pretension, and the Weirdest Animal I've Met: It's Question Thursday · Question Tuesday
  • John: John says he looks up most to his parents and secondarily Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and wants to be remembered as a father, husband and AFC Wimbledon sponsor. (00:00:13)
• Q [request]: “Will you mention The Road to Nerdfighteria?” (00:01:57) — Decathlons, Pretension, and the Weirdest Animal I've Met: It's Question Thursday · Question Tuesday
  • John: Asked to mention The Road to Nerdfighteria, John calls it an amazing project where nerdfighters around the world tell how they found Nerdfighteria, linked in the description. (00:01:59)
• Q: “Would you ever consider becoming President of the United States?” (00:02:04) — Decathlons, Pretension, and the Weirdest Animal I've Met: It's Question Thursday · Question Tuesday
  • John: John says he would never consider running for President: he would be very bad at it, and it involves shaking hands with strangers and asking rich people for money. (00:02:06)

Books & writing

• Q: “When is Looking for Alaska gonna be made into a movie?” (00:01:56) — The Looking for Alaska Movie, Davos, and Hufflepuff Shade: It's Question Tuesday · Question Tuesday
  • John: John says he sold the Looking for Alaska movie rights more than ten years ago, has tried many times to buy them back, attempts to make the film keep falling apart, and he is no longer involved. (00:02:02)
• Q: “Hints about your new book?” (00:00:51) — My New Book, Marriage Advice, and Hamilton: 50 Snapchat Questions Answered! · Question Tuesday
  • John: Asked for hints about his new book, John says it concerns the White River. (00:00:51)
• Q: “What John Green quote are you most proud of?” (00:00:47) — Decathlons, Pretension, and the Weirdest Animal I've Met: It's Question Thursday · Question Tuesday
  • John: John says the Looking for Alaska line "Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia" is not his: Sarah said it on their first date; he wrote it on a napkin and used it, with her permission. (00:00:49)
• Q: “How many copies of Harry Potter do you own?” (00:01:03) — Decathlons, Pretension, and the Weirdest Animal I've Met: It's Question Thursday · Question Tuesday
  • John: John says they own one copy of each Harry Potter book except book four, of which they have two; one was on Quentin's nightstand in the Paper Towns movie. (00:01:05)
• Q: “If all the characters in your books ran for President, which one would have your vote?” (00:01:12) — Decathlons, Pretension, and the Weirdest Animal I've Met: It's Question Thursday · Question Tuesday
  • John: Asked which of his characters he would vote for as president, John picks Hazel's mom from The Fault in Our Stars: cool under pressure, thoughtful, cautious, played by Laura Dern. (00:01:16)
• Q: “Why do you read fiction?” (00:03:00) — Decathlons, Pretension, and the Weirdest Animal I've Met: It's Question Thursday · Question Tuesday
  • John: John reads fiction for consolation, feeling unalone even in his inexpressible fears, and to escape the prison of his consciousness and live in someone else's mind. (00:03:01)
• Q: “Hank, why is there no sequel to The Fault in Our Stars?” (00:00:32) — Baby Poop Rookie: Vlogbrothers Reunited · Question Tuesday
  • Hank: Asked why there is no sequel to The Fault in Our Stars, Hank suggests it would maybe not have been the happiest book. (00:00:35)
  • John: John says he doesn't know how a sequel to The Fault in Our Stars could have happened, but people in Hollywood did make suggestions. (00:00:39)
• Q: “If you could take one book to a desert island, what book would it be?” (00:02:03) — Baby Poop Rookie: Vlogbrothers Reunited · Question Tuesday
  • John (hypothetical): For a desert-island book, John imagines a book that read forwards is the collected works of Shakespeare and read backwards is a survival guide for the island. (00:02:12)
  • Hank: Hank says he would take Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller trilogy, even though its last book isn't out yet. (00:02:31)

Personal life

• Q: “Who's your celebrity crush?” (00:02:53) — The Looking for Alaska Movie, Davos, and Hufflepuff Shade: It's Question Tuesday · Question Tuesday
  • John: Asked his celebrity crush, John says right now it is definitely Lin-Manuel Miranda. (00:02:54)
• Q: “Is there a smell that is important to you and brings you back to a particular time in your life?” (00:02:56) — The Looking for Alaska Movie, Davos, and Hufflepuff Shade: It's Question Tuesday · Question Tuesday
  • John: A spray scent called 'Spring Rain' takes John back to high school, where he and his roommate used it to cover the smell of cigarette smoke; the horrific scent makes him happy. (00:03:00)
• Q: “Gwen asks " does John cast movies?” (00:01:22) — Things You Don't Know About Us (REUNION!)
  • John: Asked by a viewer, John says he does not cast movies. (00:01:22)
• Q: “Nerdfighter emoji?” (00:02:21) — Things You Don't Know About Us (REUNION!)
  • Hank: Asked for a Nerdfighter emoji, Hank shows the one he uses, the gesturing lady. (00:02:21)
• Q [challenge]: “Here to roast myself like Ryan Higa said.” — asked by Ryan Higa (00:00:09) — Hank Roasts Himself Diss Track - Roast Yourself Challenge
  • Hank: Hank joins the Roast Yourself challenge that Ryan Higa started, with lyrics roasting himself, while calling it probably a bad idea. (00:00:00)
• Q: “First, how is Orin doing?” (00:00:19) — Baby Poop Rookie: Vlogbrothers Reunited · Question Tuesday
  • Hank: Asked how Orin is, Hank says he is a good, very cute baby; he may have smiled at Hank that morning, or may just have been pooping. (00:00:20)
• Q: “What is the most surprising thing about having a baby?” (00:01:20) — Baby Poop Rookie: Vlogbrothers Reunited · Question Tuesday
  • Hank: Asked the most surprising thing about having a baby, Hank says the noise of the poops; on Orin's first day home he pooped with his diaper off and Hank tried to catch it by hand. (00:01:22)
• Q [request]: “Alright Hank, write an autobiography in five words.” (00:03:23) — Baby Poop Rookie: Vlogbrothers Reunited · Question Tuesday
  • Hank: Asked for an autobiography in five words, Hank gives the one he wrote: 'He made stuff with John.' (00:03:33)

US politics & society

• Q [challenge]: “I do not wanna choose between the lesser of two evils " Two things” (00:00:15) — Why I Didn't Vote (And Six Reasons You Might Not)
  • John: To the most common concern, not wanting to choose the lesser of two evils, John says most states will have more than two candidates on the presidential ballot. (00:00:17)
  • John: John says maybe you do want the lesser of two evils, since it is less evil; not voting ranks the candidates as equally evil, which he finds impossible given their very different policies. (00:00:21)
• Q [challenge]: “I am not informed on the issues and/or don't care " So if you don't care who your elected representatives are” (00:00:57) — Why I Didn't Vote (And Six Reasons You Might Not)
  • John: To the concern of being uninformed or not caring, John agrees that people who don't care who represents them should not vote, but says getting informed isn't hard. (00:00:56)
• Q [challenge]: “I'm a Republican in a 'blue state' or a Democrat in a 'red state', so my vote doesn't matter " First” (00:01:22) — Why I Didn't Vote (And Six Reasons You Might Not)
  • John: To minority-party voters in one-party states, John says down-ballot votes might matter and the vote matters regardless: not voting makes politicians think the state is less politically diverse than it is. (00:01:26)
• Q [challenge]: “The system is corrupted by money and votes don't actually matter” (00:01:50) — Why I Didn't Vote (And Six Reasons You Might Not)
  • John: John agrees the system is corrupted by money but says not voting won't fix it, because protest non-voting looks to the system exactly like apathy. (00:01:53)
• Q [challenge]: “illness or disability or transportation problems” (00:02:16) — Why I Didn't Vote (And Six Reasons You Might Not)
  • John: On illness, disability or transport, John says US voting laws in many states make voting very hard for sick or disabled people, but state options usually exist. (00:02:16)
• Q [challenge]: “I am overwhelmed with the process of registering and have never voted before” (00:02:36) — Why I Didn't Vote (And Six Reasons You Might Not)
  • John: In August 2000 John had just moved to Chicago, slept in a walk-in closet of an apartment not in his name, had a Florida license, didn't know how to register, and missed the deadline. (00:02:41)

Projects

• Q: “Any plans to come back to Crash Course?” (00:02:41) — The Looking for Alaska Movie, Davos, and Hufflepuff Shade: It's Question Tuesday · Question Tuesday
  • John: John says this summer Crash Course will do another Crash Course Literature mini-series: Huckleberry Finn, Invisible Man, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Their Eyes Were Watching God and some Shakespearean sonnets. (00:02:43)
• Q: “Would vlogbrothers ever do a tour?” (00:02:11) — Snapchat Question Time!
  • Hank: Asked whether vlogbrothers would ever tour, Hank announces the Hank Green and the Perfect Strangers tour that day; tickets are available now and inexpensive. (00:02:13)
• Q: “What is the difference between Hank Green and Hank Green and the Perfect Strangers?” (00:00:07) — The Time I Fell Asleep with an M&M in My Mouth (and a song)
  • Hank: Asked how Hank Green differs from Hank Green and the Perfect Strangers, Hank says playing and listening to music is more fun with a band, so friends made one, but they play the same Hank Green songs. (00:00:11)
• Q: “Describe your feelings about VidCon being this week.” (00:01:51) — Questions (and Announcements) from VidCon · Question Tuesday
  • Hank: Hank says he doesn't get to think much about VidCon and forms few memories rushing between things, and this one will be particularly intense because of three announcements. (00:01:55)
• Q [request]: “People want to hear more about our adult-y lives doing the things that we do and another thing I know” (00:00:04) — Let's Talk about Failure
  • Hank: Hank tells John he is in the midst of a failure: his company celebrates nerdy things offline, starting with VidCon, and he started NerdCon: Stories. (00:00:28)

Internet & YouTube

• Q: “John, why aren’t you Snapchatting?” (00:02:13) — Decathlons, Pretension, and the Weirdest Animal I've Met: It's Question Thursday · Question Tuesday
  • John: John says a few months ago he turned his phone into a dumb phone that only texts, calls and plays Pokémon Go; the change has been kind of wonderful, though he misses Snapchat a little. (00:02:15)
• Q: “How do you stay informed about current events?” (00:02:27) — Decathlons, Pretension, and the Weirdest Animal I've Met: It's Question Thursday · Question Tuesday
  • John: John says that about a year ago he began reading The Economist, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Indianapolis Star, and grew suspicious of his social media feed as the best way to stay informed. (00:02:29)
• Q: “How do you feel about social media, anyway?” (00:02:42) — Decathlons, Pretension, and the Weirdest Animal I've Met: It's Question Thursday · Question Tuesday
  • John: John likens social media to an intense, fun romantic relationship burning the candle at both ends that will not last; maybe he should end it, but it isn't serious. (00:02:44)

Everyday life

• Q [challenge]: “I've gotten a lot of messages saying " dude, suck it up. Dumbledore said it himself, you gotta choose between what is right and what is easy " Or something like that.” (00:02:04) — Doing the Hard(er) Thing (and some very bad news)
  • Hank: Admitting he has no scientific evidence, Hank feels people can only do so many things they don't want to do before giving in (eating a whole ice cream cake). (00:02:18)
• Q: “Hank, do you have any self-care advice?” (00:02:56) — Baby Poop Rookie: Vlogbrothers Reunited · Question Tuesday
  • John & Hank: Asked for self-care advice, Hank defers to Self-Care Bunny, which John says is there to remind you to be nice to yourself. (00:02:56)

Philosophy & meaning

• Q: “leaves a comment on a video asking me how do I justify eating meat” (00:01:07) — Why Are Vegetarians Annoying? (An Exploration of a Cultural Rift)
  • Hank: To people who comment asking how he justifies eating meat, Hank says they are right and he is wrong, but he will keep eating meat because he struggles with self-control. (00:01:05)

Pop culture

• Q: “Favorite Disney movie, go!” (00:00:45) — Baby Poop Rookie: Vlogbrothers Reunited · Question Tuesday
  • John: Asked for his favourite Disney movie, John names the new one Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the songs for. (00:00:51)

Science & nature

• Q [request]: “sometimes I miss the days when you just made videos about giraffe sex” (00:00:13) — How Giraffes Mate, and Why It Matters
  • John: John says according to one study up to 90% of giraffe sex occurs between two males, with occasional same-sex mounting between females, so heterosexual sex is not the dominant form, though it makes the babies. (00:00:17)