Thank you so much John! I'm a yemeni student studying abroad and the situation is so unstable and complex politically that alot of people ignore the health aspects to it. Its hard to make others understand that something as simple as lack of clean water kills so many. NGOs like Save The Children, UNICEF and UNHCR so far have done most of the work - even the small youth volunteer groups like agroup I volunteered with as a medical student called Field Medical Foundation facebook.com/fmfyemen/- along with spreading public awareness of the first line act. With whats going on in the world these things get lost in the margins and it's personally very touching to see that someone on the outside still wants to learn about it and spread awareness so thank you so so much for this.
That has been true the last few serious videos, but it's mostly because I'm in the office today doing other stuff! (Also, my house is under VERY LOUD CONSTRUCTION, so you may be seeing more of me at the office for the next few weeks.) -John
Jer o i find it odd how upset i was that he wasn't in his (i assume) basement surrounded by boxes.. i don't mean classical internet exageration upset i mean wholely upset about this. Pit in my stomach couldn't take my mind off of it upset.. The amount change affects me scares me.
Hm digging a hole and finding a whole mine under it . Cholera became almost completely immune to antibiotics especially in India. I heard a report about it a few week ago and special clinics who threat it here in Europe.
In the name of Yemen and all Yemenis , THANK YOU JOHN !! In the time that EVERYONE is ignoring YEMEN and the Cholera in Yemen, you stand out to talk and raise the problem that I, with my other friends, have been trying to raise. THANK YOU JOHN !!
It's so sad that these situatioms exist and don't have much coverage in the media. I feel like only major outbreaks/attacks/backlashes are put on the front page and shared vigorously to keep our attention into some places only. But there are other countries going through same scenarios or even worse. I think it takes involvement, empathy and simply paying attention with an open mind around us.
Yeah, I think one of the challenges is that the news gives us whatever we will click on, and we don't tend to click on stories that are complicated. We like stories where there is one side to take--left or right, rebel or empire, etc. And our politics is serving up SO MANY of those stories at the moment (many of which are very important!) that we are paying even less attention than usual to stories from the developing world. I think that has broad and serious consequences for all of us. -John
Yeah but who would want to hear that there was a serious world problem when there is a small possibility Emma Watson has a double chin or Trump misspelled something in his most recent tweet?
John - As a health administrator, one of my 'life' goals is be that agent to help provide a sustainable source of healthcare to those that are in need of it. It has always amazed me how direct the chemical/intake balance affects how a person acts and behaves (i.e. A hypoglycemic diabetic or a individual simply suffering from malnutrition). The difference being 'well' and 'sick' is much closer than most tend to realize. It's a fact that every society is needing to pay more thought/effort to those in need. Hearing this reminder is much needed. Given your platform I have no doubt it brings that much needed awareness to places such as Yemen. It's truly an issue of neglect and nativity. I've been a longtime viewer of yours (Nerdfighter) and certainly appreciated you bringing this topic up to attention. Keep dishing it out!
Thank your friendly water and wastewater treatment plant professional for the lack of attention about cholera in most industrialised countries. Having worked in treatment plants most of my adult life, the facts are that basic sanitation DOES save countless lives. Please consider donating to charities that fund clean water projects throughout the third world. Clean water should be a basic right for each human being.
Hi John, I want to let you know that this video led me to donate to the Save the Children campaign. I hesitate when donating to international causes because I know so little of the history or the agenda of the groups that are looking to intervene. I usually end up doing nothing at all. I cannot express how much the integrity and sincerity that you, Hank, and all your wonderful staff have shown over the years means to me and my decision making on matters like this. You are all wonderful human beings. Thank you for all you do.
My mother and little brother recently came back from Yemen, our home country because she was supposed to stay there for a month (which she did) and BOTH got cholera there and had severe symptoms for 2 weeks. They described it as very harsh and I'm glad you were able to discuss it. Luckily, they were treated being that we are part of the most fortunate side of Yemen. I went there about 6 years ago as a child and stayed for 2 years. While I was there, there wasn't necessarily a huge problem. As soon as we came back, war broke out and that's when I started hearing about this epidemic. I don't understand why this is such an obscure topic when there are at least 12 million people who don't have access to clean water. It seems to me that the population hugely relies on media to determine whether such problems are necessary to address or not. Yemen isn't even the only country suffering this crisis, as there are many neighboring countries that have the same problem. Thank you for discussing this. Yemen is in trouble.
Back at the beginning of the summer, I watched the episode of Friends where Chandler says he's moving to Yemen to escape Janice. It made me think, "gee, I don't know anything about Yemen, let me look it up on the internet." I was shocked to hear about a Cholera epidemic that I saw covered nowhere. I spend a fair amount of time on the internet, but the only way I knew about the epidemic was from laying around watching Netflix. I told a few of my friends, but the general consensus was "that sucks, hopefully it'll get figured out soon." Thank you for bringing attention to this epidemic; there's a country in need and most people don't even know about it.
I'm just going to take a moment to say thank you to the vlogbrothers for being there for this community. It's been ten years, and throughout all their other successes, they continue to invest care into this channel. I am thankful for there devotion toward the lives of those they influence 💜
Dear John, I'm a mom and an artist and I have watched your videos for years now and I'm probably one of your few older fans (you know, the ones that are middle of 30 something and saddled with adulthood the way you have so accurately described in a past video). I've wanted to write to you many times before- mostly since I bawled my eyes out reading AFIOS on a plane but never have. I'm finally writing now because I live in the very privileged country of Singapore and we have a nearby neighbour- Myanmar, who is going through a really serious humanitarian crisis. Our papers are flooded daily with reports on how the Rohingya refugees are dying for the lack of aid and funding and no matter how much I donate or try to spread the news, it is not enough. It is frustrating and depressing beyond belief. But I'm writing because I'm hoping perhaps maybe you will pick this situation up and feature it one of your videos. Your humanitarian work is the reason why I started giving a damn, making me believe that we can do something to make a difference. I can only imagine how many of such requests you get on a daily basis, and I totally understand if this message never gets to you. But if it does, whatever you decide in the end, I'm glad I wrote you. Thank you, you, for being the person that you are.
I am in the midst of beginning the school year with a unit on empathy. My students right now are engaged in group projects delving into clean water access, famine, and the refugee crisis. This video couldn't be more timely. Thanks!
Similar to what John said so eloquently, I feel like we Americans have gotten particularly wrapped up in the news involving the current administration and do not realize the magnitude of other important issues that have nothing to do with our politics. Thanks for shedding a light on this, John, it helped me open my eyes to this bias of sorts.
I have been watching vlogbrothers consistently for a decade, and still, every new video uploaded makes me love the Green brothers more. Empathy. It should be taught in schools.
I just signed up to be a monthly donor for Save the Children :) Thanks for continuing to share with us the stories that really need telling, John, and helping us close that empathy gap!
I have never been this early to a Vlogbrothers video! As much as I love Question Tuesdays, Thoughts From Places, and the goofy stuff, I really love this. I was empathetic before Nerdfighteria, but this community has opened me up so much more. I would never have known about Save the Children or TSWGO or how much GOOD news there is in the world if not for you guys and this community. So thanks and DFTBA
To be completely honest, I think a lot of people including myself don't pay much attention to these things (other than when someone makes a video about it) because we're not really sure what we can actually do about it that would matter. I know there are organizations out there that you can donate to, ones that might and probably do help somehow, but it all often feels so disconnected. If you tell me another person is dying from something preventable, I care, a lot of people care; hell give me a way to get them a case of water or some pedialyte and I'll throw down 5 or 10 bucks for it right now. I'd hand it to them myself were they not a plane trip away, but that's the whole point, I know nothing, I throw help and hope it did good somewhere that feels like a world away. You can't connect with these people for the most part, there's this sense of "is this really making a difference", it's hard to see the impact even if it is there. I feel like people including myself "turn it off" in our minds because we don't want to feel bad about stuff we feel like we can't really help in any meaningful way, but we really shouldn't, because we're probably wrong.
I totally get this. And I get how the lack of a sense of connection makes it very difficult to know that your money is at work in meaningful ways, which you CAN know through a gofundme or a contribution to a local cause you care about. (And by the way, I think donating to local charities is great. For Sarah and me personally, donating to local charities is an important priority.) But I also think it is partly on us to pay attention, to learn which charities are doing effective work with the most vulnerable populations worldwide, and to support those charities. I also think we find ways to care about ALL KINDS OF THINGS that don't directly impact our lives, like how much money Marky Mark makes for the Transformers movies or what a Kardashian is up to or whether AFC Wimbledon will SIGN A G-D D-MNED STRIKER ALREADY, and so on. So I agree that it's a countercultural choice to engage with the non-rich world, but I think it IS a choice. -John
Tempest Of Thought you know it's one big capitalist value... to believe. we believe that an investment will turn profitable in future so we invest. similarly we have to start by believing that we really can make a difference in this too. secondly, there's something called a functionalist approach which talks about 'peace by piece' that is to say that a monstrous problem can be solved by solving bits and pieces of it rather than looking for a one big solution. men are not angels and that's why these problems but we're not demons also so amelioration at least is possible
It is so hard these days to keep up with news that doesn’t harbor an immediate shock- but is complex and frustrating ,as it is important . Thank you for making it look easy
Kaitlyn Carroll if you would like some recommendations: Crash Course - made by the vlogbrothers Extra History - well-animated and covers interesting topics, including the discovery of how to stop Cholera Real Engineering - a sexy-voiced Irishman explains materials science Practical Engineering - how infrastructure is made Overly Sarcastic Productions - myths and literary tropes...with sarcasm! CGP Grey - weird political stuff Jay Foreman - A comedian explains some things about Britain
It is videos like this that makes me love your and your brothers channels. Intelligent, nuanced, and controversial in a desperatly needed way, not for grabbing attention. I recently finished my master's in humanitarian action and your videos have been moral reminders of why I got myself into such a tough field, thank you!
I'd like to hear you explain more about what's happening in Yemen, you're very good at breaking down complex topics. Keep informing the world John, you're making a difference one video at a time.
Thank you John. Thank you for always providing us with ways to look at the world complexly. You were right when you said it's so easy to forget what happens elsewhere because of the political climate in the United States. You and your brother help all of us watching remember that there are others in the world who struggle day to day just like the rest of us, and many of them more than us. We need to continue to remember and think of these other people not as others, but people, and there's no one who does that better than you and Hank.
Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention, John. I had no idea before but now have donated £20 to the Oxfam appeal. Sending hope and love to all those suffering because of this.
Sometimes I want to skip through these videos, and others along the same line as this one. But I think it says a lot about me if I can't sit through a four minute video about something that is objectively important and thought provoking. And now thanks to you John, I'm researching ways to donate to non-profit organizations that provide medical care and clean drinking water to citizens of Yemen. And you're right, all it takes is to pay more attention.
Your timing is impeccable! Some of my students are researching Yemen this week, and my entire seventh grade curriculum centers around empathizing with those who are different from us.
This video is such a good thing. Not only does it educate and provide food for thought, it's also a reminder of how far society has come. Although you are correct John, important stories are ignored, a lot of people are still talking about them. How far back would you have to go before even those active citizens wouldn't know or care about war crimes. 30 years? 50 years? Although there is a long way to go, we have come so far and so fast.
John, how do you stay so well-informed on what's happening all over the world? There are so many countries, and so many different things happening all the time.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I'm reading all you sources and the extra credit site mentioned in comments. I'm not rich but everyone should be able to do something like you just did with this video.
Thank you for being so smart in letting people know about that. Making more people actually watch this with the tittle and with talking about the history.
I love these videos. I am diagnosed with depression which makes it hard to do things and watching the vlogbrothers and the art assignment everything affiliated with them makes me see the good in people and them and it makes it not as hard. I would be a lot worse if it wasn't for them.
John there are many issues than should exist, but do because we don't pay attention. Thanks for making this issue visible to a larger audience. I look forward to where you might shine your light next!
A message to all college nerdfighters. We should all wear our nerdfighters gear if we have any on move in day so we can find each other and make friends. Please help as many see this as possible.
undertakersarmpit A nerdfighter is a provincial public higher education institution located in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou province, Chi- oh wait no, sorry, that's a Hank. This might help you: www.nerdfighteria.com/lexicon/#N
I really like the way you talk about things that are really important but overlooked to let people know that they are happening RIGHT NOW and we should try to pay attention to them
I saw a couple of comments requesting to discuss the Yemeni Civil war in detail. We would love to learn more about it, as the only news we get from big corporations is very one sided (there are some extremely good articles though) and does not go into the iffy details. Dear Hank and John, we would love to see and know more about these issues (and also the situation in Venezuela please. There's just so much information out there and not all of it is true?) Take all the videos/episodes you need. We would just like to know about such situations and how we can help the people affected.
I've tried to write one a few times, and I'm having a really hard time. It's very complex, and I almost feel like even an 8 or 10 minute video would do more of a disservice by pretending to be authoritative. I don't know. I'll keep trying! -John
+ A difficult subject as John has already noted. The BBC has a reasonable summary on it from a Big History perspective: www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14704951
John, I struggle to keep faith in humanity sometimes. The battle of Human Compassion vs World Suck seems like an infinite incline. As more people are born to this planet, disproportionately to regions suffering from a lack of resources, I get hopeless. But its the violence that really gets me. Your videos renew my convictions to add to the large ball of paint, thank you.
I didn't even know there was a civil war in Yemen until a quiet day at work last week meant I scrolled through the BBC website and found out about the cholera outbreak. Unless it somehow affects Britain or the US in some way, generally speaking, I don't hear much about news outside of "the west". Even then, it is usually terrorism or weather related. The view of what is significant is skewed and I am always thankful to John and Hank for talking about issues that are important because the whole of humanity is important. I don't want these huge issues to be a surprise to me, to be only noticed when at dire levels. The Vlogbrothers remind me of my ignorance, and I think that's really important.
(A tangent brought on by your mention of the empathy problem): As a student, I love when teachers bring up current events and get the class to discuss it. I know a lot of other students who dislike these discussions because they're "depressing" and they don't feel like they can do anything about it, but I would bring up the exact points you mentioned in this video to say that even as children, we have the ability to make a difference in these complex and global issues, even if it's just by lending an ear. I used to hate reading the news and focus only on reading fantasy to fulfill my escapist tendencies but I'm slowly starting to get a foothold in both worlds, and I think that's an important part of becoming an adult.
Watching videos here at vlogbrothers I have to say that I get extremely paranoid about diseases and plague infested illnesses. And, can I just say that I am so proud of this UA-cam channel existing because it is one of the few tune-in pages on the internet that feels ever changing and interesting. John, the novelist and all round nerd King on all things historic and fascinating. And, Hank, the gaming guru and all round nerd King of science and philosophy (not sure on this one, might have to watch more Hank videos). P.S. Nerd fighters has to be one of the worthiest fan groups to ever spread across the Internet. A final P.S. - Hank, I would love to see you play some mainstream video-games like Call of Duty (hint- Modern Warfare Remastered, WWII. Thanks for the informative entertainment that is directly found by simply popping over to UA-cam (AkA the social video universe), scrolling to where it has the search box, and then finally entering in the words vlogbrothers. That is of course another way of saying that if you came across this video by chance, are looking at the comments (most importantly, this one) and forget to in just a moment click the subscribe button (more simple route to take, of course), this would be another way to get back to the nerdiest video uploads on the web.
I want to say John, and Hank, you guys are amazing, i have felt this way so many times when i hear stories coming from countries that are so poor basically they have no way to reach anyone to for help, and most of the 1st world countries seem to not care. I usually hear these stories from people who are independent journalist with very little voice, until someone like you guys picks it up to be more known. You would think our leaders have groups dedicated for helping others, but neither do i think we should police the world at all times, change has to come from the people, but having that voice to get the news out is very important in my opinion. That is the minimum 1st world countries can, and should do. Thanks hank and John, see you next time.
Dear John, thank you so much for talking about the cholera crisis in Yemen, unfortunately just one small facet of the widespread humanitarian crisis there. As you say, the complexity of the situation in Yemen (in combination with many other factors) has lead to a serious lack of coverage, and I truly believe that where "traditional media" falls short, people such as yourself play an important role in raising awareness and fostering discussion around these issues. I wrote my thesis on the coverage of the conflict in Yemen by regional media organisations, and the web of counter-narratives, propaganda, geopolitics and regional conflict that make any discussion of the "facts" a seriously difficult task mean I fully understand how challenging it is to write any kind of "summary" of what is going on in Yemen (I could have written a book just on the background information for my thesis). I agree with many others in the comments that I would love to see such a video, especially as I think that the more people who try to explain the situation in Yemen, the more this will generate discussion, awareness, and highlight the important issues that we CAN impact; be that through humanitarian aid, international pressure to monitor war crimes committed on all sides (particularly the blocking of humanitarian aid, treatment of refugees and targeting civilians), and pressure on our own governments to limit the flow of arms. However, I understand just how daunting a topic this is to approach - though if anyone on the internet could tackle it in a balanced and fair manner it would be the vlogbrothers. Sorry, long rant - I'm just really passionate about this topic having lived in the Gulf most my life, and so grateful to see people talk about it. I guess I could have just stopped at thanks.. whoops.. THANK YOU!
As someone who worries about death more than not I would like to say I'm very thankful I will not get cholera and this video was very nice. I will also be looking to help people who are dying of cholera.
Thank you so much for finally talking about Yaman. A big part of us not talking about it is that Saudi Arabia is envolved and god forbid we talk about the US main ally in the Middle East. Hopefully with people like you the word will spread more.
It makes me really happy to see that John chose to talk about this. As a Pakistani American I keep up with a lot more international news. And it is disorienting to see first hand how little value is given to the lives of people outside the "west". It feels exhausting to try and point out all the tragic events that aren't getting the press they deserve and so often I'll do nothing because of this. Its reassuring in a way i can't explain to see someone in the public eye taking proactive steps at acknowledging this divide and trying to rectify it within themselves and their community. Thank you, a thousand times over, John.
Really recommend the episode of Pod Save the World with David Miliband of the International Rescue Committee for more on Yemen and other humanitarian crises as a result of war
I like to consider myself a well educated, informed and engaged citizen of the world, and until this moment I had absolutly no idea that Yemen was in the middle of a civil war. I am truly ashamed.
I remember that when we went to KUNA (Kentucky United Nations Assembly) we represented Yemen with a plan to build irrigation system and provide medical centers with money to let more people have clean water, and the resolution was passed so I'm glad you're talking about this
Thank you for this John. This is going to help my country ever so much. Thank you to you and everyone who has donated.
That's kind of you to say. I hope it helps bring a bit of attention to the challenges in Yemen right now. I wish you peace and good health! -John
Thank you so much John! I'm a yemeni student studying abroad and the situation is so unstable and complex politically that alot of people ignore the health aspects to it. Its hard to make others understand that something as simple as lack of clean water kills so many. NGOs like Save The Children, UNICEF and UNHCR so far have done most of the work - even the small youth volunteer groups like agroup I volunteered with as a medical student called Field Medical Foundation facebook.com/fmfyemen/- along with spreading public awareness of the first line act.
With whats going on in the world these things get lost in the margins and it's personally very touching to see that someone on the outside still wants to learn about it and spread awareness so thank you so so much for this.
Thanks for your comment. I wish you well, and thanks for naming the organizations that you feel have been especially helpful. -John
Fa Sh Baz +
Fa Sh Baz ++
Fa Sh Baz +++
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You can see it is a serious video because he is filming elsewhere
That has been true the last few serious videos, but it's mostly because I'm in the office today doing other stuff! (Also, my house is under VERY LOUD CONSTRUCTION, so you may be seeing more of me at the office for the next few weeks.) -John
Jer o i find it odd how upset i was that he wasn't in his (i assume) basement surrounded by boxes.. i don't mean classical internet exageration upset i mean wholely upset about this. Pit in my stomach couldn't take my mind off of it upset..
The amount change affects me scares me.
very few people actually care if something happens in Africa or Asia. as Stalin once said, a death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic.
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Hm digging a hole and finding a whole mine under it . Cholera became almost completely immune to antibiotics especially in India. I heard a report about it a few week ago and special clinics who threat it here in Europe.
In the name of Yemen and all Yemenis , THANK YOU JOHN !!
In the time that EVERYONE is ignoring YEMEN and the Cholera in Yemen, you stand out to talk and raise the problem that I, with my other friends, have been trying to raise.
THANK YOU JOHN !!
It's so sad that these situatioms exist and don't have much coverage in the media. I feel like only major outbreaks/attacks/backlashes are put on the front page and shared vigorously to keep our attention into some places only. But there are other countries going through same scenarios or even worse. I think it takes involvement, empathy and simply paying attention with an open mind around us.
Yeah, I think one of the challenges is that the news gives us whatever we will click on, and we don't tend to click on stories that are complicated. We like stories where there is one side to take--left or right, rebel or empire, etc. And our politics is serving up SO MANY of those stories at the moment (many of which are very important!) that we are paying even less attention than usual to stories from the developing world. I think that has broad and serious consequences for all of us. -John
Clean water and sugar vs cholera here's your simple story run with it medias !!
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Yeah but who would want to hear that there was a serious world problem when there is a small possibility Emma Watson has a double chin or Trump misspelled something in his most recent tweet?
John - As a health administrator, one of my 'life' goals is be that agent to help provide a sustainable source of healthcare to those that are in need of it. It has always amazed me how direct the chemical/intake balance affects how a person acts and behaves (i.e. A hypoglycemic diabetic or a individual simply suffering from malnutrition). The difference being 'well' and 'sick' is much closer than most tend to realize. It's a fact that every society is needing to pay more thought/effort to those in need. Hearing this reminder is much needed. Given your platform I have no doubt it brings that much needed awareness to places such as Yemen. It's truly an issue of neglect and nativity. I've been a longtime viewer of yours (Nerdfighter) and certainly appreciated you bringing this topic up to attention. Keep dishing it out!
Thanks, Andrew! -John
I can't say it enough, but I really appreciate you using your platform to educate through empathy. Thanks for giving me much to think about, John.
Oh, like you didn't have enough to think about already. :-)
juststeveschannel
Harvey Roberts Yes?
Thank your friendly water and wastewater treatment plant professional for the lack of attention about cholera in most industrialised countries. Having worked in treatment plants most of my adult life, the facts are that basic sanitation DOES save countless lives. Please consider donating to charities that fund clean water projects throughout the third world. Clean water should be a basic right for each human being.
Thank you! This service often goes unacknowledged, but it's a tremendously important part of living in a healthy, productive community! -John
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Brian Garrow +
Hi John, I want to let you know that this video led me to donate to the Save the Children campaign. I hesitate when donating to international causes because I know so little of the history or the agenda of the groups that are looking to intervene. I usually end up doing nothing at all. I cannot express how much the integrity and sincerity that you, Hank, and all your wonderful staff have shown over the years means to me and my decision making on matters like this. You are all wonderful human beings. Thank you for all you do.
A very important message. Thanks, John.
AstroLizardChannel +
My mother and little brother recently came back from Yemen, our home country because she was supposed to stay there for a month (which she did) and BOTH got cholera there and had severe symptoms for 2 weeks. They described it as very harsh and I'm glad you were able to discuss it. Luckily, they were treated being that we are part of the most fortunate side of Yemen. I went there about 6 years ago as a child and stayed for 2 years. While I was there, there wasn't necessarily a huge problem. As soon as we came back, war broke out and that's when I started hearing about this epidemic.
I don't understand why this is such an obscure topic when there are at least 12 million people who don't have access to clean water. It seems to me that the population hugely relies on media to determine whether such problems are necessary to address or not. Yemen isn't even the only country suffering this crisis, as there are many neighboring countries that have the same problem.
Thank you for discussing this. Yemen is in trouble.
Back at the beginning of the summer, I watched the episode of Friends where Chandler says he's moving to Yemen to escape Janice. It made me think, "gee, I don't know anything about Yemen, let me look it up on the internet." I was shocked to hear about a Cholera epidemic that I saw covered nowhere. I spend a fair amount of time on the internet, but the only way I knew about the epidemic was from laying around watching Netflix. I told a few of my friends, but the general consensus was "that sucks, hopefully it'll get figured out soon." Thank you for bringing attention to this epidemic; there's a country in need and most people don't even know about it.
I'm just going to take a moment to say thank you to the vlogbrothers for being there for this community. It's been ten years, and throughout all their other successes, they continue to invest care into this channel. I am thankful for there devotion toward the lives of those they influence 💜
You just inspired me to donate and I have just applied for a volunteering position with Save the Children in my local area, wish me luck!!
Three cheers for volunteers! Good luck!
Rachel Craven 🍀🍀 good luck! (I gave, too)
Dear John, I'm a mom and an artist and I have watched your videos for years now and I'm probably one of your few older fans (you know, the ones that are middle of 30 something and saddled with adulthood the way you have so accurately described in a past video). I've wanted to write to you many times before- mostly since I bawled my eyes out reading AFIOS on a plane but never have. I'm finally writing now because I live in the very privileged country of Singapore and we have a nearby neighbour- Myanmar, who is going through a really serious humanitarian crisis. Our papers are flooded daily with reports on how the Rohingya refugees are dying for the lack of aid and funding and no matter how much I donate or try to spread the news, it is not enough. It is frustrating and depressing beyond belief. But I'm writing because I'm hoping perhaps maybe you will pick this situation up and feature it one of your videos. Your humanitarian work is the reason why I started giving a damn, making me believe that we can do something to make a difference. I can only imagine how many of such requests you get on a daily basis, and I totally understand if this message never gets to you. But if it does, whatever you decide in the end, I'm glad I wrote you. Thank you, you, for being the person that you are.
I am in the midst of beginning the school year with a unit on empathy. My students right now are engaged in group projects delving into clean water access, famine, and the refugee crisis. This video couldn't be more timely. Thanks!
Similar to what John said so eloquently, I feel like we Americans have gotten particularly wrapped up in the news involving the current administration and do not realize the magnitude of other important issues that have nothing to do with our politics. Thanks for shedding a light on this, John, it helped me open my eyes to this bias of sorts.
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I have been watching vlogbrothers consistently for a decade, and still, every new video uploaded makes me love the Green brothers more. Empathy. It should be taught in schools.
Prior to watching this video, I hadn't heard anything about this. Thanks for shedding some light on the situation in Yemen, John.
Thank you John, for calling our attention to ways in which we can remember to be more awesome. ❤ I'll be donating.
I just signed up to be a monthly donor for Save the Children :) Thanks for continuing to share with us the stories that really need telling, John, and helping us close that empathy gap!
I have never been this early to a Vlogbrothers video! As much as I love Question Tuesdays, Thoughts From Places, and the goofy stuff, I really love this. I was empathetic before Nerdfighteria, but this community has opened me up so much more. I would never have known about Save the Children or TSWGO or how much GOOD news there is in the world if not for you guys and this community. So thanks and DFTBA
That's great to hear, Celine! Thanks! -John
Just donated to Save the Children! Thank you for using your wide reach for this kind of thing!
this video will probably save lives. thanks john.
To be completely honest, I think a lot of people including myself don't pay much attention to these things (other than when someone makes a video about it) because we're not really sure what we can actually do about it that would matter. I know there are organizations out there that you can donate to, ones that might and probably do help somehow, but it all often feels so disconnected. If you tell me another person is dying from something preventable, I care, a lot of people care; hell give me a way to get them a case of water or some pedialyte and I'll throw down 5 or 10 bucks for it right now. I'd hand it to them myself were they not a plane trip away, but that's the whole point, I know nothing, I throw help and hope it did good somewhere that feels like a world away. You can't connect with these people for the most part, there's this sense of "is this really making a difference", it's hard to see the impact even if it is there. I feel like people including myself "turn it off" in our minds because we don't want to feel bad about stuff we feel like we can't really help in any meaningful way, but we really shouldn't, because we're probably wrong.
I totally get this. And I get how the lack of a sense of connection makes it very difficult to know that your money is at work in meaningful ways, which you CAN know through a gofundme or a contribution to a local cause you care about. (And by the way, I think donating to local charities is great. For Sarah and me personally, donating to local charities is an important priority.) But I also think it is partly on us to pay attention, to learn which charities are doing effective work with the most vulnerable populations worldwide, and to support those charities. I also think we find ways to care about ALL KINDS OF THINGS that don't directly impact our lives, like how much money Marky Mark makes for the Transformers movies or what a Kardashian is up to or whether AFC Wimbledon will SIGN A G-D D-MNED STRIKER ALREADY, and so on. So I agree that it's a countercultural choice to engage with the non-rich world, but I think it IS a choice. -John
Tempest Of Thought you know it's one big capitalist value... to believe. we believe that an investment will turn profitable in future so we invest. similarly we have to start by believing that we really can make a difference in this too.
secondly, there's something called a functionalist approach which talks about 'peace by piece' that is to say that a monstrous problem can be solved by solving bits and pieces of it rather than looking for a one big solution. men are not angels and that's why these problems but we're not demons also so amelioration at least is possible
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It is so hard these days to keep up with news that doesn’t harbor an immediate shock- but is complex and frustrating ,as it is important .
Thank you for making it look easy
VlogBrothers videos are the only videos I watch on UA-cam that actually teach me something useful
Kaitlyn Carroll try CrashCourse, it was made by the Vlogbrothers
Kaitlyn Carroll
Wrong, you need to look deeper.
MiguelPpM see the key words there were "that I watch"
Kaitlyn Carroll if you would like some recommendations:
Crash Course - made by the vlogbrothers
Extra History - well-animated and covers interesting topics, including the discovery of how to stop Cholera
Real Engineering - a sexy-voiced Irishman explains materials science
Practical Engineering - how infrastructure is made
Overly Sarcastic Productions - myths and literary tropes...with sarcasm!
CGP Grey - weird political stuff
Jay Foreman - A comedian explains some things about Britain
Andrew Farrell thanks for the recs!
It is videos like this that makes me love your and your brothers channels. Intelligent, nuanced, and controversial in a desperatly needed way, not for grabbing attention. I recently finished my master's in humanitarian action and your videos have been moral reminders of why I got myself into such a tough field, thank you!
I'd like to hear you explain more about what's happening in Yemen, you're very good at breaking down complex topics. Keep informing the world John, you're making a difference one video at a time.
Thank you John. Thank you for always providing us with ways to look at the world complexly. You were right when you said it's so easy to forget what happens elsewhere because of the political climate in the United States. You and your brother help all of us watching remember that there are others in the world who struggle day to day just like the rest of us, and many of them more than us. We need to continue to remember and think of these other people not as others, but people, and there's no one who does that better than you and Hank.
I scanned right over this video in my sub feed, I'm glad I looked back through now
Thank you for making this video! Empathy and coverage of important topics is very important, and I'm glad you shared this with us!
this channel is a good reminder to me in general that my worst days are often better than some peoples' best days. gotta stay humble.
Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention, John. I had no idea before but now have donated £20 to the Oxfam appeal. Sending hope and love to all those suffering because of this.
im feeling so bad, i never knew about this. Thanks John for getting this info. out so we can all join and help
I have so much respect for you for posting this video
Sometimes I want to skip through these videos, and others along the same line as this one. But I think it says a lot about me if I can't sit through a four minute video about something that is objectively important and thought provoking. And now thanks to you John, I'm researching ways to donate to non-profit organizations that provide medical care and clean drinking water to citizens of Yemen. And you're right, all it takes is to pay more attention.
Your timing is impeccable! Some of my students are researching Yemen this week, and my entire seventh grade curriculum centers around empathizing with those who are different from us.
You're doing the really important work, Megan! I'm happy if I can help out with it. Please say hi to your seventh graders for me! -John
vlogbrothers I definitely will--they will be so excited to hear from you! Thank you for responding! :)
This video is such a good thing. Not only does it educate and provide food for thought, it's also a reminder of how far society has come. Although you are correct John, important stories are ignored, a lot of people are still talking about them. How far back would you have to go before even those active citizens wouldn't know or care about war crimes. 30 years? 50 years? Although there is a long way to go, we have come so far and so fast.
Thanks John for letting me know about this issue.
tbk08 + (thanks so much)
Thank you so much. You have put the issue of empathy into much better words than I ever could.
Well said, John. Thank you so much for speaking up for humanity!
Hank teaches us how the physical heart works, John the emotional. Both are equally needed in this world we live in.
My school in Kenya recently had a cholera outbreak, I'm happy to see thoughtful discussion on the topic and the real life danger in the thrid world.
I just want to say thank you vlogbrothers, you always expand my views of the word and everything in it.
John, how do you stay so well-informed on what's happening all over the world? There are so many countries, and so many different things happening all the time.
I think this a very important topic - thank you for making this video.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I'm reading all you sources and the extra credit site mentioned in comments. I'm not rich but everyone should be able to do something like you just did with this video.
Thank you for covering Yemen!
Very important video and very intellectual as always. You've helped so many people John, so thanks for that.
Thank you for being so smart in letting people know about that. Making more people actually watch this with the tittle and with talking about the history.
I love these videos. I am diagnosed with depression which makes it hard to do things and watching the vlogbrothers and the art assignment everything affiliated with them makes me see the good in people and them and it makes it not as hard. I would be a lot worse if it wasn't for them.
Thank you so much for this. I grew up in Yemen and my heart has been breaking for my people for the past two years of US-fueled civil war.
i miss these informational/educational vids from John
I opened the video without reading the title, but then I saw the background and the vid quality and I knew I needed to buckle in
John there are many issues than should exist, but do because we don't pay attention. Thanks for making this issue visible to a larger audience. I look forward to where you might shine your light next!
I love your empathy. if there is anything I wish your viewers learn from you, it's that. ❤
A message to all college nerdfighters. We should all wear our nerdfighters gear if we have any on move in day so we can find each other and make friends. Please help as many see this as possible.
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Dang it already moved in or I totally would've done that!
undertakersarmpit A nerdfighter is a provincial public higher education institution located in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou province, Chi- oh wait no, sorry, that's a Hank.
This might help you: www.nerdfighteria.com/lexicon/#N
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undertakersarmpit
It's a really long story, but basically fans of the vlogbrothers, united by certain values.
Happy Birthday John!! You da best (and NerdFighteria, I appreciate ya)!
Thank you for including what we can do help in your video
Wow an educational video that's also under 4 minutes? Gold star for John! 🌟
Happy Birthday John!
I really like the way you talk about things that are really important but overlooked to let people know that they are happening RIGHT NOW and we should try to pay attention to them
I saw a couple of comments requesting to discuss the Yemeni Civil war in detail. We would love to learn more about it, as the only news we get from big corporations is very one sided (there are some extremely good articles though) and does not go into the iffy details.
Dear Hank and John, we would love to see and know more about these issues (and also the situation in Venezuela please. There's just so much information out there and not all of it is true?)
Take all the videos/episodes you need. We would just like to know about such situations and how we can help the people affected.
We too often forget the basic empathy that is a fundamental part of what makes us human.
I'm so glad you didn't do a video on the eclipse. It was awesome but I've seen enough.
Please can we have an explanation of the Yemeni Civil War.
I've tried to write one a few times, and I'm having a really hard time. It's very complex, and I almost feel like even an 8 or 10 minute video would do more of a disservice by pretending to be authoritative. I don't know. I'll keep trying! -John
Make it as long as needed! It's always felt like a giant hole in my knowledge of the world.
Ciarán Reed Check out Caspian Report. He made a video on the situation.
+ A difficult subject as John has already noted. The BBC has a reasonable summary on it from a Big History perspective: www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14704951
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Empathy is the most important human quality, thank you for encouraging and educating nerdfighteria! DFTBA!
John, I struggle to keep faith in humanity sometimes. The battle of Human Compassion vs World Suck seems like an infinite incline. As more people are born to this planet, disproportionately to regions suffering from a lack of resources, I get hopeless. But its the violence that really gets me. Your videos renew my convictions to add to the large ball of paint, thank you.
I can't donate today, but I can like and share.
I wasn't even aware of a war in Yemen - just demonstrates the need to pay attention beyond what is covered in your basic news
I didn't even know there was a civil war in Yemen until a quiet day at work last week meant I scrolled through the BBC website and found out about the cholera outbreak.
Unless it somehow affects Britain or the US in some way, generally speaking, I don't hear much about news outside of "the west". Even then, it is usually terrorism or weather related.
The view of what is significant is skewed and I am always thankful to John and Hank for talking about issues that are important because the whole of humanity is important. I don't want these huge issues to be a surprise to me, to be only noticed when at dire levels. The Vlogbrothers remind me of my ignorance, and I think that's really important.
(A tangent brought on by your mention of the empathy problem): As a student, I love when teachers bring up current events and get the class to discuss it. I know a lot of other students who dislike these discussions because they're "depressing" and they don't feel like they can do anything about it, but I would bring up the exact points you mentioned in this video to say that even as children, we have the ability to make a difference in these complex and global issues, even if it's just by lending an ear. I used to hate reading the news and focus only on reading fantasy to fulfill my escapist tendencies but I'm slowly starting to get a foothold in both worlds, and I think that's an important part of becoming an adult.
Watching videos here at vlogbrothers I have to say that I get extremely paranoid about diseases and plague infested illnesses. And, can I just say that I am so proud of this UA-cam channel existing because it is one of the few tune-in pages on the internet that feels ever changing and interesting. John, the novelist and all round nerd King on all things historic and fascinating. And, Hank, the gaming guru and all round nerd King of science and philosophy (not sure on this one, might have to watch more Hank videos). P.S. Nerd fighters has to be one of the worthiest fan groups to ever spread across the Internet. A final P.S. - Hank, I would love to see you play some mainstream video-games like Call of Duty (hint- Modern Warfare Remastered, WWII. Thanks for the informative entertainment that is directly found by simply popping over to UA-cam (AkA the social video universe), scrolling to where it has the search box, and then finally entering in the words vlogbrothers. That is of course another way of saying that if you came across this video by chance, are looking at the comments (most importantly, this one) and forget to in just a moment click the subscribe button (more simple route to take, of course), this would be another way to get back to the nerdiest video uploads on the web.
Happy Birthday John
I want to say John, and Hank, you guys are amazing, i have felt this way so many times when i hear stories coming from countries that are so poor basically they have no way to reach anyone to for help, and most of the 1st world countries seem to not care.
I usually hear these stories from people who are independent journalist with very little voice, until someone like you guys picks it up to be more known.
You would think our leaders have groups dedicated for helping others, but neither do i think we should police the world at all times, change has to come from the people, but having that voice to get the news out is very important in my opinion. That is the minimum 1st world countries can, and should do.
Thanks hank and John, see you next time.
A very thoughtful video. Bravo!
That's for talking about this John
Dear John, thank you so much for talking about the cholera crisis in Yemen, unfortunately just one small facet of the widespread humanitarian crisis there. As you say, the complexity of the situation in Yemen (in combination with many other factors) has lead to a serious lack of coverage, and I truly believe that where "traditional media" falls short, people such as yourself play an important role in raising awareness and fostering discussion around these issues. I wrote my thesis on the coverage of the conflict in Yemen by regional media organisations, and the web of counter-narratives, propaganda, geopolitics and regional conflict that make any discussion of the "facts" a seriously difficult task mean I fully understand how challenging it is to write any kind of "summary" of what is going on in Yemen (I could have written a book just on the background information for my thesis). I agree with many others in the comments that I would love to see such a video, especially as I think that the more people who try to explain the situation in Yemen, the more this will generate discussion, awareness, and highlight the important issues that we CAN impact; be that through humanitarian aid, international pressure to monitor war crimes committed on all sides (particularly the blocking of humanitarian aid, treatment of refugees and targeting civilians), and pressure on our own governments to limit the flow of arms. However, I understand just how daunting a topic this is to approach - though if anyone on the internet could tackle it in a balanced and fair manner it would be the vlogbrothers.
Sorry, long rant - I'm just really passionate about this topic having lived in the Gulf most my life, and so grateful to see people talk about it. I guess I could have just stopped at thanks.. whoops.. THANK YOU!
Good on you John.
Thank the out for helping us be better people.
I love videos like this that spread awareness! I don't understand why this is on restricted mode though... I had to switch accounts to watch this:(
So well said: an empathy problem thanks John
Congratz with finishing the signatures!
Great insight, John
As someone who worries about death more than not I would like to say I'm very thankful I will not get cholera and this video was very nice. I will also be looking to help people who are dying of cholera.
I've never been this early before 😱😱😱 btw great episode 👍
Very well put. Thank you!
This is nice! Thanks John.
Thank you so much for finally talking about Yaman. A big part of us not talking about it is that Saudi Arabia is envolved and god forbid we talk about the US main ally in the Middle East. Hopefully with people like you the word will spread more.
I love learning about stuff like this, stuff I wouldn't have even known about otherwise
It makes me really happy to see that John chose to talk about this. As a Pakistani American I keep up with a lot more international news. And it is disorienting to see first hand how little value is given to the lives of people outside the "west". It feels exhausting to try and point out all the tragic events that aren't getting the press they deserve and so often I'll do nothing because of this. Its reassuring in a way i can't explain to see someone in the public eye taking proactive steps at acknowledging this divide and trying to rectify it within themselves and their community. Thank you, a thousand times over, John.
Thanks, Sabah! -John
I'm so glad that this year I'm taking a class that makes us come up with solutions facing our current world.
Really recommend the episode of Pod Save the World with David Miliband of the International Rescue Committee for more on Yemen and other humanitarian crises as a result of war
You guys actually make education fun and interesting
I like to consider myself a well educated, informed and engaged citizen of the world, and until this moment I had absolutly no idea that Yemen was in the middle of a civil war. I am truly ashamed.
Ari Sheps me 2
Hey john, Happy Birthday!
excellent coverage. the news channels wont focus on these thinks
John crushed it.
I remember that when we went to KUNA (Kentucky United Nations Assembly) we represented Yemen with a plan to build irrigation system and provide medical centers with money to let more people have clean water, and the resolution was passed so I'm glad you're talking about this