Also they speak better English than probably about 90% of American students speak a second language. I used to work at a college that had a lot of international students and I'm just so astounded and impressed by people who can really learn and USE a second language. It's so hard!
Two things: 1. English is an easy language. Yes, of course it is hard to master, but the grammar is rather easy to unterstand. There are not dozens of ways you have to conjugate a verb or decline a noun before you can form a correct sentence. 2. English is the world language. If you want to communitate with someone who doesn't speak your native language, chances are that they speak English. So the better your English skills are, the better you can communicate. And you get taken more seriously. Those Ethiopian students have things to say AND the ability to say them. If their English was only on a very basic level, most people wouldn't take them seriously because "well what do _they_ know, they can't even speak proper English". Sad but true... So Ethiopians _need_ to speak English well. Meanwhile American students - why would they need to speak French, German, Spanish, ...?! If they meet a German for example, that German will probably speak English. They may make mistakes (as you can most likely see right in this comment), but their English is probably better than the American's German. So there is just no need for the American to use their second language.
I agree with you but if you think about it. Everything is english, I mean social media, google, computer science so at some point you will master english without knowing it. I am not an original english speaker so I should know that I never did learn english because of school, I learned it by watching movies, social media and reading comments and reading english blogs and later english books. But I do recommend youtube.
In which John Green talks to students at Addis Ababa University (and Bill Gates) and discusses the diversity and complexity of contemporary Ethiopia. Friendly reminder: UA-cam adds a second to videos for mysterious reasons; by extensive precedent, this is not punishable.
This feeling of responsibility among young Ethiopians is even true among Ethiopians who emigrate to the states for school (since apparently Ethiopian colleges aren't taken as seriously as American ones). My freshman year roommate came to this country for exactly that reason for her last year of high school and she mentioned more than once that she felt like it was her duty to return and help her country out (being something like pre med she would surely have found a way to do that duty). Like you're very fond of saying, no situation is simple and there is always complexity.
***** John, this video has me itching to ask you this question: are you pro-life? (if you do decide you want to answer, I'll save you the time you might spend trying to define pro-life by clarifying the questions myself. Are you pro-life in the Catholic sense). Thank you for reading my comment, and hopefully for responding! As always, thank you for your videos, works, and insight.
***** I am an Ethiopian nerd fighter living in Ethiopia, and I just want to say that as bad as our internet is as a whole, good free wifi is not hard to come by. I don't experience buffering in your videos and I watch youtube all the time (vlogbrothers and Crash Course are jewels of the internet's crown). Also, I wish I could have spoken to you when you were here.
Why don't we see more of this side of Africa? I get that stories about pirates and disease and extreme poverty have greater shock value, and obviously it's important that we know about these things and understand the gravity of the situation (or multiple, complex situations), but I think it makes it harder to look away when you realize that college students in Ethiopia are very much like us. Or /are/ us, because I suppose we are all part of the "us." We have a tendency to place the entirety of Africa in a category that is 'other' and we become desensitized to the bad news, but that's harder to do, I think, when it's very clear that this idea of "other" is a false one. Now I'm curious as to whether people in Ethiopia have the same tendency to draw lines where there are none, or whether the prominence of privileged people in the media and so on makes us seem less like something that is "other."
Most news outlets follow this slogan: "If it bleeds, it leads." Bad news gets more attention then good news, which is why we rarely here good news from Africa.
iDontKnowWhatMyNameIs And because of that, whether we actively think it or not, a lot of us just view Africa as a lost cause. Sure we donate some money to a random church or charity mission at times, but we never really actively do anything about it because all we see is that it's *still* war-torn and terrible. Even if it might not always be that way.
Hmmm... not sure I understand the last part of your question. First question: Do people in Ethiopia draw lines where there are none? Of course, it's almost comforting to me that this is a common struggle with all humanity. It means that I don't have to play the blame game, but collectively we can move forward. In Ethiopia there are many tribes and conflict between them is so common. As Maya Angelou said, "We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike".
You must understand that most media outlets have been fundamentally corrupted into for-profit enterprises. News agencies focus on what is most controversial and easily sensationalized. You will more often hear about Israel killing thousands of Palestinian civvies in Gaza than you will about aid efforts to alleviate the Gazan plight. Why? Because it sells faster.
Micah Lamb It is getting better, and growing faster than either the world economy or the overall economy of subsaharan africa. But Ethiopia remains one of the world's poorest countries. I saw a lot to be hopeful about in my visit there, but I was also very conscious that I was being shown things that aid organizations and government representatives wanted me to see, so I'm sure the real picture is more complex. But the statistics are very encouraging. -John
Honest question, how do you feel about the west? Do you feel like we're trying hard enough to make this world a better place, or do you feel maybe slightly forgotten? Because honestly, I have no idea. I spend some of my money on charities that try to help but does it do any good? I don't know. Do you ever see any of that charity?
yes john i'm pretty sure they showed you what they wanted you to see lol and even though they tell us that the economy is growing really fast I don't think there is anything being done to decrease the cost of living which has gotten worse in the past few years. There are so many problems that have made us one of the poorest countries in the world, the fact that we have been under the current dictatorship for over 20 years being one.
EDOM DUBE I think the idea, however, was to break the stereotype of Africa being a helpless continent in need of western rescue. He wanted to show that many initiatives, lead by Africans themselves, are making a positive change in Ethiopia. Yes, there are still widespread problems. But those are basically all you ever hear about in the West, to the point where one listening to mainstream coverage might wonder how anyone could ever survive there.
I really appreciate how the Vlogbrothers channel has stayed true to it's purpose and roots after everything (especially their rising fame and popularity). Thanks John and Hank.
Thanks! For the last couple months (as you may have noticed), I've tried hard just to say, "So this is what the channel is about for me" to the huge influx of attention that has accompanied the TFIOS movie. This has hurt views, I'm sure, but hopefully it has allowed us to stay somewhat true to our values amid this weird spurt of attention. It's passing now, and I promise to be goofy again soon. -John
***** oh definitely, I think it was a very wise choice and ultimately for the best in the long run. I know I definitely appreciate it and I'm sure others do too. The fact you have never made videos for the views, but rather for your views, makes the vlogbrothers so special and valued :)
It seems to me that any woman I've seen or known, who is from Ethiopia, is super pretty/she has great physical features. Does anyone else feel the same?
these past few videos about Ethiopia have been my favorite vlogbrother videos that I have seen in a long time. John I hope you never run out of things to say about Ethiopia because I find it so incredibly fascinating. And goddamn those Ethiopian college students (if they were in fact Ethiopian) spoke English so so very well holy crap.
Another awesome video - as someone who is interested in (and now working in) health policy (albeit in the US) I have loved seeing these videos that allow me to think more complexly about other countries and their health infrastructure. Thank you for sharing this with us John!
***** It's not a bad model for us in some ways, and we're adopting some of it--by, for instance, having nurse practitioners take on more care in rural areas. I thought a lot about what Ethiopian health care could teach American health care while I was there. Thanks for working in health policy. Important stuff! -John
***** It is among the things I genuinely enjoy "nerding out" about so it is kind of my pleasure. One of the things we talk about a lot in my area is having providers "work at the top of their license"- meaning you only have an MD do stuff that only MDs are can do based on their training/what they can legally do(complex procedures and diagnoses) and you let RNs, NPs do the highest-level work they can do, and it goes right on down to community health workers and advocates. From what I've seen in your videos, Ethiopia's system does a fantastic job with that, so at least in that way they could be teaching us.
***** Yay health policy nerds! I'm a senior in college studying political science with a minor in public health, and I'm very seriously considering getting my master's in health policy (ideally from Johns Hopkins) - it's what got me interested in public health in the first place. One of the things I find encouraging about health policy in the developing world is that government health spending seems, overall, to be positively correlated with basic measures of population health, despite corruption in many countries.
Actually, the changes occurring in the 3rd world have and will continue to have huge impacts on the first world. Especially in the labour area. Companies more and more are pushing their white collar jobs to offshore "3rd world" labour markets where you can get a qualified person to do the job for 1/6th the cost and attitude. Knowledge is a pretty generic commodity that is cheaper and cheaper to obtain as information is more accessible globally. Watch this space....
This was actually really eye-opening... I feel like kind of an idiot, because that is how I see Africa, and I really wish I could learn more about it and better understand it... Anyways...Thanks John! ^-^
Can we also take a moment to appreciate John's beautiful socks? They seem so perfect for you, John. Professional and dedicated, but not very well hidden, completely, wonderfully mad.
Adam Bierstedt Happy Socks! That's the brand. I love them. (They did not pay me to say that or anything. No paid product placements on vlogbrothers! Not even the socks!) -John
It makes me infinitely happy to see John wearing his argyle Happy Socks so often (like in videos, public stuff,etc). I'm sure John's been wearing them before circa 2008, but it makes me feel special to see that subtle recurrence since at least the Paper Towns back-cover photo. hehehe :3
At 1:31 look at John's feet, if anyone is clueless about the socks. I have a long grey and pink pair like that from another brand xD AMMA WEAR THEM ALL THE TIME NOW.
This is phenomenal! Media truly does blind you. They really are kids, and nerdfighters for that matter, like me. They're in engineering school questioning the applications of integration and such. It's eye opening to see that these people are my colleagues and are striving to change society, just like my classmates. This gave me chills and was enlightening and I thank you for that!
I'm glad you showcased this side of Ethiopia, John! It's so terribly overlooked, all people focus on are the negatives. However about the internet, I think it's just a matter of location, because at the hotel I stayed at, both the wifi and data were great!
I think we like to overplay and stereotype things. Such as Africa is all poor, disease, and things like that, but they are actually a lot better than people think! Just like UA-cam comments. You see the bad, but you miss the good, and think that there are so many bad people there because we pay so much attention to the bad instead of the good.
***** Yeah, I've seen less hate comments on any of your channels than any other channel in UA-cam. Makes this place even better. :) Keep up the great work!
Ashley Meijer Sometimes, because I spend so much time in vlogbrothers comments (and similar audiences/communities), I forget what the rest of UA-cam can be like so I'll look at the comments on a video and just be horrified. Then I go back to vlogbrothers :)
Dylan Sarabia haha that was literally the comment section/UA-cam channel I was thinking of when I wrote that! I always forget, start scrolling down and then go "oh god why did I let myself go to this terrible and dark place".
Ok, so random 2AM thought. UA-cam videos are used for education. Internet access is slow (and presumably limited). Nerdfighters are awesome. What if, hypothetically speaking, one would transfer video files of SciShow, CrashCourse, etc. onto a USB stick? A quick google revealed there are ±300 libraries in Ethiopia, which could be completely wrong, but let's assume. Say we'd raise funds a la Patreon ($x per month), and buy some USB sticks in bulk. Assuming $2 per stick, that's $600 to provide one USB stick worth of educational material to every library in Ethiopia. This obviously only takes into account a one-time shipment, and only to Ethiopa, and then only to libraries... But I figured I'd throw it out there. Seeing what Nerdfighteria has accomplished before, between Kiva, P4A and, heck, the Swindentown Doobly-- Pooply-- that soccer team even, this seems like it could be a very feasible "pet project". Just my two cents; great video!
***** This is absolutely brilliant. I lived half my life in Ethiopia and the other half in London. The main problem with western culture as a whole is that it has a very narrow glimpse of African countries. I spent the majority of my time explaining to people that the Ethiopia they know and the one I grew up in are not the entirely same. The media and in part the overall social structure of the west lends itself to the negative aspects of what Ethiopia looks like and doesn't bother to look past the poverty stricken imagery that has been shown to us since before I was even born.Yes, I am not going to deny that while this is unpleasant, it is a very blanket imagery. That is like putting a blanket of tea cups on Britain and insisting that there is nothing more to the country than that. I was born in Ethiopia and lived there for half of my life and the image of mud huts is something I have only ever seen in film which should put things in some sort of perspective. That doesn't mean, I didn't see poverty but it means I saw a whole culture and not two minutes worth of clips about how poor Ethiopians are. I used to walk past Addis Ababa University every day to get to my primary school a few years ago and it was something I aspired to be and while I am in a whole other part of the world, that aspiration is still part of who I am. I know this post is long winded [sorry] but thank you John Green for teaching the internet more about one of my countries. Stay awesome. p.s. Holy Potter, imagine going back to dial up!
It's really fascinating to see this side of Ethiopia (or just Africa in general!). Sometimes we are very isolated and only hear the bad things but these people are so intelligent. It's nice to see teenagers as teenagers (or young adults as young adults) even in places that still have quite a bit of development ahead of them! These videos are a real eye opener, thanks john :)
Thanks for making me imagine Ethiopia complexly John. I know I should have from the start, but I'm sure nerdfighters will understand what it's like to FTBA from time to time..
I just love how attentive Bill Gates looks, like, this man was the richest person in the world, now he is in Africa, in person, listening to a college student, more people like him need to be rich
I can see how Ethiopians would be very concerned about the "brain drain" where many of their educated people move out permanently. Here in the Seattle area there is a rather active East African community, and you will find people in health care fields from several different nations here, wanting to come to America and stay here for the better life it offers. Just off the top of my head, I've met people from Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Eritrea, and I'm certain I've forgotten others. The owner of the adult family home I reside in was born in what it now Eritrea, as was his wife, and they spent time in Sudan during the Eritrean war of independence (And they have some strong opinions of Cold War politics). Their oldest daughter was born in Sudan, and their youngest was adopted from a brother. I ask them questions because I'm quite curious about them and their lives, and they are my friends as well. But they live here, now, and they are naturalized citizens (I think their sons might be native-born Americans, in fact), and it is Eritrea's loss and our gain here. My most recent live-in caregiver just went back to Ethiopia, but she vows it's only going to be for three months, since she very much wants to stay in the United States, because of the opportunities here. Which gets me thinking how difficult things are when immigrants will work long hours for low pay here, and fight to stay and improve their chances at integrating.
I find this extremely important, because the reason a lot of people in first-world countries don't donate money is because of what they see on the news, the dehumanization of these, entirely human, people. They think, 'why should we give money to them, it'll just give them more power to spread this terror all over the rest of the world?' But, in truth, these people are just like us, they have hopes in dreams, they fall in and out of love, just like we do! I want everyone to see this, to see the more 'human' side of Africa. So, I urge you to donate, or share this video, or DO SOMETHING because, despite what you might believe, they deserve our help.
What I love about vlogbrother videos are that they can diverge from an intelligent and insightful discussion to things like how big the zit is on the side of John's neck and whether it's sentient
So you could say that Ethiopia is like Margo? Not just one, simple thing as we would like it to be, but many complex things with good things and bad things, but each an essential part into making it the country it is?
As a college student myself (American), I may actually have more in common with these college students halfway around the world than with people in my own country from a different generation.
Adamml321 Excellent point, but it can be difficult to connect with them directly because their way of using the internet (largely due to bandwidth limitations) is very different from yours. -John
Thanks for clarifying this. I'm kind of tired of the "sad music, here are some black kids in 2004 Chicago bears superbowl shirts, time to feel guilty about not eating those leftovers" stereotypes that we we have in America.
This has nothing to do with the video, but LittleLionFlower and I had an idea yesterday in the comments of a Wimbly Wombly video (inspired by a comment by +Quarilas). What if we had a Nerdfighter Story Club? People would write short stories (like 1000 words or less, I don't know) and submit them, and then we could read each others' stories. What do you guys think?
With the growing to middle class do they have more standard towns with like a super market and a mall or are resources still to poor for that kind of development?
Well, the definition of middle class is very different: The African Development Bank considers people middle class when they spend more than $2 per day on goods and services, which obviously would not be considered middle class in the U.S. But there are supermarkets that I saw. I don't know about high-end shopping malls. -John
Am I the only one who gets excited when Hank or John comment at the same time you're watching/reading comments? It's akin to being in the same room. #fanwomaning
Tess Woodhouse If I understand correctly from what I have seen in the past, when he says they spend $2 it would be the equivalent of us spending $2. The currency is translated and made equivalent.
When I went there where supermarkets but unlike back in England where I live it wasn't as big or as busy. They had pretty much everything you'd expect in a supermarket really, mostly food but other household items too.
That video needed more time, I think it should be re-edited to hear more from the students, with an educational exemption on the four minute time limit.
Canadians don't all live in Toronto, western Canada pretty populated now; Alberta's had the most growth in Canada for a wile now... just saying... Albertans have pride... Go oil sands... if you don't like it you can Frack
MiMiLaXMiMi I've been waiting for the Canadians to get mad at me over saying that "most" Canadians live in Toronto. My unfair stereotypes about Canadians are showing through! ;) -John
Tyler Graham There are 6 million people in the Greater Toronto Area, which is basically the same distance from Venezuela as the main city for John's purposes.
Thank you for showing people that Africa is not always how it is depicted in the media. I am originally from Ethiopia (moved to the US when I was 13) and I am currently in college. I completely relate to what the students were saying on the expectations to develop your country which is a sense of obligation that almost every Ethiopian has. As for the questions some of the people in the comments have: 1. The middle class is rising but the cost of living in Ethiopia currently is absolutely ridiculous (don't even attempt to compare it to that of the US). Like any developing country 2. The educational system in Ethiopia (high school for example) is extremely demanding and difficult. You decide the field you want to study during your junior year of high school (sciences or social sciences) and then spend the next two years in high school taking detailed classes about it. For example if you decide that you want to be in the sciences, you take organic and inorganic chemistry, 2 years of calculus, 2 years of physics (in addition to what you had already taken while still in middle school and part of high school)... 3. What Ethiopians need is opportunity for education. You will be amazed at what people can accomplish if they just had the opportunity to go to school (especially in the rural areas). 4. There are supermarkets and malls in Ethiopia but most people buy food from Merkato (largest open market in Africa) and small shops. 5. One good thing that Ethiopia is doing is in improving healthcare. Community healthcare workers are trained and sent to the rural areas to teach and help people on how to maintain good health. But the doctors : population ratio is way too low (need more medical practitioners) 6. Unfortunately, divisions between ethnic groups have been increasing a lot plus political situations really aren't that good. 7. Ethiopians needs unity, democracy, opportunity, investments.. (NOT AID :temporary solution to the problems at hand). 7. Oh and a few facts about Ethiopia: It has over 83 ethnic groups + 200 dialects spoken, Christianity, Islam and Judaism have had a long history in Ethiopia, The only country in Africa that was not colonized and one of the most hard working, hospitable and lovely people you will ever meet. I hope you enjoyed your time in Ethiopia
I love your reminder about the multiple Ethiopias (and people within them) that make up Ethiopia. So much in your videos from Africa remind me of my two years in Indonesia. Complicated and multiple and compelling. Thanks for doing your best to share your experiences with us and sharing some voices we wouldn't otherwise have heard.
Your whole series on Ethiopia makes me want to help spread awareness like this. That people are people and do people-ish things even in places that we here in the US sometimes can't imagine: like Ethiopians becoming pre-med students or studying engineering. It's really amazing how a few videos have changed my perspective and have made me more empathetic towards people I don't know. Thank you John.
I hardly ever comment on videos anymore but I will make an exception today and say this was a very good, very enlightening video. This was one of those times I actually wish you could have talked for more than just 4 minutes about this subject, it's a very important one for the world to understand fully and completely. Keep doing what you guys do best! (And, of course, DFTBA)
I love all this coverage you're doing in Ethiopia. It genuinely means so much to me that you are breaking all these stereotypes about my people and Africa in general. It is so much more diverse than the poverty and disease displayed in movies and news channels and things. I am an extremely dedicated Ethiopian nerdfighter who WISHES VERY DEARLY THAT SHE COULD TALK TO YOU BUT SADLY LIVES IN KENYA. I love you. DFTBA
This is so great. It's amazing to see how incredibly similar a lot of these children (and society) are to us. The part about them wanting to do something different than what is expected of them? That was the most surprising similarity, to me.
I went to Ethiopia a few years back and stayed just outside of Addis Ababa. I went over for personal/family reasons but what struck me was the fact that it wasn't anything like i'd pictured. I'd expected it to be a barren wasteland but it was for the most part really green. What struck me though then (this would have been around 2007/2008) was the huge divide between the rich and the poor. I was staying with a family member who was born in Ethiopia and from what I know lives very comfortably. The house was in a gated community and if you took a walk around it looked like a typical suburban community. However if you hopped in the car and took a short 5 minute drive you where hit by people living in ramshackle mud huts. It was just such a huge shock to me because you don't see such a drastic divide over here. Watching these young people on your video was so inspiring and it does seem as if they're slowly working to close that divide. Hopefully I can go back to Ethiopia at some point in the future because I really enjoyed my time there. Also did you have Injera when you where over there? I miss that doughy holey bread thing so much it's unreal.
This video is what people need to see, there are still people around the world that think Africa is this poor, good for nothing country as a whole, not a continent with different countries that have educated people and thinkers in them. Im an international student from Ethiopia now enrolled at Concordia college NY and we have a club called Model UN for students aspiring a great career in the United Nations some day and help their fellow countries and citizens to a better life. We have meetings and a seminar ofter and would love it if you and Mr. Gates would be our guests of honer at this event!!! Deborah from Concordia college NY.
Wait this is so interesting. It's so cool to see how online communities effect people all over the world. it just shows the importance of people like you that have an online following to show these sorts of things. I'm really enjoying these Ethiopia videos John. DFTBA P.S. That zit is freaking insane dude
It is amazing how much awareness you can raise in 4 minutes. Thank you for being such an incredible example of someone learning about the issues, using that education to teach others and taking action to make a difference. I am grateful for the example you are setting and thank you for the tremendous light you are in this world to encourage everyone to think and increase world awesome.
I'm so glad you made this video so everyone can open their eyes to a different side of Africa! It reminds me of a book I just had to read for school, The Poisonwood Bible, which was set in Africa. It explored the very poor to the very rich sides of Africa and talked about education there (granted, the book was set in the 1950's so it was probably a little different).
I'm very happy with how you are expanding the look on both Ethiopia and Africa as a whole. As a second generation Ethiopian it is amazing to see the work being done there. Thank you John. Thank you.
This video is so encouraging and knocked the sense into me. I have this burning desire to travel and to make something of those travels (ie decreasing worldsuck) and this video makes me want to learn more and meet those people you were speaking to and have discussions with them and be an advocate for development and education on that level. This may sound like the typical pretentious westerner that wants to help scenario but actually I feel like I'm furthering my understanding of how I can get involved in a long-term, serious and genuinely beneficial kind of way.... Basically I can't figure out the words right now but thank you, John.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's so refreshing to listen to your point of view about Africa (and other subjects). We need more of this glass-half-full-optimism to balance out (if not overwhelm) the media's rampant cynicism. I so much appreciate what you (and your brother and other nerd fighters) are doing. Just amazing...
Thank you so much for this series. I feel like I have learned so many things as I have never visited the continent of Africa. I feel like my preconceptions of what is happening in the various countries have really been challenged and mostly done away with.
Hits me right in the feels. Talking about places in the world with terrible healthcare and malnutrition can feel like literally a world away. But talking about University and talking to the people who are most likely first generation college graduates like me, that brings the conversation right up close and personal. Thank you for reminding me about the complexity in one country of an enormous continent. A country whose citizens often get lumped into one category are as always as complex and hard working as any one in the US.
One of the things that I'd never really dwelt on before that I started thinking about because of this video is "What can I do for my community" - because these days in America (where I live), especially for high school kids and college students, there's a lot of emphasis on "What do YOU want to do, what most benefits YOU, how can you make your life better for YOU." There's really not a lot of emphasis on us - on community, and on making sure that not only yourself will be happy and healthy, but that the community can be happy and healthy. And I think those are important things to think about.
I have loved all these videos about Ethiopia, John! It really is wonderful to be shown a side of Africa that, as you say, is not what you generally would generally assossiate with the name. All the things you have explained over the last few weeks, about health care and food and education, and all the people you have showed in your videos have just been amazing. So thank you! I hope we get to see more next Tuesday :) Ps. My preroll was for the art assignment!
incredibly interesting awesome engaging video. this rocked. I cant wait for more of these stories from ethiopia :) you addressed a lot of problems really well and i love all the strands of contrast and complexity woven within this. basically i loved this
I hadn't even noticed the zit until you pointed it out! It's great to see how invested you are in the matter, makes it very easy to listen and absorb information :)
It is good that you make such a not-commercial videos. This topic makes you realise how much you have and you miss, or in my case(here in Bulgaria) how much opportunities the country has, but the politicians can't manage to use. So i just wanna thank you, John Green , for giving us your thoughts, which make it easy(especially for me as an young adult) to form an opinion over such an important topic as this one.
This was such a wonderful video, john. It's amazing that many, if not most, Americans have such a narrow minded view of Africa as a whole, instead of the diverse and rich place this it is. I wish I could share this with more people, and am looking forward to future videos.
Absolutely amazing and heart-warming video about Ethiopia. It's fascinating that John met them and talked to them about how to better our world. And also, Africa is definitely complex and has its diverse cultures.
Concerning the internet connectivity and/or speed issue in Ethiopia: I'm currently living in Addis Ababa, and my family and I have DSL internet at a speed of around 1mb/s. Though that may seem like a very slow speed in comparison to 1st world countries, it is definitely fast enough to watch UA-cam videos and much of anything else. Of course a family like ours (we are all foreigners in Ethiopia) is the exception to the rule (even most foreigners do not have as good of an internet connection as we do). But the bottom line is that it is definitely possible to get online in Ethiopia and surf the web (For example through 3G internet sticks, which we used to use as well).
I used to live in Addis Ababa and moved to the US five years ago. My mom still lives in Addis. I have to say I miss that place with all my heart. It's kind of ridiculous with all the question I receive on a daily basis. The only way to observe that AFRICA is this unfathomably enormous place is by changing one's perspective through education on the region or by actually physically going there ( like John Green did). I am still sad that many people remain thoughtless and ignorant to the reality that Africa is in fact a continent with many estates and regions and people and countless cultures. Can't wait to visit it next summer. By the way, John Green you are awesome.
I know this is totally off topic, but your timing in this video is astounding. I wasn't sure how you were going to fit in that ending without rushing and with so little time.
This was one of the most inspiring videos I've seen in a long time. Don't get me wrong, I watch all your videos and enjoy 99% of them, and I did know, rationally, that there is no such thing as "Africa" but that there are many very diverse countries blah blah blah... but I feel like this video made me _understand_ it on a different level. Thanks for that.
Thanks John for making the community more aware, I was born in Addis but moved to NY when my dad got a job at the UN. I was in Addis this summer the same time as you too, I was really looking to find you haha.
Can I just say how much I love that you made this video I can't stress enough just how much . Im a Saudi and i really hate the stupid stereotypes people believe about us i mean no offense to anyone but most of them are absurd, once someone asked me if i really did live in the desert in my tent ....... i can't even. I mean really? my favorite network is showtime I've been raised watching Disney and anime, my favorite tv show and books sieres is game of thrones, and your book / movie killed me (i loved it so much ) and you think i live in a tent have you seen how our cities look like? so again i love what you are doing and how open and aducated you are, it gives me hope to see people like you .
In uni we looked at arguments in ads and one day we checked out university pages. You know the pages about the uni itself and why you should go there. We had our german uni and an american one. Our lecturer then handed us print outs from a uni in liberia. German and american were rather similiar, but the liberian one was really interesting. They had things listed we take for granted. Grades for the work YOU do, equal treatment to all students and no interference from the outside considering research. That was an eye opener. I don't think that you would ever find that listed in the about page of a european or american school.
I understand them. I´m Ecuadorian. Maybe my country isn´t as poor as Ethiopia, but people from developed countries seem to lump all together and think the rest of the undeveloped world is a bunch of black african kids suffering from malnutrition (nothing against them) and are completely uncivilized . My cousin began living in Scotland (she´s a teen like me) and the first day of school they asked her if in Ecuador she lived in huts, HUTS. They also asked her if she knew how to talk and if she wore clothes regularly as well as if she´s ever seen TV. And we don´t live in huts. We live in regular houses. And middle class people and up are as over on facebook like you guys are, and we have iPhones (even thought they are bloody expensive here, twice the price) and we go and buy at Aeropostale and Reebok like you guys do. We use instagram and listen to iTunes charts. (It is also bloody expensive so most people up to go to Miami and haul buy half a store) We don´t train alpacas. It has teached me that in almost every country, there is a city that is completely civilized with people having an education and we shouldm´t underestimate that. Just my two cents.
This video is important. As a country the US needs to stop stereotyping Europe. For example, my new job at my university I am apart of a staff that help exchange students adjust in the states and provide them with services they may need while they are here. This semester we have a girl from Rwanda. All I know about Rwanda and Africa in general is what I see in the media, so when I met her I had to ask her a question. I started by saying I don't mean to be ignorant but can you tell me about Rwanda because to be honest, I have no clue. She started talking to me about how its the same is here, they watch TV shows, have UA-cam, have paved roads and cars etc. I have to say I was kind of shocked because I did not expect that because that was not what I taught. It was such an eye opening experience for me. I believe that once the US begins to stop stereotype Africa and seeing it as a diverse nation we can tackle ideas of poverty there more thoroughly.
Thanks John for this video. I am not Ethiopian, I am Colombian; but I can relate to this video. When people think of my country, there is mainly one thing that crosses their minds. However, we are just one more country, like many others, with problems and violence; but also with students, doctors and engineers. I think this video is great because motivates people to see beyond the prejudgments with have about Africa, and help us realize that Africa is much more than just poverty and diseases.
It's so cool seeing how students perceive their position in society all over the world. I have all of the respect for these people, especially since we as students share some of the exact same fears. Yes, just very yes to this video.
Hey, I thought you'd like to know that a student in my Humanities class shared this video with our professor and she showed it in class and we discussed it! They liked what you had to say and agreed with you (for the most part). We talked a lot about how many people generalize countries like Africa and patriotism and what it means to be patriotic. For example, on of the young women you interviewed mentioned how many intelligent people were taking their degrees and going to more developed countries, but there is such a great need for their skills in their own country, so do you have a duty to use your talents to benefit your country? They also thought you were hyped up on caffeine. I said no, he's just enthusiastic about what he does!
THIS IS EVERYTHING. You never fail to voice my thoughts. Our aid and money and effort given to help African countries means nothing if we do not recognize their cultural significance as a diverse and interesting people that are a huge part of the glabal community. The same mentioned goes for their artistic background. Africa is more than a desert filled with disease ridden nomads and poverty. These are people! Interesting worthwhile people that are INCREDIBLE to learn about. Seeing their diverse individuality and learning from it is the key to actually helping them with the issues they face and truly integrating them into our community.
It's crazy how I'm writing to you from Ethiopia right now (living here because of parent's employment) and you're so damn right when you say the internet is very slow. That's an understatement.
Make your next book about a college student in Ethiopia. You portrayed American highschool really well in looking for Alaska, I think this could be even more compelling.
I absolutely love how the vlogbrothers educational videos don't always focus on how the issue is an issue, we know that. It's how to fix it and the forward steps going on, which leads to more positive action, rather than staring blankly at the negatives and saying, "How can we ever possibly fix this?"
Totally unrelated, but next time you get a zit on your neck just play it off like you've been playing tons of violin or viola (it's okay we'll all believe you)... We violinists get these marks called fiddler's marks (aka violin hickeys because that's an accurate description) that sometimes form zits, which is totally disgusting, but the marks secretly fuel our pride, haha. Anyway, great video, as always, thank you for the work you've done, the ensuring of a better future for our world will greatly depend on a worldly understanding that exists between us, knowing that while people living across the world from us (especially in commonly misunderstood places like Africa) may be culturally different from us, they are still humans, with the same hopes and fears and wishes. Thanks again!
Also they speak better English than probably about 90% of American students speak a second language. I used to work at a college that had a lot of international students and I'm just so astounded and impressed by people who can really learn and USE a second language. It's so hard!
Yeah............. they are basically linguistic aristocracy
I thought English was the default language of ethiopia
Two things:
1. English is an easy language. Yes, of course it is hard to master, but the grammar is rather easy to unterstand. There are not dozens of ways you have to conjugate a verb or decline a noun before you can form a correct sentence.
2. English is the world language. If you want to communitate with someone who doesn't speak your native language, chances are that they speak English. So the better your English skills are, the better you can communicate. And you get taken more seriously. Those Ethiopian students have things to say AND the ability to say them. If their English was only on a very basic level, most people wouldn't take them seriously because "well what do _they_ know, they can't even speak proper English". Sad but true... So Ethiopians _need_ to speak English well. Meanwhile American students - why would they need to speak French, German, Spanish, ...?! If they meet a German for example, that German will probably speak English. They may make mistakes (as you can most likely see right in this comment), but their English is probably better than the American's German. So there is just no need for the American to use their second language.
I agree with you but if you think about it. Everything is english, I mean social media, google, computer science so at some point you will master english without knowing it. I am not an original english speaker so I should know that
I never did learn english because of school, I learned it by watching movies, social media and reading comments and reading english blogs and later english books. But I do recommend youtube.
@@paulthegamer8823 it's not.
In which John Green talks to students at Addis Ababa University (and Bill Gates) and discusses the diversity and complexity of contemporary Ethiopia. Friendly reminder: UA-cam adds a second to videos for mysterious reasons; by extensive precedent, this is not punishable.
Nerfighteria expands some more.
This feeling of responsibility among young Ethiopians is even true among Ethiopians who emigrate to the states for school (since apparently Ethiopian colleges aren't taken as seriously as American ones). My freshman year roommate came to this country for exactly that reason for her last year of high school and she mentioned more than once that she felt like it was her duty to return and help her country out (being something like pre med she would surely have found a way to do that duty).
Like you're very fond of saying, no situation is simple and there is always complexity.
***** John, this video has me itching to ask you this question: are you pro-life? (if you do decide you want to answer, I'll save you the time you might spend trying to define pro-life by clarifying the questions myself. Are you pro-life in the Catholic sense). Thank you for reading my comment, and hopefully for responding! As always, thank you for your videos, works, and insight.
dan_sw "pro-life in the Catholic sense"?
like in, "no condoms" pro life? or are you just talking abortions?
***** I am an Ethiopian nerd fighter living in Ethiopia, and I just want to say that as bad as our internet is as a whole, good free wifi is not hard to come by. I don't experience buffering in your videos and I watch youtube all the time (vlogbrothers and Crash Course are jewels of the internet's crown). Also, I wish I could have spoken to you when you were here.
Why don't we see more of this side of Africa? I get that stories about pirates and disease and extreme poverty have greater shock value, and obviously it's important that we know about these things and understand the gravity of the situation (or multiple, complex situations), but I think it makes it harder to look away when you realize that college students in Ethiopia are very much like us. Or /are/ us, because I suppose we are all part of the "us." We have a tendency to place the entirety of Africa in a category that is 'other' and we become desensitized to the bad news, but that's harder to do, I think, when it's very clear that this idea of "other" is a false one. Now I'm curious as to whether people in Ethiopia have the same tendency to draw lines where there are none, or whether the prominence of privileged people in the media and so on makes us seem less like something that is "other."
Most news outlets follow this slogan: "If it bleeds, it leads." Bad news gets more attention then good news, which is why we rarely here good news from Africa.
iDontKnowWhatMyNameIs And because of that, whether we actively think it or not, a lot of us just view Africa as a lost cause.
Sure we donate some money to a random church or charity mission at times, but we never really actively do anything about it because all we see is that it's *still* war-torn and terrible. Even if it might not always be that way.
Hmmm... not sure I understand the last part of your question. First question: Do people in Ethiopia draw lines where there are none? Of course, it's almost comforting to me that this is a common struggle with all humanity. It means that I don't have to play the blame game, but collectively we can move forward. In Ethiopia there are many tribes and conflict between them is so common. As Maya Angelou said, "We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike".
You must understand that most media outlets have been fundamentally corrupted into for-profit enterprises. News agencies focus on what is most controversial and easily sensationalized. You will more often hear about Israel killing thousands of Palestinian civvies in Gaza than you will about aid efforts to alleviate the Gazan plight. Why? Because it sells faster.
It's strange that these comments are so civilized! Am I even on UA-cam?
Yes, but you're in Nerfighteria land now!
Oh don't worry we get our share of idiots here too.
There are giant squids of anger and all, but Nerdfighteria shuns them.
Yeah, we check their internet identities.
We have reports of a Nerdfighter pretending to be a GSoA. All units respond...........
I am Ethiopian and my parents are always telling me Ethiopia economy will be better
Same!!!! It's true. Ethiopia has been an independent country and has never been taken over.
Micah Lamb It is getting better, and growing faster than either the world economy or the overall economy of subsaharan africa. But Ethiopia remains one of the world's poorest countries. I saw a lot to be hopeful about in my visit there, but I was also very conscious that I was being shown things that aid organizations and government representatives wanted me to see, so I'm sure the real picture is more complex. But the statistics are very encouraging. -John
Honest question, how do you feel about the west? Do you feel like we're trying hard enough to make this world a better place, or do you feel maybe slightly forgotten? Because honestly, I have no idea. I spend some of my money on charities that try to help but does it do any good? I don't know. Do you ever see any of that charity?
yes john i'm pretty sure they showed you what they wanted you to see lol and even though they tell us that the economy is growing really fast I don't think there is anything being done to decrease the cost of living which has gotten worse in the past few years. There are so many problems that have made us one of the poorest countries in the world, the fact that we have been under the current dictatorship for over 20 years being one.
EDOM DUBE I think the idea, however, was to break the stereotype of Africa being a helpless continent in need of western rescue. He wanted to show that many initiatives, lead by Africans themselves, are making a positive change in Ethiopia. Yes, there are still widespread problems. But those are basically all you ever hear about in the West, to the point where one listening to mainstream coverage might wonder how anyone could ever survive there.
I really appreciate how the Vlogbrothers channel has stayed true to it's purpose and roots after everything (especially their rising fame and popularity). Thanks John and Hank.
Thanks! For the last couple months (as you may have noticed), I've tried hard just to say, "So this is what the channel is about for me" to the huge influx of attention that has accompanied the TFIOS movie. This has hurt views, I'm sure, but hopefully it has allowed us to stay somewhat true to our values amid this weird spurt of attention. It's passing now, and I promise to be goofy again soon. -John
***** oh definitely, I think it was a very wise choice and ultimately for the best in the long run. I know I definitely appreciate it and I'm sure others do too. The fact you have never made videos for the views, but rather for your views, makes the vlogbrothers so special and valued :)
***** Don't worry John, you are always goofy, even when you are trying to be serious. And I mean this in the most complimentary way possible.
It's good. We're seeing who the Nerdfighters are and who the Notfighters are.
I was really moved by the part about your zit. It really spoke to me on a meaningful level
It isn't a zit so much as it's an emergent life form. -John
***** best John quote so far...can we make this a poster or t-shirt please?
Hannah Deyes ***** I feel a new inside joke comming....
It seems to me that any woman I've seen or known, who is from Ethiopia, is super pretty/she has great physical features.
Does anyone else feel the same?
Ya ethiopians are beautifully peoples
Beautiful*
Ethiopia is Far more advanced than many people think. It has a lot of potential in the future. I'm ethiopian
Its nice to have someone looking ur back!
these past few videos about Ethiopia have been my favorite vlogbrother videos that I have seen in a long time. John I hope you never run out of things to say about Ethiopia because I find it so incredibly fascinating. And goddamn those Ethiopian college students (if they were in fact Ethiopian) spoke English so so very well holy crap.
Another awesome video - as someone who is interested in (and now working in) health policy (albeit in the US) I have loved seeing these videos that allow me to think more complexly about other countries and their health infrastructure. Thank you for sharing this with us John!
***** It's not a bad model for us in some ways, and we're adopting some of it--by, for instance, having nurse practitioners take on more care in rural areas. I thought a lot about what Ethiopian health care could teach American health care while I was there. Thanks for working in health policy. Important stuff! -John
***** It is among the things I genuinely enjoy "nerding out" about so it is kind of my pleasure. One of the things we talk about a lot in my area is having providers "work at the top of their license"- meaning you only have an MD do stuff that only MDs are can do based on their training/what they can legally do(complex procedures and diagnoses) and you let RNs, NPs do the highest-level work they can do, and it goes right on down to community health workers and advocates. From what I've seen in your videos, Ethiopia's system does a fantastic job with that, so at least in that way they could be teaching us.
***** Yay health policy nerds! I'm a senior in college studying political science with a minor in public health, and I'm very seriously considering getting my master's in health policy (ideally from Johns Hopkins) - it's what got me interested in public health in the first place. One of the things I find encouraging about health policy in the developing world is that government health spending seems, overall, to be positively correlated with basic measures of population health, despite corruption in many countries.
Actually, the changes occurring in the 3rd world have and will continue to have huge impacts on the first world. Especially in the labour area. Companies more and more are pushing their white collar jobs to offshore "3rd world" labour markets where you can get a qualified person to do the job for 1/6th the cost and attitude.
Knowledge is a pretty generic commodity that is cheaper and cheaper to obtain as information is more accessible globally.
Watch this space....
This was actually really eye-opening... I feel like kind of an idiot, because that is how I see Africa, and I really wish I could learn more about it and better understand it... Anyways...Thanks John! ^-^
Well, I hope that these videos from Ethiopia can be a way into further learning. Love your username btw! -John
Can we also take a moment to appreciate John's beautiful socks? They seem so perfect for you, John.
Professional and dedicated, but not very well hidden, completely, wonderfully mad.
Adam Bierstedt Happy Socks! That's the brand. I love them. (They did not pay me to say that or anything. No paid product placements on vlogbrothers! Not even the socks!) -John
***** I love Happy Socks! (They didn't pay me either.)
It makes me infinitely happy to see John wearing his argyle Happy Socks so often (like in videos, public stuff,etc). I'm sure John's been wearing them before circa 2008, but it makes me feel special to see that subtle recurrence since at least the Paper Towns back-cover photo. hehehe :3
At 1:31 look at John's feet, if anyone is clueless about the socks. I have a long grey and pink pair like that from another brand xD AMMA WEAR THEM ALL THE TIME NOW.
That's just a very basic hipster thing to do
This is phenomenal! Media truly does blind you. They really are kids, and nerdfighters for that matter, like me. They're in engineering school questioning the applications of integration and such. It's eye opening to see that these people are my colleagues and are striving to change society, just like my classmates. This gave me chills and was enlightening and I thank you for that!
I'm glad you showcased this side of Ethiopia, John! It's so terribly overlooked, all people focus on are the negatives. However about the internet, I think it's just a matter of location, because at the hotel I stayed at, both the wifi and data were great!
I love how John always presents a whole picture. Not solely negative or positive. But realistic and honest!
Thank you.
I'm Ethiopian and I was so happy to see that John made an effort to see all the layers! Respect💜
Same here.
same :D
I think we like to overplay and stereotype things. Such as Africa is all poor, disease, and things like that, but they are actually a lot better than people think! Just like UA-cam comments. You see the bad, but you miss the good, and think that there are so many bad people there because we pay so much attention to the bad instead of the good.
Ashley Meijer Very good point. The generalizations about UA-cam comments do not apply at all within nerdfighteria. -John
***** Yeah, I've seen less hate comments on any of your channels than any other channel in UA-cam. Makes this place even better. :) Keep up the great work!
Ashley Meijer Sometimes, because I spend so much time in vlogbrothers comments (and similar audiences/communities), I forget what the rest of UA-cam can be like so I'll look at the comments on a video and just be horrified. Then I go back to vlogbrothers :)
***** Tell me about it. I feel like I'm going to have a breakdown when I read the comments in Last Week Tonight's section.
Dylan Sarabia haha that was literally the comment section/UA-cam channel I was thinking of when I wrote that! I always forget, start scrolling down and then go "oh god why did I let myself go to this terrible and dark place".
Ok, so random 2AM thought. UA-cam videos are used for education. Internet access is slow (and presumably limited). Nerdfighters are awesome.
What if, hypothetically speaking, one would transfer video files of SciShow, CrashCourse, etc. onto a USB stick? A quick google revealed there are ±300 libraries in Ethiopia, which could be completely wrong, but let's assume. Say we'd raise funds a la Patreon ($x per month), and buy some USB sticks in bulk. Assuming $2 per stick, that's $600 to provide one USB stick worth of educational material to every library in Ethiopia.
This obviously only takes into account a one-time shipment, and only to Ethiopa, and then only to libraries... But I figured I'd throw it out there. Seeing what Nerdfighteria has accomplished before, between Kiva, P4A and, heck, the Swindentown Doobly-- Pooply-- that soccer team even, this seems like it could be a very feasible "pet project".
Just my two cents; great video!
telephonedude +
***** This is absolutely brilliant. I lived half my life in Ethiopia and the other half in London. The main problem with western culture as a whole is that it has a very narrow glimpse of African countries. I spent the majority of my time explaining to people that the Ethiopia they know and the one I grew up in are not the entirely same. The media and in part the overall social structure of the west lends itself to the negative aspects of what Ethiopia looks like and doesn't bother to look past the poverty stricken imagery that has been shown to us since before I was even born.Yes, I am not going to deny that while this is unpleasant, it is a very blanket imagery. That is like putting a blanket of tea cups on Britain and insisting that there is nothing more to the country than that.
I was born in Ethiopia and lived there for half of my life and the image of mud huts is something I have only ever seen in film which should put things in some sort of perspective. That doesn't mean, I didn't see poverty but it means I saw a whole culture and not two minutes worth of clips about how poor Ethiopians are.
I used to walk past Addis Ababa University every day to get to my primary school a few years ago and it was something I aspired to be and while I am in a whole other part of the world, that aspiration is still part of who I am.
I know this post is long winded [sorry] but thank you John Green for teaching the internet more about one of my countries. Stay awesome.
p.s. Holy Potter, imagine going back to dial up!
It's really fascinating to see this side of Ethiopia (or just Africa in general!). Sometimes we are very isolated and only hear the bad things but these people are so intelligent. It's nice to see teenagers as teenagers (or young adults as young adults) even in places that still have quite a bit of development ahead of them! These videos are a real eye opener, thanks john :)
Alice Ngo Thanks for watching them! -John
This is an amazing video on exactly why Africa isn't what people seem to think it is!
Thanks for making me imagine Ethiopia complexly John. I know I should have from the start, but I'm sure nerdfighters will understand what it's like to FTBA from time to time..
I just love how attentive Bill Gates looks, like, this man was the richest person in the world, now he is in Africa, in person, listening to a college student, more people like him need to be rich
I can see how Ethiopians would be very concerned about the "brain drain" where many of their educated people move out permanently. Here in the Seattle area there is a rather active East African community, and you will find people in health care fields from several different nations here, wanting to come to America and stay here for the better life it offers. Just off the top of my head, I've met people from Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Eritrea, and I'm certain I've forgotten others.
The owner of the adult family home I reside in was born in what it now Eritrea, as was his wife, and they spent time in Sudan during the Eritrean war of independence (And they have some strong opinions of Cold War politics). Their oldest daughter was born in Sudan, and their youngest was adopted from a brother. I ask them questions because I'm quite curious about them and their lives, and they are my friends as well. But they live here, now, and they are naturalized citizens (I think their sons might be native-born Americans, in fact), and it is Eritrea's loss and our gain here.
My most recent live-in caregiver just went back to Ethiopia, but she vows it's only going to be for three months, since she very much wants to stay in the United States, because of the opportunities here. Which gets me thinking how difficult things are when immigrants will work long hours for low pay here, and fight to stay and improve their chances at integrating.
BTW, yeah, I know Ghana is West Africa. I drifted into African nations there.
I find this extremely important, because the reason a lot of people in first-world countries don't donate money is because of what they see on the news, the dehumanization of these, entirely human, people. They think, 'why should we give money to them, it'll just give them more power to spread this terror all over the rest of the world?' But, in truth, these people are just like us, they have hopes in dreams, they fall in and out of love, just like we do! I want everyone to see this, to see the more 'human' side of Africa. So, I urge you to donate, or share this video, or DO SOMETHING because, despite what you might believe, they deserve our help.
What I love about vlogbrother videos are that they can diverge from an intelligent and insightful discussion to things like how big the zit is on the side of John's neck and whether it's sentient
So you could say that Ethiopia is like Margo? Not just one, simple thing as we would like it to be, but many complex things with good things and bad things, but each an essential part into making it the country it is?
Great video and great socks.
My two primary life ambitions. -John
***** Is it one of your fields of expertise?
***** Further proof that John Green is the Albus Dumbledore of real life.
PowerMindAlchemist Was John and Hank's great-great-great grandfather (or something) a Dumbledore?
As a college student myself (American), I may actually have more in common with these college students halfway around the world than with people in my own country from a different generation.
Adamml321 Excellent point, but it can be difficult to connect with them directly because their way of using the internet (largely due to bandwidth limitations) is very different from yours. -John
Thanks for clarifying this. I'm kind of tired of the "sad music, here are some black kids in 2004 Chicago bears superbowl shirts, time to feel guilty about not eating those leftovers" stereotypes that we we have in America.
This has nothing to do with the video, but LittleLionFlower and I had an idea yesterday in the comments of a Wimbly Wombly video (inspired by a comment by +Quarilas). What if we had a Nerdfighter Story Club? People would write short stories (like 1000 words or less, I don't know) and submit them, and then we could read each others' stories. What do you guys think?
That would be really fun! I'm not much of a writer, but i'd love to read them!
I would be totally game for that
Love the idea! Let's do it!
Could this be on the /r/nerdfighters forum?
Love the idea!
That dial-up tone gave me war flashbacks xD
Okay, another amazing, thought-provoking video. But, perhaps the best part: ARE YOU SENTIENT, ZIT? DO YOU HAVE A SOUL?
With the growing to middle class do they have more standard towns with like a super market and a mall or are resources still to poor for that kind of development?
Well, the definition of middle class is very different: The African Development Bank considers people middle class when they spend more than $2 per day on goods and services, which obviously would not be considered middle class in the U.S. But there are supermarkets that I saw. I don't know about high-end shopping malls. -John
Am I the only one who gets excited when Hank or John comment at the same time you're watching/reading comments? It's akin to being in the same room. #fanwomaning
***** How much would you be able to buy if you spent $2 because to me that seems like a very small amount - is the currency greatly different?
Tess Woodhouse If I understand correctly from what I have seen in the past, when he says they spend $2 it would be the equivalent of us spending $2. The currency is translated and made equivalent.
When I went there where supermarkets but unlike back in England where I live it wasn't as big or as busy.
They had pretty much everything you'd expect in a supermarket really, mostly food but other household items too.
That video needed more time, I think it should be re-edited to hear more from the students, with an educational exemption on the four minute time limit.
Canadians don't all live in Toronto, western Canada pretty populated now; Alberta's had the most growth in Canada for a wile now... just saying... Albertans have pride... Go oil sands... if you don't like it you can Frack
MiMiLaXMiMi I've been waiting for the Canadians to get mad at me over saying that "most" Canadians live in Toronto. My unfair stereotypes about Canadians are showing through! ;) -John
to be fair 5 million of Canada's 30 million people population live in Toronto.
***** To be fair though, 40% of Canadians do live in Ontario, mostly southwestern Ontario. So it's not really that far from the truth.
mattbenz99 2.7 million, last I checked. Still, almost a tenth.
Tyler Graham There are 6 million people in the Greater Toronto Area, which is basically the same distance from Venezuela as the main city for John's purposes.
Has John moved, where did the bookshelf go, I miss the bookshelf
This is John's office. He's done a number of videos from there.
You will see the bookshelf when I fix my lights. ;) Next week! -John
Someone should make a tumblr for John's bookshelf.
Megan Andrews www.johnsbookshelf.tumblr.com
Allison Winters THANK YOU SO MUCH
This. THIS is why I like you John.
Amazing! Finally a realistic portrayal of a poverty-stricken country
ETHIOPIA! alelelellelela
All hail the zit!
I love how you've maintained the message all these years about looking at people/countries/continents complexly. Such a great lesson.
Thank you for showing people that Africa is not always how it is depicted in the media. I am originally from Ethiopia (moved to the US when I was 13) and I am currently in college. I completely relate to what the students were saying on the expectations to develop your country which is a sense of obligation that almost every Ethiopian has. As for the questions some of the people in the comments have:
1. The middle class is rising but the cost of living in Ethiopia currently is absolutely ridiculous (don't even attempt to compare it to that of the US). Like any developing country
2. The educational system in Ethiopia (high school for example) is extremely demanding and difficult. You decide the field you want to study during your junior year of high school (sciences or social sciences) and then spend the next two years in high school taking detailed classes about it. For example if you decide that you want to be in the sciences, you take organic and inorganic chemistry, 2 years of calculus, 2 years of physics (in addition to what you had already taken while still in middle school and part of high school)...
3. What Ethiopians need is opportunity for education. You will be amazed at what people can accomplish if they just had the opportunity to go to school (especially in the rural areas).
4. There are supermarkets and malls in Ethiopia but most people buy food from Merkato (largest open market in Africa) and small shops.
5. One good thing that Ethiopia is doing is in improving healthcare. Community healthcare workers are trained and sent to the rural areas to teach and help people on how to maintain good health. But the doctors : population ratio is way too low (need more medical practitioners)
6. Unfortunately, divisions between ethnic groups have been increasing a lot plus political situations really aren't that good.
7. Ethiopians needs unity, democracy, opportunity, investments.. (NOT AID :temporary solution to the problems at hand).
7. Oh and a few facts about Ethiopia: It has over 83 ethnic groups + 200 dialects spoken, Christianity, Islam and Judaism have had a long history in Ethiopia, The only country in Africa that was not colonized and one of the most hard working, hospitable and lovely people you will ever meet. I hope you enjoyed your time in Ethiopia
I love your reminder about the multiple Ethiopias (and people within them) that make up Ethiopia. So much in your videos from Africa remind me of my two years in Indonesia. Complicated and multiple and compelling. Thanks for doing your best to share your experiences with us and sharing some voices we wouldn't otherwise have heard.
Your whole series on Ethiopia makes me want to help spread awareness like this. That people are people and do people-ish things even in places that we here in the US sometimes can't imagine: like Ethiopians becoming pre-med students or studying engineering. It's really amazing how a few videos have changed my perspective and have made me more empathetic towards people I don't know. Thank you John.
I hardly ever comment on videos anymore but I will make an exception today and say this was a very good, very enlightening video. This was one of those times I actually wish you could have talked for more than just 4 minutes about this subject, it's a very important one for the world to understand fully and completely. Keep doing what you guys do best! (And, of course, DFTBA)
I love all this coverage you're doing in Ethiopia. It genuinely means so much to me that you are breaking all these stereotypes about my people and Africa in general. It is so much more diverse than the poverty and disease displayed in movies and news channels and things. I am an extremely dedicated Ethiopian nerdfighter who WISHES VERY DEARLY THAT SHE COULD TALK TO YOU BUT SADLY LIVES IN KENYA. I love you. DFTBA
This is so great. It's amazing to see how incredibly similar a lot of these children (and society) are to us. The part about them wanting to do something different than what is expected of them? That was the most surprising similarity, to me.
I went to Ethiopia a few years back and stayed just outside of Addis Ababa. I went over for personal/family reasons but what struck me was the fact that it wasn't anything like i'd pictured. I'd expected it to be a barren wasteland but it was for the most part really green. What struck me though then (this would have been around 2007/2008) was the huge divide between the rich and the poor. I was staying with a family member who was born in Ethiopia and from what I know lives very comfortably. The house was in a gated community and if you took a walk around it looked like a typical suburban community. However if you hopped in the car and took a short 5 minute drive you where hit by people living in ramshackle mud huts. It was just such a huge shock to me because you don't see such a drastic divide over here.
Watching these young people on your video was so inspiring and it does seem as if they're slowly working to close that divide.
Hopefully I can go back to Ethiopia at some point in the future because I really enjoyed my time there. Also did you have Injera when you where over there? I miss that doughy holey bread thing so much it's unreal.
This video is what people need to see, there are still people around the world that think Africa is this poor, good for nothing country as a whole, not a continent with different countries that have educated people and thinkers in them. Im an international student from Ethiopia now enrolled at Concordia college NY and we have a club called Model UN for students aspiring a great career in the United Nations some day and help their fellow countries and citizens to a better life. We have meetings and a seminar ofter and would love it if you and Mr. Gates would be our guests of honer at this event!!!
Deborah from Concordia college NY.
Wait this is so interesting. It's so cool to see how online communities effect people all over the world. it just shows the importance of people like you that have an online following to show these sorts of things. I'm really enjoying these Ethiopia videos John. DFTBA
P.S. That zit is freaking insane dude
It is amazing how much awareness you can raise in 4 minutes. Thank you for being such an incredible example of someone learning about the issues, using that education to teach others and taking action to make a difference. I am grateful for the example you are setting and thank you for the tremendous light you are in this world to encourage everyone to think and increase world awesome.
I'm so glad you made this video so everyone can open their eyes to a different side of Africa! It reminds me of a book I just had to read for school, The Poisonwood Bible, which was set in Africa. It explored the very poor to the very rich sides of Africa and talked about education there (granted, the book was set in the 1950's so it was probably a little different).
I'm very happy with how you are expanding the look on both Ethiopia and Africa as a whole. As a second generation Ethiopian it is amazing to see the work being done there. Thank you John. Thank you.
Happy Ethiopian New Year John, Hank and all Nerdfighters!!! We're in 2007 now. I love the video and what an honor to be featured in it.
This video is so encouraging and knocked the sense into me. I have this burning desire to travel and to make something of those travels (ie decreasing worldsuck) and this video makes me want to learn more and meet those people you were speaking to and have discussions with them and be an advocate for development and education on that level. This may sound like the typical pretentious westerner that wants to help scenario but actually I feel like I'm furthering my understanding of how I can get involved in a long-term, serious and genuinely beneficial kind of way.... Basically I can't figure out the words right now but thank you, John.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's so refreshing to listen to your point of view about Africa (and other subjects). We need more of this glass-half-full-optimism to balance out (if not overwhelm) the media's rampant cynicism. I so much appreciate what you (and your brother and other nerd fighters) are doing. Just amazing...
Hi from Venezuela!! Thank you for using us as a reference, it made my day.
Thank you so much for this series. I feel like I have learned so many things as I have never visited the continent of Africa. I feel like my preconceptions of what is happening in the various countries have really been challenged and mostly done away with.
Hits me right in the feels. Talking about places in the world with terrible healthcare and malnutrition can feel like literally a world away. But talking about University and talking to the people who are most likely first generation college graduates like me, that brings the conversation right up close and personal. Thank you for reminding me about the complexity in one country of an enormous continent. A country whose citizens often get lumped into one category are as always as complex and hard working as any one in the US.
One of the things that I'd never really dwelt on before that I started thinking about because of this video is "What can I do for my community" - because these days in America (where I live), especially for high school kids and college students, there's a lot of emphasis on "What do YOU want to do, what most benefits YOU, how can you make your life better for YOU." There's really not a lot of emphasis on us - on community, and on making sure that not only yourself will be happy and healthy, but that the community can be happy and healthy. And I think those are important things to think about.
I have loved all these videos about Ethiopia, John! It really is wonderful to be shown a side of Africa that, as you say, is not what you generally would generally assossiate with the name. All the things you have explained over the last few weeks, about health care and food and education, and all the people you have showed in your videos have just been amazing. So thank you! I hope we get to see more next Tuesday :)
Ps. My preroll was for the art assignment!
I love these videos about Ethiopia! So wonderful to hear about good work being done :3
incredibly interesting awesome engaging video. this rocked. I cant wait for more of these stories from ethiopia :) you addressed a lot of problems really well and i love all the strands of contrast and complexity woven within this. basically i loved this
I hadn't even noticed the zit until you pointed it out! It's great to see how invested you are in the matter, makes it very easy to listen and absorb information :)
It is good that you make such a not-commercial videos. This topic makes you realise how much you have and you miss, or in my case(here in Bulgaria) how much opportunities the country has, but the politicians can't manage to use. So i just wanna thank you, John Green , for giving us your thoughts, which make it easy(especially for me as an young adult) to form an opinion over such an important topic as this one.
We need to see more of this Africa because so many people think it is just a hopeless situation. Great work John and Bill!
A truly moving video, thank you john! Yet again you've managed to add complexity to an issue one could easily perceive as monochrome.
This was such a wonderful video, john. It's amazing that many, if not most, Americans have such a narrow minded view of Africa as a whole, instead of the diverse and rich place this it is. I wish I could share this with more people, and am looking forward to future videos.
I feel like between John Green's videos and HONY's pictures, I'm learning more about the world that we all share as people than I ever have before.
Agh I love these types of videos they just give you hope And a sense of unity with people all over the world
Absolutely amazing and heart-warming video about Ethiopia. It's fascinating that John met them and talked to them about how to better our world. And also, Africa is definitely complex and has its diverse cultures.
Concerning the internet connectivity and/or speed issue in Ethiopia: I'm currently living in Addis Ababa, and my family and I have DSL internet at a speed of around 1mb/s. Though that may seem like a very slow speed in comparison to 1st world countries, it is definitely fast enough to watch UA-cam videos and much of anything else. Of course a family like ours (we are all foreigners in Ethiopia) is the exception to the rule (even most foreigners do not have as good of an internet connection as we do). But the bottom line is that it is definitely possible to get online in Ethiopia and surf the web (For example through 3G internet sticks, which we used to use as well).
I used to live in Addis Ababa and moved to the US five years ago. My mom still lives in Addis. I have to say I miss that place with all my heart. It's kind of ridiculous with all the question I receive on a daily basis. The only way to observe that AFRICA is this unfathomably enormous place is by changing one's perspective through education on the region or by actually physically going there ( like John Green did). I am still sad that many people remain thoughtless and ignorant to the reality that Africa is in fact a continent with many estates and regions and people and countless cultures. Can't wait to visit it next summer. By the way, John Green you are awesome.
DFTBA! I love all the Vlog Brothers videos! You guys are amazing!
I know this is totally off topic, but your timing in this video is astounding. I wasn't sure how you were going to fit in that ending without rushing and with so little time.
This is such an important video that definitely opened my eyes, and I think that these students are so inspirational!
This was one of the most inspiring videos I've seen in a long time. Don't get me wrong, I watch all your videos and enjoy 99% of them, and I did know, rationally, that there is no such thing as "Africa" but that there are many very diverse countries blah blah blah... but I feel like this video made me _understand_ it on a different level. Thanks for that.
Thanks John for making the community more aware, I was born in Addis but moved to NY when my dad got a job at the UN. I was in Addis this summer the same time as you too, I was really looking to find you haha.
Can I just say how much I love that you made this video I can't stress enough just how much .
Im a Saudi and i really hate the stupid stereotypes people believe about us i mean no offense to anyone but most of them are absurd, once someone asked me if i really did live in the desert in my tent ....... i can't even.
I mean really? my favorite network is showtime I've been raised watching Disney and anime, my favorite tv show and books sieres is game of thrones, and your book / movie killed me (i loved it so much ) and you think i live in a tent have you seen how our cities look like?
so again i love what you are doing and how open and aducated you are,
it gives me hope to see people like you .
In uni we looked at arguments in ads and one day we checked out university pages. You know the pages about the uni itself and why you should go there. We had our german uni and an american one. Our lecturer then handed us print outs from a uni in liberia. German and american were rather similiar, but the liberian one was really interesting. They had things listed we take for granted. Grades for the work YOU do, equal treatment to all students and no interference from the outside considering research. That was an eye opener. I don't think that you would ever find that listed in the about page of a european or american school.
As a college student myself, this was a very enlightening video. Thanks for the perspective!
I understand them. I´m Ecuadorian. Maybe my country isn´t as poor as Ethiopia, but people from developed countries seem to lump all together and think the rest of the undeveloped world is a bunch of black african kids suffering from malnutrition (nothing against them) and are completely uncivilized . My cousin began living in Scotland (she´s a teen like me) and the first day of school they asked her if in Ecuador she lived in huts, HUTS. They also asked her if she knew how to talk and if she wore clothes regularly as well as if she´s ever seen TV. And we don´t live in huts. We live in regular houses. And middle class people and up are as over on facebook like you guys are, and we have iPhones (even thought they are bloody expensive here, twice the price) and we go and buy at Aeropostale and Reebok like you guys do. We use instagram and listen to iTunes charts. (It is also bloody expensive so most people up to go to Miami and haul buy half a store) We don´t train alpacas. It has teached me that in almost every country, there is a city that is completely civilized with people having an education and we shouldm´t underestimate that. Just my two cents.
This video is important. As a country the US needs to stop stereotyping Europe. For example, my new job at my university I am apart of a staff that help exchange students adjust in the states and provide them with services they may need while they are here. This semester we have a girl from Rwanda. All I know about Rwanda and Africa in general is what I see in the media, so when I met her I had to ask her a question. I started by saying I don't mean to be ignorant but can you tell me about Rwanda because to be honest, I have no clue. She started talking to me about how its the same is here, they watch TV shows, have UA-cam, have paved roads and cars etc. I have to say I was kind of shocked because I did not expect that because that was not what I taught. It was such an eye opening experience for me. I believe that once the US begins to stop stereotype Africa and seeing it as a diverse nation we can tackle ideas of poverty there more thoroughly.
Africa or Europe? Which is it?
Thank You! I am an Ethiopian, and a student in USA now. I liked your presentation.
This video is giving me hope that we might see a John Green Ethiopia-centered book one day.
Thanks John!! for sharing with us the nerdfighters in Ethiopia :)
Thanks John for this video. I am not Ethiopian, I am Colombian; but I can relate to this video. When people think of my country, there is mainly one thing that crosses their minds. However, we are just one more country, like many others, with problems and violence; but also with students, doctors and engineers. I think this video is great because motivates people to see beyond the prejudgments with have about Africa, and help us realize that Africa is much more than just poverty and diseases.
Thank you so much for inspiring me to learn more about Ethiopia and Africa!
It's so cool seeing how students perceive their position in society all over the world. I have all of the respect for these people, especially since we as students share some of the exact same fears. Yes, just very yes to this video.
Hey, I thought you'd like to know that a student in my Humanities class shared this video with our professor and she showed it in class and we discussed it! They liked what you had to say and agreed with you (for the most part). We talked a lot about how many people generalize countries like Africa and patriotism and what it means to be patriotic. For example, on of the young women you interviewed mentioned how many intelligent people were taking their degrees and going to more developed countries, but there is such a great need for their skills in their own country, so do you have a duty to use your talents to benefit your country? They also thought you were hyped up on caffeine. I said no, he's just enthusiastic about what he does!
Great video! I'm excited to have bonus ones too! DFTBA
THIS IS EVERYTHING. You never fail to voice my thoughts. Our aid and money and effort given to help African countries means nothing if we do not recognize their cultural significance as a diverse and interesting people that are a huge part of the glabal community. The same mentioned goes for their artistic background. Africa is more than a desert filled with disease ridden nomads and poverty. These are people! Interesting worthwhile people that are INCREDIBLE to learn about. Seeing their diverse individuality and learning from it is the key to actually helping them with the issues they face and truly integrating them into our community.
It's crazy how I'm writing to you from Ethiopia right now (living here because of parent's employment) and you're so damn right when you say the internet is very slow. That's an understatement.
Make your next book about a college student in Ethiopia. You portrayed American highschool really well in looking for Alaska, I think this could be even more compelling.
I absolutely love how the vlogbrothers educational videos don't always focus on how the issue is an issue, we know that. It's how to fix it and the forward steps going on, which leads to more positive action, rather than staring blankly at the negatives and saying, "How can we ever possibly fix this?"
Wow. What a change from the regular narrative about Ethiopia. Thanks man.
Totally unrelated, but next time you get a zit on your neck just play it off like you've been playing tons of violin or viola (it's okay we'll all believe you)... We violinists get these marks called fiddler's marks (aka violin hickeys because that's an accurate description) that sometimes form zits, which is totally disgusting, but the marks secretly fuel our pride, haha.
Anyway, great video, as always, thank you for the work you've done, the ensuring of a better future for our world will greatly depend on a worldly understanding that exists between us, knowing that while people living across the world from us (especially in commonly misunderstood places like Africa) may be culturally different from us, they are still humans, with the same hopes and fears and wishes. Thanks again!