A Crisis of Branding

Thanks John...
When I say, "I don't have an authentic self" I don't mean, "I don't have innate tendencies or attributes." I definitely do. But it is definitely the case that "the real me" is a thing that I could search for forever and only come out feeling freezer burned.
----
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[@T1J]

i have in fact seen all the vlogbrothers videos

[@silverlinedheart]

Same

[@ianmisner]

yea, probably more hours on vlogbrothers than anything else at this point

[@dark_neverland]

Same. Though it's been several years since I did a watch through.

[@seeingincolor]

Same.

[@SetoKaibakthanks]

Lmao it's my man T1J. Love u bro

[@ArielBissett]

Ooooo this makes me think of the term context collapse. The idea that online we become humans without context, we are performing in front of all possible audiences (people that hate us, people that like us, people that can hire us, people that can fire us, people that can stalk us, people that can buy what we make) and so we become a weird version of ourselves to attempt to satisfy all possible audiences. It's a lot easier in real life when you can just alter yourself a bit depending on context but online it's a lot harder to just be a person AND experience growth at the same time!

[@ToriKo_]

I enjoy ur home renovation videos

[@adrianthoroughgood1191]

IRL I get uncomfortable socialising with 2 separate groups of people at the same time because of context divergence. Online I tend to not get enough exposure for it to be a problem.

[@AndroidInHumansClothing]

context collapse is such a good term!

[@Katie_DelTaco]

That is so interesting! It reminds me of how jarring it can be to see a friend in a new context, like with a different circle of friends or with family, and you think, "Who is this person?!" But on the internet everyone is watching all the time. I've only followed you for a couple months, so I know you as someone who's renovating her house and also happens to read books sometimes. 😂

[@acorn_woman]

Omg hi Ariel! Notification buddies :))

[@professorthread]

"Was I into My Little Pony for a bit?" Hank you wrote a whole song about how you didn't have a favorite pony

[@lildramatic4760]

cuz he’s never seen that show....

[@samrust4366]

He likes spike!

[@ashleyslaughter8658]

This is nerdfighteria. In this house, we never call anyone "too much." We imagine others complexly and embrace their unironic enthusiasm.

[@alexisgerman1438]

++ love this

[@avani_tak]

++

[@geekgroupie42]

++

[@onerva0001]

Yes

[@crisrosso9884]

❤️🎉

[@The_SOB_II]

Hank: *loses his mind about pelicans and branding* John: I’ve always felt like you were the real older brother, Hank

[@TinHeart]

To quote Tumblr: We are all constantly LARPing because the Self is just a construct

[@tayleanruatha]

Concisely put. 👍

[@thomasrandolph2635]

John green: “the internet no longer thinks of you as the hot dog man” Hank green: “WHO AM I” Me: “you doing ok”

[@Lic021]

he was never the HOT dog man, he was the CORN dog man big difference

[@andrew-paulclements1502]

@@Lic021 nonono keep it, I think it adds to the comedy and statement.

[@AnnaAkana]

YOU'RE NEVER TOO MUCH

[@Conservative4]

No he's definitely a bit much sometimes. But sometimes you want "a bit much."

[@limingde91]

OMG!!! Anna, I never knew you were a vlogbrothers fan like me. I love your videos too

[@sannimarttinen8720]

heyy Anna

[@filmingfiend1341]

Is that a general note to audiences or is that meant more for just hank or....? 😅

[@wendyhaun2559]

I worry about myself being a bit much, a lot of the time.

[@thehappyplate]

H: Am I a bit much? Nerdfighteria: Yes. Do we like it? Also yes.

[@yuvalne]

^^^

[@Janet_Le]

+

[@LawrenceGabriel]

Everyone is a bit much.

[@mahikamihan]

Vouch

[@newcreation19]

+

[@TonalDesigns]

I feel personaly attacked that it was suggested I haven't watched all of the vlogbrothers videos. I remember 2007, I remember when brothers in a hotel bed was the noise for the intro, I remember 24 hours in target, I remember the hype that was Accio Deathly Hallows. >:(

[@Ami-ls4vs]

Lol same, I was like, wait pretty sure I have watched the vast vast majority of videos...

[@01sh]

Same

[@AlexBelethe]

I haven't been here from the beginning, I think I arrived in 2009, but at one point I went back and watched all the old videos, and I'm quite sure that I've watched close to all of them since as well!

[@NamaTheNerd]

I've been here since 2010, and I definitely went back and watched all the 2007 videos. I don't think I've seen any from 08 or 09 though.

[@N3rdfightermom]

I KNOW I have watched every vlogbrothers. Last year I went through and re-watched all of them (what else was I going to do in lockdown)

[@ZachHessEdits]

“If I think I met me I would think I’m a bit much” the most relatable quote I’ve ever heard

[@winterkeptuswarm]

+

[@rjmayo]

“If you’ve seen all the vlogbrothers videos, and let’s be honest, you haven’t” Me, who spent months of 2012 watching every vlogbrothers video in order and hasn’t missed one since: ...

[@thatjillgirl]

That's around the time when I was doing the exact same thing. I think there are actually quite a few of us in the Vlogbrothers audience who have been around long enough that we have indeed seen all the videos.

[@emilymacdougall184]

did we all collectively binge the entire catalog of Vlogbrothers videos in 2012? what happened that year?

[@thatjillgirl]

@@emilymacdougall184 The Fault in Our Stars was published that year, and Crash Course debuted as well. A lot of people found Vlogbrothers through one of those two things around that time. (I am one of them. I found them through Crash Course.)

[@emilymacdougall184]

@@thatjillgirl you're totally right. the perfect storm

[@teresaferguson988]

@@thatjillgirl hey me too! I started watching Lizzie Bennet Diaries and that led to the Vlogbrothers. Watched them al and been a huge fan ever since!

[@ThatllShowEm]

I feel like this video should have been titled "Who the F _IS_ Hank?"

[@Lanai50]

FAX

[@rukbat3]

+++++

[@jeka8826]

I do miss "who the f is Hank" from time to time.

[@seoyeonahn6377]

Damnit you’re so right that should’ve been the title

[@itisdevonly]

+++

[@kanalet8460]

“Corn dogs are no longer part of the lore”

[@melonlord1414]

Time to lore them back

[@second0banana]

@@melonlord1414 ++

[@adrianthoroughgood1191]

I somehow missed the corn dog thing and I feel like a part of my life must be missing.

[@herothebard]

#bringbackcorndoghank

[@rolothomosky]

Time for someone to make a weekly Vlogbrothers lore channel, so we can keep up with it.

[@davetoms1]

Whenever TikTok says "We broke Hank" I think no, Hank's being his authentic self, in part by not thinking about who that "authetntic self" even is and just reveling in doing the things that he enjoys with such gusto that those actions make him who he is

[@marygracemcgrath]

+

[@sav1052]

I still think that we break him sometimes, tbh, but I also agree that it's not when he's being goofy and exasperated. I think that's just him who he is.

[@finneganjohn3249]

“Maybe we’re all manufacturing our quirks. And if so, it doesn’t matter, because we’re all manufacturing our selves” This video is deep

[@nicklas7377]

It reminds me of Dodie Clark who in her book said that she realized that she’s just a collage of her favorite parts of other people and felt bad about that for a while until she realized that everyone is just a collage of their favorite parts of other people.

[@nolen_void]

This is such a very good example of why presenting different parts of yourself is not the same as changing yourself, or being unauthentic, or being fake, especially as a culture that loves to call people out for dumb stuff. Thank you, Hank for your nuanced perspective. People are different and that’s alright, and people are also allows to be the authority on themselves.

[@ChrisStephenHP]

Are you telling us to imagine not only others but ourselves complexly?

[@bhangela]

+++

[@isisatu]

Well said

[@thedanalcantara]

“Maybe we’re all manufacturing our quirks” makes 17-year-old me feel a lot more ok

[@alexandrascherrer7012]

Me too!

[@itmedana]

i am currently 17 year old me and i second this

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

As a 17-year-old, this really is one hell of an age to be, isn't it?

[@alexandrascherrer7012]

@Vigilant Cosmis Penguin Right, what a time to be alive and a semi-child in the maze of adulthood and pandemics

[@colleenlibrarian1061]

“You’re a bit much” is an anthem most girls with ADHD hear a lot.

[@tayleanruatha]

All my frick'n life!

[@rev.rachel]

It’s my favorite anthem. I’ve decided to just own it and love it.

[@janine2957]

oh jesus, yes

[@whatdoyousuppose]

THIS RIGHT HERE!! the most relatable thing I’ve heard today

[@Jess-pr1xf]

You all get it...😭

[@foundationsmedicalinformat2420]

“You have not watched every Vlogbrothers video” Hank clearly is not aware of the Month and a half of my life that I spent watching the entire Vlogbrothers backlog when I discovered this channel during my freshman year of college. 😂

[@seoyeonahn6377]

Ack same

[@m.w.kaplan447]

this is the most untrue thing he said in the entire video

[@Hiddenreader]

I've been planning on doing that.

[@andrewjennings3417]

“But you, not John”. rip all the other johns there are

[@lianahuynh3956]

+ I don't know why this made me laugh so hard but it did.

[@IrisGlowingBlue]

++

[@TravisGilbert]

Has the Metamucil thing really been years? What even is time

[@jenriv89]

My thoughts exactly. That feels like a couple of months ago!

[@lizagna7172]

Ikr

[@yuvalne]

+

[@N3rdfightermom]

Looks at the Metamucil in pantry that hubby made me buy because of Hank

[@OrigamiMarie]

Same here. I guess I can believe it has been a year because that was all happening pre-pandemic. But . . . I was sure that it was like, just barely pre-pandemic. And it maybe leaked into the pandemic part of the timeline too?

[@amelias4219]

Someone in the subreddit shared an older video of yours in which you said “There is one thing that you are making everyday, and that is yourself. That is your job, and you must do it well.” Just thought it’s an oddly relevant answer to this branding crisis of yours.

[@bridgetharrington8685]

The almost throwaway line, “There is no authentic self,” is as provocative as, “There is no edge.” I love exactly how MUCH you are. I have also been told i am too much, a bit much, etc. There is no too much. You are simply being a way.

[@SpencerhasAJetPack]

"They're just not part of the lore anymore." Oh no, Hank. It's all part of the lore.

[@hatorigirl1202]

It's just more like the lore that's mentioned in hushed tones around campfires.

[@thegriffinnews]

My god! :takes off sunglasses: It's lore all the way down!

[@Theraot]

It is now part of the lore that that is not part of the lore.

[@coolkumquats]

It is simply the Old Lore now. The foundation upon which this beautiful Nerdfighteria empire was built. Corndogs and sharpie face are what brought us to where we are today

[@AbqDez]

that is what lore is

[@lucymoon]

Also no you’re not too much, which is surprising when you consider how too much all the people who came up on KZbin in 2007 were

[@EriqireM]

Id say Hank is "a bit" much, but he's very good at curating his much.

[@cubeofcheese5574]

I love his muchness

[@IrisGlowingBlue]

+

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

He's just much enough.

[@limb-o7180]

just the appropriate "too much" lol

[@doc8186]

"A person is a person through other persons." - Desmond Tutu Maybe it is okay to change who we are for audiences, friends, family members, lovers. It is a reflection of the love we feel for each other. At the same time, though, we must learn to accept that the way others view us is entirely out of our control, but because people have chosen to stay with us in whatever fashion, it means that they love some aspect of us to some extent.

[@gardenofnightmare]

How many of us talk to our dad the way we talk to our mom? Probably very few, if any

[@adroitws1367]

@@gardenofnightmare damn man, why father has to be so hard to talk to!

[@mandarin42]

This video gave me serious Eleventh Doctor vibes: “We all change, when you think about it. We’re all different people all through our lives. And that’s OK, that’s good, you gotta keep moving, so long as you remember all the people that you used to be.”

[@amandas8266]

"I will always remember when the Doctor was me." Hello, fellow Whovian nerdfighter!

[@trentseymore7385]

I love this reply.

[@scottief8616]

“So! To consolidate the crisis.” This is how I will end every rant from now on

[@thetinycathouse]

I have already resolved to use this phrase in a work meeting next week.

[@winterkeptuswarm]

+

[@connierobinson1090]

You’re a bit much but the world needs the whole bell curve of much.

[@sissysvids]

+

[@ShreyasYD]

+1

[@NinaDmytraczenko]

+

[@lmsalim]

+

[@fsleinad1250]

Wait, if we're talking about bell curves and he's a bit much, wouldn't that put him at the bottom of it? Now I'm just confusing myself....

[@februerin]

I’d say “becoming a different person to different people” is the visual equivalent to code switching! Like, the way I act around some of my friends I met in high school is vastly different to the way I act when around my college friends is vastly different than the way I act around people I met as an adult in my adult career! It’s just how we were when people met us, and that’s how we “perform” for those people!

[@amilliev.6131]

Omggggg whaaat why is this 4min video + this comment so mindblowing

[@carolines7215]

I think the best evidence that Hank was indeed manufacturing his quirks when he was a teen was his English accent phase

[@maike__-]

Alternative video title: Hank has an existential crisis, orders a pizza and he's not "a bit much", he's the ideal amount of much.

[@dawn8293]

"the ideal amount of much" is now my favorite phrase.

[@emmavedock]

+

[@ujwaljoshi3007]

+

[@musicalgirl1388]

Just precisely the right amount of much.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Disappointed he ordered pizza instead of corn dogs, but a wonderful video nonetheless.

[@francisgeistwald]

I love that you and John have crisises over the most mundane things because it draws attention to the fact that nothing is mundane

[@prerza]

i love ur comment

[@scpg142]

Ooh this is good

[@N3rdfightermom]

[@1UpsForLife]

+!!!!!

[@asterling4]

yes!!!!!! humans are so weird and so wonderful and so INCREDIBLY improbable that of course no facet of our existence could ever be mundane!!!! and the green brothers never allow me to forget that, which is part of why i love them so much

[@WritingsOfQuill]

"We're supposed to be authentic on the internet" really hit me because that's the general atmosphere now, but I feel like that wasn't always the case! I was in one of the first generations of kids to be on the internet and we lied about our ages to be there, we had it drilled into us to never tell anyone our real name or location, and I identified as a girl in a time where being a girl on the internet was seen as risky and something to avoid talking about... There was much more of a tacit understanding in those days that people on the internet weren't being real. The authentic connections we found were almost as much in spite of the internet as they were because of it.

[@bethypeffy]

Thank you for putting my experience into words

[@bobbioleary1266]

the internet has changed and evolved in strange and cool ways! its fascinating and scary but the online space has definitely changed from a secret anonymous place where your true identity must never be spoken about to a place where youre expected and encouraged to be more true and open and overshare more than you ever do irl! wild to see!

[@strawberryoes]

+++++

[@nitfens6863]

There is a quote by Albert Cammus that I love that seems entirely relevant: "A man defines himself by his make-believe as well as by his sincere impulses."

[@spacey-sam]

“Maybe we’re all manufacturing our quirks” well I’m not going to be able to stop thinking about that all day

[@LifeOfInsamity]

for real! like....thanks i hate it.

[@danieljensen2626]

Maybe you're manufacturing those thoughts...

[@carissa-7]

+

[@inksplatter1]

Yes. I got a bit mind explode gif at that.

[@rmdodsonbills]

I think that's a great insight. Now that I think about it, we are probably always in a constant quirk flux of re-manufacturing all the time. Quite a bit like your bones, constantly breaking down and rebuilding (See? I learned something from Crash Course Physiology!)

[@SaltedSnacks]

John manufactured a crisis of self in Hank? My my, how the turn tables.

[@savannahstoehr9198]

One of my insane pandemic spirals was going back and rewatching every single vlogbrothers video in order. So yes, I have actually seen them all.

[@storythreads]

Hank's genuine glee at being "authentically disinterested" is just... heartwarming.

[@mrwizardalien]

"to consolidate the crisis" is SUCH A USEFUL TERM FOR NOW THANK FOR GIVING IT TO ME HANK

[@Goldenheart_345]

The lore is beans furby now

[@rainliketheweather4086]

BEANIEEEEEEE SANDFURBSSSSSSSSSS

[@yuvalne]

+

[@NinaDmytraczenko]

〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜

[@TheWordsmythe]

The lore is legs. Always in motion, the lore is.

[@dawntaylor5528]

But that was last year...

[@marcodaniel5446]

This is something i learned from you on cs philosophy: our identity is just a bundle of stuff with nothing holding them together, pieces of it come and go and its okay. It's nice to remember that when i feel embarrassed about the past.

[@jacobcj408]

I've been having a rough time with an idea of self recently and this helped. Thank you

[@alexasinger7520]

“I had a crisis about it, which is absurd, but I did so we’re there” Wow, hank really just summed up my entire anxiety disorder

[@jaclynziegenfus4366]

I took screenshots of the closed captioning of that section because "I had a little bit of a crisis about it, which is ludicrous, but I did so we're there." Is the most relatable thing Hank has ever said in any video.

[@IrisGlowingBlue]

++

[@EchoGillette]

I still drink psyllium fiber because of that metamucil phase.

[@notquiteneutral2590]

Wait!! It’s so cool that you are a nerdfighter. I really like your content!

[@mydroid2791]

Doesn't Metamucil have alot of fillers (and sugar)?

[@jama211]

@@mydroid2791 yes but you’re only consuming a teaspoon or two so it doesn’t really matter, also the sugar helps it go down you know?

[@puffymustash]

Echo, did I start watching your videos because of vlogbrothers? That’s wild, man, I don’t even remember when that could’ve been

[@beardbombarcade5495]

Same

[@garrettwhite8413]

"There is no 'authentic self.' I was not born a way. I have created this person that I am." - I just want to say thank you for this. I have been struggling a lot lately with shame, negative self-talk, and self-sabotaging behaviors. Constantly seeking out validation in things that ultimately I know will not make me feel better because they literally never do, but I've been wondering if I subconsciously seek these things out because of shame and low self-worth. And I don't know why, but this quote just hit me so hard. It's like... I get to decide who I am. I've looked to others to "create me," but that's a terrible idea because I can never be sure if that person is going to affirm me or tear me down. Others are unpredictable. I have to do the best to be there for myself and seize that power back. And no matter how true something has been for however many years, the possibility of changing the self always exists. And I can choose self-love and compassion. Thanks, Hank and John. I really relate to you a lot, and this video was really inspiring.

[@stephenwilliams163]

"I know that it's a little dramatic, but the word for not changing is death."

[@becsmith782]

The pedant in me wants to point out that even after death we change - whether by cremation or the gradual decomposition of our physical forms - and whatever becomes of our soul/life force/whatever label you feel fits...we also change after death in the way people remember us.

[@mikewalsh6103]

Great song!

[@alibcarson]

“I have created this person that I am” I love it.

[@okayheykae]

+

[@musicalgirl1388]

YES! This is what I always tell my students. You get to choose who you are and what you take with you.

[@syeina]

There's something very empowering about it for sure.

[@tmntallthewaydw]

"I don't talk about pelicans on twitter" *stares in you telling me to put "I pelicould" on my graduation cap yesterday*

[@fernandoavila3929]

Nice user name.

[@GreRe9]

+

[@IrisGlowingBlue]

Bless you friend

[@Kbbrianne]

Oh boy, Hank. Not to get too soppy but the number of times I have cried over the fear of being “a bit much” - to people close to me, to new friends, to friends’ friends - the fear of being embarrassing for people I care about - is large. It’s a large number of times. You and John, there from the beginning, are one of the first and best places where I found reassurance that maybe being a lot is in fact okay, and more than that - there is real joy in it, and the people who celebrate that with you are the ones worth keeping ❤️🥰

[@jlcl96]

There is a sweet children’s book called “Lola Dutch is a Little Bit Much” by Kenneth and Sarah Jane Wright. You may be a bit much but only in the best way possible...at least to those of us who partake in your prolific energy from a distance. And based on how your family seems to respond to you, you are just the right amount of much to them.

[@belindaweber7999]

+

[@nlbuescher]

"There is no authentic self. I have created this person that I am." 'Me' is the story I tell myself about myself.

[@mtchllBarrett]

"Was I, like, into My Little Pony for a while?" > Well I don't have a favourite pony because I've never seen that show > and I don't have a favourite pony because I'm 31 years old > and I don't have a favourite pony because I'm a self-respecting dude > and I don't have a favourite pony because I...just...can't...choose Man, it's been almost 7 years since Hank released that album. Time flies I guess!

[@sweetlows1]

because, IIIIII, liiike, Spike.

[@IrisGlowingBlue]

++

[@evezikmund-fisher5182]

++

[@SinHurr]

@@sweetlows1 Bless

[@calmfulspider]

I want more Hank music :(

[@AD-yl4xs]

I had this crisis a while ago. I was really panicking over being a different person with my friends vs on the sports team vs at home and I couldn’t figure out which one of those people was actually me. And I was talking to my friend and they said something really interesting. They asked me why it mattered which one was real. And they said that they loved me for all of the different people I was and that in the end it didn’t matter which person I was because I was, in essence, all of them. When you’re around other people you don’t change your values or core beliefs (generally) and I think those are who you truly are. Your authentic self can be many many different people.

[@tomsparrow1823]

Something is so deeply comforting in "there is no authentic self, i was not born a way. I have created this person that i am".

[@ChloeTGAP]

You tell us you funky little corndog man

[@second0banana]

+

[@amaliawilde8978]

+

[@untappedinkwell]

+

[@SmileyxKyley]

+

[@notaugustus2076]

+

[@Voldycat]

I think it creates a fun dynamic where if you meet a fan or someone who recognises you in a public and they bring up beans you will know instantly where they know you from, it's like a fun password.

[@KaitlinGaspar]

oh my gosh like the old tumblr “i like your shoelaces” “i got them from the president” thing i forgot all about until this minute

[@erika_7777]

@@KaitlinGaspar I don't remember that one, but there was one about narwhals?

[@sn0wflake]

This really gets at the concept of persona in a way that makes sense to me. Everyone talks as if you're not really yourself when you're putting on a show for someone. But in reality, you are yourself, all the time. If you're doing it, it's you. It might just be a small part of you, but it's you.

[@Lindsay423]

I loved this video! You’re so thoughtful about things like this and it was amazing to watch you go through your train of thought. And I think you’re just the right amount of much! :)

[@JuliaGarbe1]

“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.” ― Kurt Vonnegut, Mother Night Not sure if anyone else commented this yet, but this video instantly reminded me of this quote.

[@IrisGlowingBlue]

+

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Vonnegut was very eloquent in communicating the theme that lies can be the most real thing there is.

[@JohnTCano]

pizza

[@_maxgray]

I've never understood why our "authentic selves" are supposed to be restricted to a single facet instead of being, you know, complex. Just because you act differently with your parents and your friends doesn't mean one of those versions of yourself has to be fake.

[@AccidentalNinja]

We naturally act as we think is appropriate in a given situation.

[@LeafStickbranch]

I think the instinct is that being different in different places is like a Chameleon: changing yourself for the situation. But in reality, it's like a multi tool: you use the relevant parts of you for the scenario

[@daniellebenzonofinspiredco7103]

100% we are complex beings, I'm not sure when authentic came to mean 2 dimensional. It just means honest. I can be honest and contradictory even. Still honest.

[@OneRandomLeo]

THIS

[@erika_7777]

@@LeafStickbranch Right, just like using a hammer vs using a wrench, you at a concert vs you at a library would be different. Or how you talk to a child vs how you talk to an adult. It's not fake, it's just adjusting to the situation.

[@kaitlynnuzzi7793]

My favorite thing quote “I am large; I contain multitudes.” Walt Whitman

[@camepicenes1023]

You're amazing and just the right amount of much. Thank you for sharing the crisis, in an unexpected way it spoke quite perfectly to one of my current problems.

[@Naiadryade]

"There is no authentic self. I was not born a way. I have created this person that I am." my new mantra

[@amandaweinberger4994]

“And let’s be honest - you haven’t!” You are incorrect.

[@chashahjohnson]

like hank my man.... most of your audience has been around for several years. when I started watching there were only two years of previous content and you bet your ass I watched it all. you underestimate us.

[@natalieann]

+

[@natalieann]

@@chashahjohnson At some point you run out of recent vlogbrothers and need to start over at the beginning

[@edixon2225]

The last part hit home. Lately I’ve been struggling with the idea of feeling as though I am simultaneously too much and not enough. Like when it comes to meeting people, I’m too much, but when it comes to achieving things and making differences I am not enough. The struggle is trying to know whether I should shrink myself or just say screw it, people who think I’m too much don’t deserve even their Goldilocks amount of me. And I don’t know, but I think it made it all a little easier to see someone like you who is clearly exactly where you are supposed to be and the right amount of who you are because you’re YOU (whoever that may be in any given situation) made it a little easier to feel like maybe, even if I’m too much for some people, I can be just right for myself, whoever that person may be from minute to minute.

[@FreekaPista]

My dad has always said that donning a uniform when leaving for work has been extremely important to him. He started out as a public school counselor, and he had a very specific type of outfit he always wore to work. He switched fields to medicine and found donning a white doctor's coat to be an integral part of starting his rounds. Later he became a manager in a medical practice, and found different solace in getting dressed in his business suit. Each different uniform helped him attune his mind to the role he would play at his work, and to helped him to feel more confident in avoiding feelings of "imposter syndrome" ( although he never mentioned imposter syndrome explicitly). And in the same way, when he came home each evening, and changed clothes, he always felt more comfortable in his role as a father within our family. I know this is only tangentially related to the video, but your discussion of taking on different roles and performing for groups of people made me think of what my dad had said in the past.

[@zeam-h3133]

"We're all manufacturing ourselves. There is no authentic self. I was not born a way." My final essay of high school was about authenticity online. I tried to think about it in a lot of ways but I hadn't thought of it this way. I like it.

[@Kyasakoamy]

As someone who's often worried about acting differently around different people and being seen as "fake", I really appreciated this. I need to stop feeling guilty about not "being myself" or trying to be the exact same person in all contexts because it's not useful or even really possible.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

We all live our lives by putting up a facade, so we may as well embrace the dramaturgy.

[@madcaptainsundy]

You have the air of a mad genius, and it's the exactly right amount of much. Thank you for this video; it helped me to clarify and explain some concepts that have been floating around in my head for a while. ❤️

[@umamorinha]

I grew up online and recently went on a finding spree, looking up old twitter accounts, emails, tumblrs long abandoned, blogs and stuff (06 to now). I love this little time capsule the internet has given us. I could pinpoint the exact date I got into true crime (Halloween 2008 when I was 9), I can read myself complain about teachers I didn't even remember the name, I found old footage shot on a V3 of me and some middle school friends singing in the cold... It's weird, seeing who we were and who we are, but I'm thankful for it.

[@carlabecerril549]

"much" implies Hank is reaching a limit, but I would argue he is just "a lot," like a lot of puppies or a lot of good times spent with old friends

[@rev.rachel]

Aww this is so lovely :)

[@yuvalne]

Damn, Hank, this is deep. You should write a book about this. Maybe even two.

[@erika_7777]

+

[@Graidian]

I came to the comments to protest the comment that we haven't seen all of the episodes, and while a vast majority of users have not, I was thrilled to see the selection of fans that have. I recall Hank trying to give away the peeps he couldn't eat, John waxing his chin (don't, by the way), music coming out weekly, games with hank, my eye in my eye....so many memories from day one with these guys. I love everything you two are, everything you stand for and have become. Awesome work!

[@idkjustwatching8117]

Hey! I hope you know this channel along with your podcasts are so very comforting and i didn’t know you were on tiktok but I can’t wait to explore that side of you! -an old viewer who watched you stuck in target and has definitely watched all of your videos 💕

[@shannon4126]

bold of you to assume i haven’t watched every vlogbrothers video

[@ApequH]

Bold, and wrong I remember the my little pony song

[@shannon4126]

@@ApequH that it is

[@nightowl223606]

@@shannon4126 P E E P S

[@shannon4126]

@@nightowl223606 12.5 all day every day😁

[@musicalgirl1388]

I do love how these men have spent 13 years making content and mostly have only taken in that content once, whereas some of us just watch through all of the videos on the regular or binge all of the Dear Hank and Johns or whatever because it's fun. Like, I can play and sing Favorite Pony from memory (as well as many others of Hank's songs) and he barely remembers that it ever existed. People are amazing and I'm so glad to live here in Nerdfighteria.

[@dirano09]

My grandmother has what we referred to as her 'professional hat' where she is in no way like 'grandma'. It can be startling and off putting to see the difference, even with a warning. She is retired now, but it showed me at a young age that we really do wear many 'hats'. I personally have a student hat, customer service hat, general public hat, and a 'village' or friends & family hat. Those hats fit what roles we take on and what we do to fit that role. As a working professional woman, my grandmother has to be very specific, very sure of herself, and no nonsense. Clean cut, organized, and capable. She didn't just have to be good at her job, but look good at her job too. As a grandmother she could be silly, kind, and we could ask all sorts of questions. Adding and removing 'hats' from your collection is a part of life too. It's good and heathy to do this, to be silly or professional or whatever when you need that part, and to know when you stop and relax, you can look at what you did and see good there.

[@MattPalka]

Sometimes I think the deeper long lasting quirks that are (maybe truer to oneself?) are those that survive and thrive despite the changes in hats. Some hats just show them more than others.

[@lyreparadox]

Rather than hats, I've always thought of them as "facets" like on a gemstone. So the gemstone is my "authentic self" with each facet reflecting light from whatever parts I'm trying to emphasize at the moment. But those facets can't all reflect at the same time, so I'm always picking and choosing which parts to show and which to leave out. It's a metaphor that works for me. 😊 Though you're right, seeing someone you know from one context is a completely different one can be shocking. Like, "Do I really know this person? Did I ever?"

[@DisasterAster]

+

[@boredomprone]

I’ve been watching since 2007 and you’re (and John) still reminding me in continuously nuanced ways to be my authentic self...by being disinterested in doing so! Thanks for keeping up the great thought provoking content :)

[@ReginaFera]

I just want to say that you're a great example of how we don't just settle down into a "singular personality" as we age. While we become more familiar with ourselves over time, we are also continually inventing who we are, day to day. Yay to that.

[@alexgerweck4507]

“Authentically confused about, or even authenticity disinterested in, who my authentic self is.” I love that. I think for a lot of people, much of the pressure to be their authentic selves comes from external sources, which almost makes the very act of pursuing authenticity inauthentic. You can’t entirely separate your “true self” from all of the external ideas and pressures that influence (and always have influenced) you to think or behave differently, so I’m not sure there even is such a thing as an authentic self. It’s all very confusing, so I’ve decided I’m okay not knowing for sure. I just try to keep my behavior consistent with my values and call it good enough.

[@erika_7777]

I think being authentic is just being, or working towards being, a version of yourself that you enjoy and that feels right. And that changes, and that is ok. In middle school, I completely switched friend groups because my old group was toxic and I didn't know who I wanted to be around them, and I didn't like who I was around them. To get in with the new group, I tried new things, and spoke differently, and listened to different music, and wore different clothes. I even changed my high school class courses because of them. You could say I was faking it until I could make it, but I actually felt way more authentic because I LIKED who I was becoming and the new interests and habits I was creating. It was so much more fun and relaxing to be in that group, and they had a lasting impact on me even though I no longer talk to them. I was discovering and creating my authentic self with them, and I am still discovering and creating my authentic self today, and there's so many similarities but also so many differences.

[@tobistein6639]

Decide on what you like and what you believe in, and make it up from there. Adjust when necessary.

[@docnevyn5814]

I have never seen Hank look as proud as this moment of forcing the internet to reflect on their sense of self.

[@hopegold883]

Yes. My thoughts exactly. Also, when he said he’s created himself, and we all do, my initial response was it didn’t click. I don’t feel like I have done that at all. (I’m not young.) at least not since I was in my 20’s. (I won’t argue that that may be unusual, and that I probably need therapy.)

[@kimberlynoelle1]

This reminds me of what it feels like to be a mental health therapist. When I'm with my clients, I am a thoughtful, compassionate, present version of myself. I love that version of me. But it's not sustainable to be that version of me all the time, because when I'm a therapist I'm by default not the other parts of me (the silly, the nerdy, the sometimes self-interested). That doesn't mean the therapist-me isn't authentic... it's just not all of me.

[@danieltallent4243]

I found you on SciShow and I think it's your energy that keeps it fun. Still love that you're doing videos. I think that unique energy is the 'real you'. It shows there and here. Thank you for being awesome.

[@AvaFayIliza]

To be fair, The idea that of nature vs nurture (meaning: is there an innate authentic self or only the self developed over time as effected by one's environment or, more likely in my opinion, it is a complex blending of the two) has been studied and continues to be studied in many different fields and from many different angles. As I start my journey into anthropology, it is one of the most fascinating aspects to be studied of what it means to be human.

[@unpetitagneau]

Lol a phrase that will absolutely have value to me in the future: "So... to consolidate the crisis"

[@idawrens]

And thus we circle back around to the ever-important question: Who the eff is Hank?!

[@lauriespafford]

+++++++++++

[@seeingincolor]

(Hank is is a state highway located in southern Louisiana. It runs 64.02 miles [103.03 km] in a north-south direction from LA 14 west of Kaplan to US 167 in Turkey Creek.)

[@SlipFlip]

Yeeeeeeeees

[@strawberryoes]

*slow clap*

[@m.w.kaplan447]

this comment is the golden ticket

[@DarbeeShayne]

Yup, pretty proud to have seen all the vlogbrothers videos. I've loved watching the channel grow and evolve as I do!

[@sabashahin_]

This is why your videos never get old. Always educational and fun in a way!

[@lucymoon]

I think a lot about this concept but have never been able to put it into words. I’ve been making videos on KZbin since I was fourteen and I feel like a whole different person to the one I was a year ago, let alone 11 years. But people still know me as the person they found at whatever point in their lives that they related to me? Idk it’s a big one

[@lucymoon]

All this to say this video and John’s video were great, thanks for verbalising my identity crisis

[@ChiaraBells]

@@lucymoon I have never been a content creator, but I imagine it is somewhat like if you constantly met people who knew you years ago - but they don't accept that time has passed. It is strange that it is so hard for people to separate past and present content online when we do it all the time in real life. Yes, the "memory" of a video you watched a few minutes ago is fresher but it is still very similar to remembering the way someone used to be.

[@katnisspotterholmes5206]

Alternative title: When the existential crisis of one brother is about the other brother and it becomes the existential crisis of that one other brother

[@20burkt1515]

I feel like a lot of Hank's videos have been extra meta recently!

[@caitlinstone596]

Hank, you are just the right amount of much. Your muchness is one of our favorite things about you! 💕

[@Shrooblord]

What a *beautiful* video. That grin at the end sells it all. And then the post-credits scene lmao

[@yuvalne]

I think that everyone has those bajillion facets of themselves, it's just pretty rare for most people for ALL OF THEM to be documented on the world wide web for everyone to see.

[@zoebailey]

+

[@chair547]

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[@EmeralBookwise]

Or at least not documented all in one place. I've had accounts on multiple different platforms over the years, and I probably present a little differently on each of them. I don't always use the same screen name either, so even if someone tried to go digging to create an ostensibly "complete" picture of me, the connections might not be at all obvious.

[@akcanine]

“I have created this person that I am” is such a beautifully empowering statement that you delivered so nonchalantly

[@samuelmacfarlane]

I had a mental crisis as a teen where I realized how much of me was just a reflection of the friends and family around me. I pushed everyone around me away and isolated to try to figure out what I was like without them (lonely). The crisis began to resolve when I heard TMBG say "be you. Be like yourself. Be what you're like". And I did like Hank and decided to just do what I do and not care too much.

[@jredmane]

Hank that's such an authentic-looking "pleased with myself" smile you gave at the end of the video (just before the "a bit much" comment), I couldn't help feeling quite pleased with myself as well for resonating with your message! Thanks!

[@maroonedinblue]

Its like the platforms are little flashlights and you’ve shown each one on slightly different facets of yourself. Theyre all real! Just different perspectives!! The self is insane!

[@N3rdfightermom]

++++++++

[@dasaf.2382]

i loveeee this !!

[@SamTills]

no offence hank but in fact quite a few of us have watched every vlogbrothers video

[@N3rdfightermom]

Seriously that did offend me!!

[@dsalazarm]

++++++

[@jonathankumar9126]

Exactly! Like I might not have been here since 2007 but I went through the backlog!

[@fred321]

After the "you haven't", I said I have at the same time as him!

[@marylis84]

also, KZbin should let you reproduce all the videos in chronological order. It is a challenge.

[@JakeBroe]

You sold me on metamucil 3 years ago and i have been using it since. Changed my life!

[@DistortedMatt]

Long time viewer here! This video encapsulated so much existential dread that I have felt over the past year, whether my personality and quirks are me or not but like who cares!! I am many things to different people and that's okay. Thanks Hank for the video as always. (p.s. I have watched every single vlogbrother video so take that!)