On Cuties and Cooties

In which John discusses cooties, cuties, whales, Moby Dick, and fish while visiting an aquarium. He also talks about things that are both fun and hard without making a single that's what she said joke.
Hey, ARE YOU A SPORTSRACER? Ze Frank inspired us to start videoblogging, and in the best news ever, he is bringing his show back: www.kickstarter.com/projects/z... We can't wait!
HERE ARE A LOT OF LINKS TO NERDFIGHTASTIC THINGS:
Shirts and Stuff: dftba.com/artist/30/Vlogbrothers
Hank's Music: dftba.com/artist/15/Hank-Green
John's Books: amzn.to/j3LYqo
======================
Hank's Twitter: / hankgreen
Hank's Facebook: / hankimon
Hank's tumblr: / edwardspoonhands
John's Twitter: / realjohngreen
John's Facebook: / johngreenfans
John's tumblr: / fishingboatproceeds
======================
Other Channels
Crash Course: / crashcourse
SciShow: / scishow
Gaming: / hankgames
VidCon: / vidcon
Hank's Channel: / hankschannel
Truth or Fail: / truthorfail
======================
Nerdfighteria
effyeahnerdfighters.com/
effyeahnerdfighters.com/nftumblrs
/ nerdfighters
nerdfighteria.info/
A Bunny
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[@lillyfrees2997]

John... This video has 429,000+ views and 10,000+ likes. I'm sorry, I really am. I'm sorry to be the one to break the news. But you, you are popular.

[@markdobbins8393]

The work/play dichotomy. We are taught by school and life that work is that which is unwanted but required while play is that which is not required but wanted. We thus associate everything we must do with something we do not want to do. If school permitted you to pursue your own self-fulfillment, you wouldn't hate it, nor would you neglect your studies. There is over 100 years of evidence that this is true. You can find it in Montessori classrooms around the globe, and probably other alternative education systems as well. We reject those systems because we fear trust and in our fear seek to replace trust with control instead of measuring our trust with verification. But why am I posting this comment on a video that is almost 3 years old? Will anyone read it or care? Yet more words in the wind.

[@aaronweiss1379]

yeah i read it and i care.

[@tekoya]

I read it and I'm quite glad I came upon this concept~ :3

[@merandam9293]

Mark Dobbins Still being heard~

[@jwjch12]

💛💚💚💛💜💞💞💞💞💞

[@Animenite97]

I also read it.

[@ozziewozzie2737]

In my elementary school years, my presence was at such a level of "weirdness" that I was immune when the "cooties disease" infected my second-grade class. In fact, a few weeks later they discovered that my steadfast claims of the playground plague being nonexistent was actually the truth, well, they didn't really care. They had moved onto other stimulating activities such as digging a hole to china in the sandbox.

[@howarthe1]

"...hard is the opposite of fun..." I found this same attitude when I tried to teach high school Spanish class. I told the students that learning Spanish was one of the hardest things I had ever done. "So why should we do it?" they asked. At the time I was perplexed. I told them it would make them better people. But now I realize they were confusing hard with horrible.

[@TheBryanScout]

"Care to join me in the sandbox?"

[@user-rd8xg2um4w]

Whoa whoa whoa... How have I not seen those birthmarks before?

[@crashcourse]

@meghannmecrazy I've been there several times! (I go to New Orleans at least once a year.) Great museum. -John

[@secondchance5914]

I knew I recognized this person

[@iXenuX]

Sooo you would technically have.... CUTIE MARKS!

[@harrypotteristheboss]

"The search is a pleasure and a difficult one, as most great pleasures are." -John Green

[@silemtu6335]

Ironic that you fully achieved and excelled in being popular only after you stop perusing it ,,,

[@ProdigiousHdawg]

John Green always ends up taking us to a rather deep place in many of his videos...and now he even took us to the deep waters of the tanks in the aquarium. Such commitment.

[@mjkendall14]

Ha! I literally finished my thesis on this. It has to do with the misconception that self-value lies in physical things and possessions rather than the mind.

[@Ariel-ps8je]

I think that we try for things like popularity and angry birds because they are only just out of our reach, just barely unattainable whereas when I think about trying to understand the Universe not having edges or how to balance chemical reaction equations it seems somehow much less attainable because I have to like use think on a deeper level than the shallowness of popularity and the bright colours and meaningless objective of angry birds. meaninglessness is much more attainable.

[@ethanmcbee9556]

Sometimes I want to cite these video in the articles I have to write on curriculum. Green, John. "On Cuties and Cooties" .....hello most interesting bibliography in the class.

[@walkcordatus]

LOL, John your teacher is so sweet. I cry tears of joy remembering my own teacher who used to crack my class up!

[@dingocats]

John, you are always able to articulate my thoughts in ways I never could, which is why I love watching these videos so much.

[@ANDREALFB]

I'm not afraid to fail flappy bird like I'm afraid of failing school

[@user-bl6ix9dt7r]

Dude. Dude. No edge.

[@ichillie]

definitely one of my favorite vids from you in a while. thanks!

[@SatellitePlane]

I can't tell with words how much I love vlogbrothers, Hank & John. It's just pure, genuine awesome.

[@LukeWeAreNotRelated]

I think i know why we try so hard at angry birds or becoming popular while quiting at more important things like the diffucult books or hard math problems. Its is because those things are important, and deep down there is a fear that if we dont understand it will come back to haunt us in the future. While with veido games and other unimporntat stuff it doesnt matter if we fail or succed at it in the long run so we dont become afraid of falure and then end up hating it.

[@lucymoon]

Have you got a sore throat, John?

[@SoccerGirl29995]

I don't quite know why, but it makes me happy and emotional when I think of John's son when he grows up and finds this channel and watches all these videos. I bet he'll feel so proud, and like he's the luckiest kid in the world. :) And I really think he is the luckiest kid in the world.

[@Utopiansybill]

Wow. I've never thought of the relationship between difficulty and fun. You've given me a lot to think about. Again.

[@hippiechicky7890]

I think after 1,626,045 subscribers you have obtained the title of popular.

[@Purplfily]

This video makes me want to read Moby Dick

[@Snippett95]

Well John, thanks to you and Hank, I spend a considerable amount of my time reading better books than ever before, listening to songs that actually teach me stuff I might need to know and having quite philosphic thoughts thanks to your videos. Thank you for making being a Nerd that much more fun. ;)

[@louiseysqueezyful]

I started TFIOS on Thursday night, and finished it in the school library on Friday afternoon. I got so drawn into the book that I forgot where I was and that I actually had lessons to go to; I ended up walking into class 40 minutes late in tears, much to the bewidlerment of my teacher. I've now got a list of people waiting to borrow the book (including the teacher!). Thank you for writing such an incredible novel. I laughed, cried, got weird looks from the librarian, and felt all the things.

[@Jenn12141983]

I have always been unnecessarily concerned with people liking me and wondering what they think of me. Being socially awkward and a total nerd ensured I would never be popular in the traditional sense, but now that I've entered my third decade of life, I find myself caring less and less. This is who I am: if someone doesn't like me for it, that's their problem. My only concern now is to be myself and increase awesome levels in the world, and I've never been happier :-)

[@harjashow]

i think it's because when you're younger you look to others to legitimise your existence

[@iantojones3]

your videos really make me feel so much better about everything. Thank you so much for them. X

[@displacerkatsidhe]

"And then they would scream," said John in a calm and collected tone.

[@leighhauserman9549]

Did you use that cuties line on Sarah John? Lol

[@brittneyr2490]

We seek to be accepted because it is a primitive necessity. If we are rejected by our "tribe" we may die. In this day in age, it is dramatic, however the hardwiring of our brains has not caught up

[@courtneyy7789]

I've always found it odd that my favorite book, The Scarlet Letter, is also the book that I hate reading the most because it takes me forever and it's really hard to understand. But the imagery and the story and the symbols and everything in it are so beautiful. The text is just so dense with everything that I have to read really slowly to take it all in. Nice to know this isn't an odd thing at all.

[@ryleegallagher7289]

it's 2020 and several years later, but I still think this is arguably one of the best vlogbrother videos.

[@6023barath]

3 years after your comment, I agree with you. This video has interesting childhood stories, classic books, complexity, John's self-reflection that feels like one's own, and FISH. The last part of the video always gets to me.

[@hellsbloodyrose]

I thought those birth marks where cutter scars.

[@ordeloliveros5999]

That's kind of morbid..

[@rory3155]

I thought they were cigarette burns 😩 doesn't that just show you old mindset

[@jackvalleli4460]

Even if you were a heroin addict, would you tell us? Saying that they're birthmarks seems like an awfully convenient excuse.......

[@laurennicole04]

They are birthmarks. He's mentioned it before.

[@jackvalleli4460]

+laurennicole04 I know. It's a really bad joke.

[@laurennicole04]

+Jack Valleli I apologize for not recognizing that lol.

[@jackvalleli4460]

It's ok.

[@andrewxc1335]

I get bruises like that all the time... From karate. My wrist gets grabbed a lot every week.

[@Bearsca]

Everything about vlogbrothers is awesome: their knowledge, their voices, what they say, their looks, their glasses, their opinions, their songs, their lists, their jokes, their references, the relationship they have with eachother and the fans, the posters that sometimes happen to be in the background of a video etc.; the list goes on and on. They have never forgotten TBA.

[@inkhorse73]

I watched this video before I did the readings for my cell biology class, and it inspired me to actually take the time to comprehend it. Normally my brain is so fried from the rest of my school work that I just skim the readings and glean whatever I can. But it was an extremely rewarding experience to understand at a deeper level all the intricate mechanisms that make up the cells of our body. This is now my driving inspiration for getting my insane amounts of home work done. Thanks John!

[@annabellesartre1018]

I've been catching up on all the old vlogbrothers videos. Started at the beginning and just so happened to watch this one the day I finished reading Moby Dick for the first time!

[@k1wibaby]

wow, that virtual trip to the aquarium was so soothing. Thank you for that!

[@TheTummiez]

This is an extremely beautiful video. One of the first vlogbrothers I saw, and I return to it frequently.

[@freakychicken42]

are we all obsessed with how john always tries to rip his hair out and how hank constantly adjusts his glasses with his left hand. I mean come on, we all notice these things! and we all love them! and a little bit obsessed too.

[@kasyelf13]

I can never understand how even the simplest of things sound so utterly profound when said by John Green

[@jackthealligator]

One of the best Vlogbrothers videos

[@chekubechukwuma4307]

This inspires me to go on with Lord of the Flies, so thank you!

[@DrHannahTheHorrible]

I just love the parts where there is beautiful footage playing while John talk about this thoughts: its very inspirational...

[@ChelseaMF13]

John, every part of this video is pure awesome. Especially what you said about attaining popularity - couldn't have said it better!

[@shadedscript]

John, you always have such inspiring videos. Much love

[@samissoodd]

You both inspire me, give me a hope for hummanity, give me the strength to wake up and know that the day to come can be a good one and If it is not that the next may be. I know this is strange but this video in particular rang true to my core and put a smile onto my face. I have no anwser for your question but you asking it in the first place seems like the first step of stopping.

[@keerak]

I love the way you phrase yourself. And except for getting back to my family, finally getting to read "The Fault in Our Stars", is one of the things that I take great comfort in as I am about to leave a country which I have come to love, for a country which I suppose I should call home.

[@heather4him]

He gives me such chills, with his words, and his phrasing...mmmm.

[@laceandlingerie]

the second half of this video was pretty much the best articulated video i have ever watched.

[@ThePrismGirl]

Oh dear god... watching this with the subtitles on and muted made my night :)

[@moviechic07]

"...why was I so willing to work hard much much too hard to make people like me..." really resonated with me, after 22 years of wasting my time on this, I come to realize that those things don't matter as much to me anymore. I found that simple pleasures like finding the time to read all the books I never got around to reading, is not only a better use of my time but makes me happier. I get a feeling of gratification from myself and not from the approval of others. Its pretty empowering.

[@littlemissmoony13]

you are the voice of reason in my life, john. Thank you for always making sense of the problems that I can't seem to understand myself. DFTBA!

[@RincewindIsMyHero]

Geesh, those aquarium shots relaxed the heck out of me. Especially the starfish looking thing and the jelly fish.

[@doratarani192]

The first book I ever read that got me into reading (Artemis Fowl #1) was a book I couldn't decipher in my head if I were offered a million dollars. I couldn't understand it because at that time it was very hard to read, but I kept reading it because I loved how fun it was to decipher it. The first thing my first book taught me was that hard doesn't equal not fun and today John Green rekindled that lesson inside my head. Thank you

[@melmantheninja]

"and then they would scream." oh john, you make me chuckle

[@captocie]

no idea why youtube has reccommended this to me again now, nine years later, but wow john it is a trip to see 9 year ago you. what is time, even. just going to sit here thinking about how much has changed and how much hasn't in the past 9 years now. amazing tho

[@6023barath]

It's always a pleasure to come back to this video for me, it's funny, philosophical and makes me rethink.

[@dorianalexander5070]

1:17 is the best pickup line. Might start using that.

[@whereisangie]

you are a philosopher and i really enjoy hearing the things you think about.

[@heatherhorsecat]

You are very very great at speaking to the part of my ears that listen for important stuff :D

[@bnormalsauce]

Learning how to *make* things fun makes college a lot more enjoyable. I don't really want to spend most of my time with my textbooks reviewing the same information over and over in new ways until I understand it, but doing so in a way that makes me enjoy the work I'm doing is invaluable.

[@Villemo1990]

I've been watching John and Hank for years, and I never noticed John has birthmarks on his arm ^^

[@Icywolfoskelsos]

The aquarium shots are so peaceful lol

[@annak5773]

This video helped me read so many great books

[@TheWarnerSister]

The last line has the most beautiful rhythm to it.

[@phantomfreak37]

I was never popular either. John Green, you are my hero. I live in New Orleans, and I wish I could've seen you at the Aquarium. It would have made my week!

[@channelchannelish]

this was the first vlogbrothers video i ever watched, way back in 2012 :')

[@joshuashain5891]

I think it's because something like being popular is seen as acheiveable but is at least somewhat less so. It is the green light at the end of the bay that you can strive for but never quite reach. It is Tantalus' fruit that can be forever reach for but never aquired whereas reading and comprehending a book, seems difficult but is not as hard as it seems to new readers. It is a wizard of Oz, shrowded in impossibility but not as difficult as it is believed to be.

[@queengoz]

Thank you so much for mentioning my favorite book in the entire world. That makes you more of a "cutie" John.

[@fancyweeble7333]

Because the urge to be liked is a bone-deep genetic urge carried from ancestor who didn't get thrown out of the cave and freeze to death to ancestor who avoided being burned as a witch to today.

[@Paintdrips12]

I love how Johns voice changes when hes saying something meaningful.

[@mtbikeclown]

Best vlog yet. Hard things usually produce good stuff in us and by us, we should embrace difficulties and challenges. It is in the struggle of life that we become overcomers.

[@Lyverfive]

John I have never noticed those marks on your arm before. And, you have inspired me to spend more time today reading one of the books I have yet to finish reading. Huzzah DFTBA! God Bless.

[@foudroyantly]

I think popularity is mainly the lure of the wonderfully false illusion that the people who are the objects of popularity and attention are objects of attention and popularity because they are known and liked. Whether they have truly submitted to the “mortifying ordeal of being known” is besides the point: I think people want popularity because they believe that it means they will A) be recognized, and B) loved for who they are. I reached a point in high school where I simply stopped caring about those “popular” people and focused my attention on people I knew and, in turn, knew me. I had finally realized that caring about people who, largely, didn’t even care about each other, was a waste of my time and energy, and so I redirected it towards people I knew and loved. I also think that, popularity for the people who have achieved it, is a different beast depending on who that person truly is. I knew popular kids in high school who were popular because they were genuinely very nice and good people - some of with I’m still friendly with today, since the sweet release of high school graduation and the anonymity and freedom that college brought in terms of self-security - and then I knew popular kids who were obsessed with the fleeting relevancy of popularity and its turbulent waters. Did you ask for an essay on popularity and how I believe, ultimately, it’s all an illusion? Nope. But here you go.

[@wordsandstuff]

I enjoy the fact that the voice over is played during the aquarium videos.

[@nicholasgunter3838]

It seems to me that the answer is in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The quote comes at the end of the chapter where Tom convinces Ben to whitewash the fence for him. Mark Twain writes, “Work consists of what a body is obliged to do, and Play consists of what a body is not obliged to do.” I personally would add that within the spectrum of work to play, having an affinity for something has an added effect beyond the one in the book. If you are obliged to do something but you’re also good at it, you’ll probably enjoy it at least slightly more than if you weren’t good at it. I think this extends to all four combinations as well.

[@TrilhaMusiki]

I've been reading the Wind-Up Bird Chronicle for about 6 months now, and loving every second of it ^__^

[@ReginaTorres15]

John talks the way he writes and he talks and writes awesomely

[@Rociero1991]

For some, inexplicable reason, the fact that you said you're not a fast reader made me feel a little bit better about myself. It made me feel less doubt about studying English. Up until now I've had a slight doubt as to whether or not the course of study is a good idea. So thank you, John :)

[@smilies4life]

NERDFIGHTER PICK UP LINE! "Hey there, have you gotten your cuties shot?"

[@brooksliz]

On hard vs fun: It's about anticipation. Working hard toward something you anticipate with joy -- e.g., the creation or discovery of something new -- is only perceived as "fun" or "not fun" when you have *ceased* working and either succeeded or failed. If you failed but had fun anyway, then I submit that your goal was not actually what you thought it was... and that maintaining achievable actual goals is one of the secrets of a satisfied and happy life.

[@TheEllarooroo]

'Hard is not the opposite of fun.' That's my new motto.

[@SheepPencil]

TFIOS was everywhere in the book shop I was in today, in the must reads, teen books, recommended authors of 2012 and it was I think 3 or 4 in the most popular books of the week, I was so proudd

[@lynns692]

John, I know chances are slim that you will actually read this, but I just finished The Fault In Our Stars, and let me just say thank you for writing such a beautiful novel. I read it in a day or so because I simply could not put it down; it sucked me in from the first page and I fell in love with it the same way you fall asleep. Slowly, then all at once. This is the first novel of yours that I have read, but luckily I have a nerdfighter friend who owns more works by you. So again, thank you.

[@DaffyDaffyDaffy33322]

Having watched all vlogbrothers videos up to here since about a week ago, I can say that I get the joke of the "great wall of whale". DFTBA

[@BrittanyIsImpossible]

I always experience speechless-ness when I watch Vlogbrothers videos.

[@Grakmole]

I was a bit of a hipster when I was in primary school so it gave me great joy to have seen, done or heard something others hadent.

[@ilovethecoloerpurple]

"....and then they would scream." I love that line, one of your best xD

[@PrincessJinx100]

Dear John and Hank (But mainly John), Last year, I was really sick. So sick, in fact, that I was in the hospital, and missed a month of school. So anyway, today I began reading The Fault In Out Stars. I finished roughly four and a half hours later, after sobbing my eyes out three times. You were very, VERY descriptive in the emotion that someone feels when they are sick. You, sir, have become the number one person I would like to meet some day. Thank you. -J

[@TheyCalledMeHunter]

I had to read The Symposium for my college english class, and this video was the inspiration which got me through it.

[@1028399]

This is one of those videos that makes you question everything. No matter how many times you watch it....

[@MandaOwl]

I agree. There is something fulfilling about reading "hard" books sometimes, and not only read novels that hands you everything on a plate. Sometimes a complicated language suits a book. :)

[@veritasuser]

excellent vid john exactly what i needed to lift my nerd fighter spirits ;)

[@heyitsthefranny]

Oh my gosh... You are brilliant, John.

[@lawrencecalablaster568]

Gingerbread Girl, that thing at 2:21 was an amazing species of seahorse known as the Leafy Sea Dragon. In addition to having enlongated and kelp-like tailfins for expert camouflage, the Leafy Sea Dragon was inadvertently my favorite animal from the ages of 5 to 10. Rock on, Phycodurus eques!!!

[@kudospraze]

The last half of the video was wonderful and poetic. I just finished a very difficult existential discussion with a friend, and I agree that difficult is not the antithesis of fun by any means. :)