Topics you were ashamed to admit you knew nothing about

[@TreadTheDonutDuck]

If I’m being honest, I’m extremely frightened by my reliance on other people to form opinions and analyze things. I’m constantly scared that I’ll be tricked by propaganda and I think people like you really help me figure out the world and politics in general. Thank you

[@JJMcCullough]

I do my best to be objective!

[@welredd]

@@JJMcCullough And you do a great job! It’s difficult to figure out your political alignment, and that’s a good thing!

[@treman722]

Or maybe you're just too reliant on JJ. Maybe HE is the propaganda? The Canadians would like us to believe otherwise.

[@Willyamsii]

I’m in that boat with you

[@hwgoblin]

@@JJMcCullough You’re super good at it! Can’t figure out your political leanings at all lol

[@clairegresswell]

When mentioning The Office, it is fundamentally important (I believe), to mention that it was a British sitcom that first aired in 2001. Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant wrote all 14 episodes (2 seasons & 2 Christmas specials), before Ricky went on to develop the idea for an American/global audience.

[@miyakawaso]

I like the British version much better -- I find Ricky Gervais's character far more interesting than Steve Carell's, who is somewhat cartoonish -- but unfortunately there are far fewer episodes.

[@bodhipeace]

@@miyakawaso The American version is a little watered down, but more polished and has broader appeal.

[@linusmedailleu3063]

I have heard that the office was adopted and aired in many countries is a window to countries cultural diffrences. What the french show did to show a person failing to be youthfull was very diffrent to the british.

[@mikryan6567]

Us version was funny, but UK version is just better I don't know why

[@sevelofficial2696]

Never let yourself ever believe that you're not useful, the content from you is invaluable. I have learned so much cultural knowledge about Canada and other parts of the world from you, and with every video I get excited to learn something new!

[@damenwhelan3236]

Well said!!

[@thicc_astley]

me too!! JJ is one of the most informative and engaging channels i follow. he also articulates a lot of stuff i already knew about but didn’t know how to explain, really well :)

[@lucadeliberato]

JJ helps to organize my brain through fact based knowledge

[@jz6488]

Thank you for your work, JJ! One minor correction: the Napoleonic Code is a civil code, not a criminal code. It's even stated in the illustration which you provided. This does not mean that the penal code was not revised under Napoleon, just that his most significant point of legal legacy is definitely his civil code.

[@nannettefreeman7331]

Still in use in Louisiana...✌🏼

[@jz6488]

@@nannettefreeman7331 and, to a major extent, in *DUN, DUN, DUUUUN* the province of Quebec!

[@davidlegrice4207]

@@jz6488 How'd that happen? He never controlled quebec

[@sacha9593]

​@@davidlegrice4207 The Napoleonic Code is just a rationalisation, modernisation, unification and codification of the (neo) roman law that was used in France long before the revolutionary era. One important source of this code was the "coutume de Paris" which was the civil law under the parlement of Paris and in the New France (Louisiana and French Canada). After its adoption in France the Napoleonic Code had a huge influence on most juridictions that use the romano-germanic law legal system, including Quebec.

[@johnburk6564]

I’m in my mid 70s and find your posts really uplifting: so many young people are benefiting from your content; I am informed about new things in the culture I was ignorant about; I learn how understanding of past events (ones I often observed first hand) has evolved. Thank you.

[@Bacopa68]

And I thought I was one of the oldest subscribers. Good to know I am not such an old timer.

[@boghund]

You're very cool! - a young person

[@SmokeyChipOatley]

I find your openness to learning about modern-day cultural aspects in regards to younger people refreshing. Far too often once people reach a certain age it seems they prefer to criticize, judge and mock anything they don’t understand or would rather choose to ignore it entirely. I’ll make sure to respectfully mimic your approach as I grow older, thanks!

[@rogink]

I'm late 50s, so of course I see JJ as 'young'! But it's comforting that his subscribers are mostly under 25 as we're told they aren't interested in learning stuff.

[@mikryan6567]

Your never to old to learn as my dad said, he left school at 9 drive a truck on a farm, he knew more about Eminem than I did , never heard a song he wrote just found him interesting

[@aarfeld]

Just a brief note of correction: The Woodstock Festival was supposed to have taken place near the town of Woodstock, NY, and all of the promotional materials were produced to advertise this, but permission for this was suddenly denied, so the promoters had to scramble to quickly find a new location, which they did on Max Yasgur's dairy farm outside of Bethel, NY. I guess that it should be known as the Bethel Festival, but it is not.

[@Jack-ki7jw]

Thank you! I had to scroll really far to see this correction, but I am glad someone said it

[@mightymorphinmatt420]

I didn't know this until i moved and passed the museum!

[@ErickC]

Which explains the song "For Yasgur's Farm" - and I never put 2 and 2 together until today. Oh, well...

[@bort6459]

As somebody in that literary set: I think you did Kafkaesque better justice than most. Specifically, I'd argue, it's not just a surreal situation, but an oppressively absurdist situation. When things are not just outside your control but also your understanding. Eldritch absurdity as opposed to an empowering existentialism.

[@troodon1096]

I think, especially in The Trial, it's not just that the system one is expected to comply with is oppressive and absurd, but so confusing that one could not comply with it even if they wished to. Why "Kafkaesque" is often used to describe dealings with government bureaucracies. It's a form of power that no longer acts as though it serves any function other than to perpetuate itself.

[@tim..indeed]

Eh, Kafkas works like Metamorphosis, The Trial and others are also well-known analogies tho. They're absurd, but not beyond understanding.

[@jaewok5G]

my goto example is the words you're not allowed to say as a kid … they won't tell you what they are, but you get in trouble when you say them. not perfect, but relatable … and from old george carlin comedy.

[@groussac]

@@jaewok5G Your comment reminded me of my upbringing in a Baptist home. In the occasional argument with my mother, if I quoted the bible, she would get angry and say 'Don't quote the bible to me.' To this day I still don't understand why that pissed her off. We spent our time reading the bible, but couldn't quote it? God bless her, she was a great woman, even if she went Kafkaesque on me every now and then.

[@jaewok5G]

​@@groussac I'm not a pious man, but as I understand, from accomplished debaters among the believers, to simply quote the Bible is an appeal to the ultimate authority, a most egregious fallacy that suggests you have no logical argument. you cannot convince someone in an argument of temporal issues with "god said so" especially if the opposition is not given to full faith. also, I'm flattered to ring in you a bell of nostalgia of such a wise and important woman.

[@morganeua]

This is such an essential service; please keep asking people what they're ashamed they don't understand and responding! As a university student I found it so uncomfortable to be in a class where the teacher assumed everyone knew about something I didn't know. And as a university teacher, I try not to make those assumptions, but I also know that due to the power dynamic in the classroom, my students probably won't let me know if they don't know something they think should be obvious/known!

[@rext4607]

You're very useful JJ, even without kids. You're one of the best educational/ knowledge based KZbinrs here.

[@JJMcCullough]

Aw thanks

[@Jarred94]

@@JJMcCullough You're like our cool, older canadian brother.

[@welredd]

@@Jarred94 Our Canadian “Big Brother”

[@Mattattak]

J.J. is only human so he often makes mistakes as well. it’s good to always have many sources.

[@randomname7321]

@@JJMcCullough "Big brother" is watching

[@RichardChonak]

Here are some summaries of Kafka stories to indicate the helplessness and despair he conveys. (Please forgive any errors: I read them in college over 40 years ago.) The Metamorphosis: A young man living in his parents' house wakes up in bed one morning to discover that he has changed into an enormous insect. His mother, frightened, tries to kill it, but relents when she recognizes a certain look in his eye. He tries to adapt to his new life as a bug, and when he gets injured, looks at his impending death with indifference. The Portal (I'm not sure how this story is titled in English): A man wants to pass through a gate to reach his destination, but the strong border guard outside makes him wait. He waits for years and is denied again and again. Finally, he lays dying outside and asks the guard why no one else ever came through, and he is told: this gate was only for you; I'm going now to close it.

[@hens0w]

I think the second story you talked about we call "Before the Law", its in the book we call "The Trial" the protagonist a priest have a discussion about it.

[@RichardChonak]

@@hens0w Thanks: now that you mention it, the title was probably "Vor dem Gesetz"; I read it in an anthology, not in its original setting.

[@tomastumino3454]

Regarding Napoleon, one of the reasons he was so revered as a political figure in the 19th and 20th centuries (outside of Anglo countries at least, where he was always seen as a tyrant), and not so much anymore, is because for the middle classes he was the epitome of social mobility: a random officer from a distant region of France (Corsica) that ended up taking power in his country due to his practical merits. In my opinion, his memory faded not just because of all the time that passed, but also because the middle classes have a more cynical view of politics and cannot empathize as much with political careerists and opportunists, no matter their apparent talents. We're also much more sensitive about militarism and autocracy since the Second World War. And last but not least, the achievements of the French Revolution (Constitution, right to citizenship, human rights in general, abolition of the nobility) are taken for granted at this point, so the reputation and renown of all revolutionaries has faded.

[@jtgd]

It’s interesting because he legalized slavery again

[@mr.anderson2241]

I mean he created a new class of nobility though

[@duckpotat9818]

Robspier and Napoleon were basically proto Stalin and Troysky Turning a progressive ideology and revolution into its autocratic version, reversing many of its achievements, running a reign of terror and spreading said ideology through conquest.

[@ghostie7028]

Napoleon just got rid of the democratic ideals, he was a dictator. He turned all the democratic countries in Europe into monarchies.....

[@jonathanminella1329]

Also, he wasn't short.

[@SuperGion915]

As someone from Mexico, it is very common here that history before high school is either told incompletely, distorted to fit the "heroes and villians" spectrum, or extremely oversimplifyied. This causes people to know very little of the actual history, or directly consume an entirely different version of history to the one that actually happened; despite this, knowing the dates of this events is extremely important in the culture, since they represent a change on the nation as a whole, but it gives big doubts about how much the people actually understand this events.

[@atlanticsalmon00]

Same thing about Indian history Textbooks they never address the pivotal part of why a historical event is important

[@ztl2505]

Napoleon is such an unbelievably fascinating figure and it’s no surprise he’s often considered the individual with the most written biographies. Perhaps the closest actual historical example to the ideal of an “enlightened despot”. Great video.

[@napoleon848]

Thanks for the compliment

[@acegoose7301]

I think Singapore's Lee Kwan Yew would be closer to an enlightened despot

[@wheresmyeyebrow1608]

@@acegoose7301 Han Supremacism and eugenics one hand, apartment blocks and welfare on the other Hopefully it improves as always

[@Loeffellux]

also he wasn't actually short for his time (about an inch shorter than the average height). Bit of a blunder to let that common misconception make its way into a video about battling the general audience's lack of education

[@dougerrohmer]

@@Loeffellux My understanding was that he was almost exactly average height for the time, but there was a discrepancy between the British inch and French inch (or something) that allowed the Brits to portray him as a shortshit. Also, he was usually surrounded by his Imperial Guard dudes, who I believe were required to be like 6 foot 6 inches tall, which in that time would have been giants. They also wore tall hats, so bareheaded Napoleon in their midst would have looked like a shrimp. If Napoleon really would have had a Napoleonic complex, he would have been aware of this and would have made his guards to be Danny de Vito's while he wore lifted shoes and a big hat. Think what Tom Cruise would have done.

[@iammrbeat]

This was a lovely video. Two things to note, though...Napoleon was actually average height and Orwell was specifically referencing the Soviet Union's version of communism...i.e. totalitarianism...he was a self described socialist.

[@Fitzwewels]

I LOVE YOU MR. BEAT. ❤❤❤❤❤

[@autodidacticartisan]

Anyone else notice Mr beat getting sexi3r over the last dozen videos or so?

[@Christopher_TG]

I think one aspect of Napoleon's legacy that you should've mentioned is that, while his Continental System of Europe was short-lived, he did successfully spread the ideals of the French Revolution across Europe. Once liberalism and nationalism became widely known and pursued ideals, it became impossible for the old monarchies of Europe to ever fully keep control. These eventually culminated in the various Revolutions of 1848, the unification of Germany and Italy, the collapse of Ottoman rule in the Balkans, etc.

[@2712animefreak]

It is funny that in his attempt to build an empire, Napoleon's reign effectively started the end of empire in Europe.

[@Anton-kp3mi]

I don't think J.J. really cares, I mean, he literally explained that Napoleon was a short guy who wanted to take control of the whole world.

[@Christopher_TG]

@@Anton-kp3mi He actually wasn't short. He was 5'7" which was average height for the time.

[@ShayniBC]

@@Christopher_TG Exactly. I'm surprised by how many people in the comment section, including JJ, who are repeating this old trope.

[@leviotten]

@@ShayniBC because most youtubers dont have time to read multiple books about a series of topics. JJ is smart and a great reporter but he probably just googled most of the info in the video.

[@apulrang]

I'd love to see another video on how deeply most people do or don't need to be familiar with these cultural literacy topics. I think for the most part JJ hit just the right balance of simplicity, brevity, and complexity with these ten topics. But he did leave out the fact that "The Office" was an American remake of "The Office," a British series with a very similar theme and setup, which was very popular during its run before the American version started. My first reaction was, "How can he fail to mention the UK / Ricky Gervaise version!?" But I think a good case can be made that for most Americans, the American show's UK origins are now mostly irrelevant ... at least as a matter of general cultural literacy. Put another way, it's possible that it is at this point more like specialist TV knowledge. I'm curious how JJ decided to not mention the UK version. Or, being new to the show himself, did HE actually not know this aspect of its history?

[@Furniture121]

Most people I know in Canada have never seen an episode of the UK version of The Office, but have seen the US version, as you said the UK version's existence is just a piece of trivia for most people in NA. I've watched the UK version, but couldn't get into the US one.

[@NeelLLumi-AnCatDubh]

I thought this was common knowledge. Unlike the fact that _American Idol_ started as _Pop Idol_ in the UK…

[@JJMcCullough]

I probably regret not mentioning it, I just don’t think it’s that relevant to knowing why the show matters.

[@nickholcombe3664]

In your video on fact-based knowledge, I mentioned a story about when I was at university, I did this trivia event where I asked questions like “who wrote 1984” or “who is the only US president to resign from office”. The number of students who both lacked this knowledge and were also hostile to the idea that they probably should know this knowledge was really eye opening. As you mentioned in your other video, the critical thinking skills students learn become so dull if they aren’t learning base level facts on the topics they think about.

[@Pencilman246]

I’ve found this as well amongst some of my friends who seem to think the only things worth learning are things which are “useful” to them. This seems a really ignorant and sad way to live, being so incurious about the world. What knowledge really is useful, anyway? Just enough to survive or work for a living? School might be more focused on teaching us how to learn as opposed to rote memorization of facts nowadays, which is a good thing, but too many people don’t take those skills to become lifelong learners.

[@benjaminwatt2436]

I'd say generally speaking young people either have a lot of apathy for history or else open opposition. I think this is because there are a bunch of movements to be more inclusive, meaning include any historical person who is not "white-European". while i'm fine with including these people, i think the movement is hermful, because our culture was developed by these people and historical movements. so if you're going to understand modern, culture or government, you need to study these "white-Europeans".

[@Austin-gj7zj]

@@benjaminwatt2436 as a young person, who likes history, the issue isn't white guys. It's the sole focus on white guys. All we're asking is for some inclusion of noteworthy people outside that group. A lot of them are not mentioned until you get into much higher education, if at all, and that's sad. It's not "get rid of white guys" it's more like "add people to this conversation that should have been there in the first place".

[@Jade93972]

This is great. Do another. Do as many as you can. This cultural literacy is so important for understanding the world around us. High school and college history classes often don't go into this stuff because its too recent or not relevant to the class.

[@Goodguy507]

As a non-american I love these american culture essentials videos, really a window into new topics for me(except for the arab spring, as an arab I'm very well aware of it 😂) I might add that Libya was also in a civil war , with two governments controlling two sides of the countries, it has grown more complicated over the years but it was definitely a civil war. Definitely do more of these videos

[@canwegetashoutouttoworking2002]

Is that Al Gazali in your pfp?

[@Goodguy507]

@@canwegetashoutouttoworking2002 it is in fact, although I've seen it used with other muslim thinkers, alghazali was the one I had in mind when I put it

[@marcossilveira6571]

From my own experiences, especially if you’re in college, one of the biggest things they don’t teach you is how crucial forming social networks and connections with your professors is in continuing your education and finding employment. From an early age you’re taught to be self sufficient and that with hard work those opportunities will be well known or fall into your lap. In reality it’s not hard work so much as it’s about who you know and what your professors, classmates, and colleagues can do to open the door for you and let you know about what opportunities are available. TLDR; go to office hours and ask lots of questions (especially as someone whose still confused as to what I want to do with my career)

[@nelly5954]

Your cultural literacy shorts are a massive help. There's a bunch of stuff I know nothing about because my parents and people older than me are so familiar with them they won't even discuss it. Like, I've never seen the full Matrix or Lord of the Rings trilogies because if they're on TV it's "why would we watch that, we've all seen them a hundred times"

[@soumen_pradhan]

2:26 Watergate 4:44 Woodstock 6:48 Kafkaesque 8:04 1984 (novel) 9:40 Napoleon 11:46 The Office (TV series) 13:22 Rothschilds 15:26 Mother Teresa 17:02 Dalai Lama 18:52 Arab Spring

[@bodhipeace]

The ones that really helped me out were: Watergate Kafkaesque Rothschilds Arab Spring The ones that helped me some: Napoleon Mother Teresa

[@Jennyofthesky]

Long time viewer here, a nursing student (yes a decade younger than you) - if it means anything to you, I find your channel incredibly useful - not just as edutainment, but being able to apply the knowledge day-to-day or in conversation

[@johnchessant3012]

Definitely do more of these! I do think the lack of motivation to learn some particular bit of fact-based knowledge is the root cause here; I mean, if someone's been hearing about topic X all the time and didn't know what it was, they could easily look it up if they cared enough to. So schools should find a way to provide that motivation, rather than asking students to rote memorize a bunch of random information and then forget it after the exam.

[@Maxime_K-G]

I really wasn't expecting Napoleon on here. We learn a lot about him in Belgium and I've been to Waterloo plenty of times. Three extra things to keep in mind: 1. He was above average in height. French feet and inches were just longer than British ones and thus the myth was born. 2. He was first sent into exile on Elba, off the coast of Italy, but he escaped and returned to France so that's why they sent him to Saint-Helena, in the middle of the South Atlantic, the second time. 3. He is remembered quite favorably by history because his reforms were really influential and are still in use today. He was also extremely popular among the French people.

[@danieldeburgh8437]

I know a all of what you’ve said and more but I still feel as though my Napoleonic knowledge is lacking because he defined an entire era of history and I have so many gaps in my head about it that it doesn’t come together as a cohesive piece of history the same way other areas do.

[@foreverdirt1615]

@@danieldeburgh8437 I know a decent amount about the period, and Napoleon's role in history makes sense to me. Do you have any questions that could help fill in those gaps?

[@danieldeburgh8437]

@@foreverdirt1615 not particularly. I need to do some more wide reading in order to understand time scales and things like that. Like I know generally what happened and about the five coalitions against Napoleon and the continental system etc. just need to bring it all together. Like I almost know stuff as independent events but not about them within the context of the era of that makes sense.

[@Bacopa68]

There was a mega-widescreen silent film about Napoleon made in the early 20th century. The movie required three synchronized projectors. The lost reels were discovered in the late seventies and Carmine Coppola wrote an orchestral score for the film as the original score had been lost. I saw Coppola conducting the Houston Symphony orchestra to this restored film back in when I was a kid in the early eighties. The original score has since been recovered. Seeing this film really made me understand how Napoleon could seem a liberator and reformer. Remember, Hegel and Beethoven were Napoleon fanboys at one point.

[@eccentriastes6273]

I remember the first time I heard someone offhandedly refer to Napoleon as some kind of role model (alongside other conquerers like Alexander the Great). I was extremely confused as I thought it went without saying that dictators who conquer other countries by force were bad.

[@greenghoul3620]

I'm 24 and I remember always being so frustrated in learning history at school, I felt like I knew nothing about anytime after world war 2 (usually just after the revolutionary war for all of elementary) and I wanted to learn about recent history like what life was like for my family when they were young, I had to do a lot of learning on my own time, I swear I heard more about Mesopotamia than anything after 1960

[@thomasgladstone6531]

My family plays trivial pursuit every Christmas, and I'd never won - until this year, the same year I found your channel. Coincidence? I think not.

[@jabrokneetoeknee6448]

Dang I wish I had your family😂

[@I-Libertine]

This is one of the best channels on KZbin. Not since Michael on The Office has anyone been quite as Napoleonic as Mother Theresa was when she nursed Nixon back to health in1908 under orders from the Dalai Lama. No wonder she was banished to the island of Woodstock. So Kafkaesque! (But seriously, thanks for what you do. Inspired.)

[@werkantferzone4430]

One thing missed in the synopsis of Napoleon is after his defeat in Russia he was exiled to an Italian island then returned took over france again and then was defeated again at Waterloo and was exiled to St Helena after

[@Bacopa68]

Yeah, Waterloo was a Final Boss battle sequel after a final boss battle. Also. St Helena was a site of one of the coolest experiments in biodiversity. The island was a hellish desert with only a few species of plants and almost no animals. British scientists actually "terraformed" it into a biodiverse landscape with diverse introduced species. Charles Darwin worked as a consultant on this project.

[@davidmansfield4192]

I think it’s fine he skipped the double exile. To people who didn’t study Western Civilization in college (once a requirement for all liberal arts degrees) just knowing he was deposed is enough.

[@Munchausenification]

@@davidmansfield4192 really? I find the fact that an absolute ruler can come back, after getting exiled with absolutely no power left, and rule as if nothing has happened to be really important.

[@normanclatcher]

Anyone who remembers the plot details to "The Count of Monte Cristo" would know all-too-well that Italian island that Napoleon was on, as it's where the story begins in earnest. Elba.

[@normanclatcher]

@@Munchausenification Lenin was previously exiled too, as I recall. It's funny how much revolutionaries love their apparently contentious public figures.

[@smareng]

Love it! Ideas for part 2: 1) Game of Thrones 2) Brave New World 3) "Faustian" 4) Preston Manning

[@ferdinandfoch7816]

"Faustian" refers to the story of Faust, a German folk story about a man (the titular Faust) who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for wealth, power, and knowledge. So "Faustian" describes an immoral or evil act done in exchange for some material benefit.

[@JellyFlavoredGerman]

I have never knowingly heard the name Preston Manning before.

[@ericeverettpearson3980]

The 1968 protests around the world

[@TheLazyG1t]

JJ, I really appreciated this video. It's a simple way to check my own knowledge and understanding of topics I only learnt through exposure in media, culture and society.

[@Luboman411]

Fun fact: the Watergate complex was named for an actual "water gate." That's because the old Chesapeake and Ohio Canal starts very close to the same place where the Watergate complex is located. There is a "water gate" at the site, where water from the Potomac River is kept out of the canal by an old 19th century lock. This lock was called a "water gate."

[@theduane1562]

A quote from Napoleon pretty aptly describes the way he thought about leadership and how he managed to take over France. “I saw the Crown of France just lying in the gutter, so I picked it up with the tip of my sword and the people put it on my head.”

[@foreverdirt1615]

The part about the people putting it on his head is a very important aspect that isn't to be overlooked. Napoleon's philosophy of government was based on popular consent rather than divine right, marking a stark contrast with the way his contemporaries viewed their role as monarch.

[@TheLurker1647]

As a Briton and a conservative I obviously detest Napoleon, but he’s obviously one of the most interesting men of history. One has to respect a man who becomes king by his own hand.

[@omisan771]

Napoleon was also exiled to Elba by his enemies, European and French, then returned to France on a boat with 700 men and marched all the way to Paris as armies sent to stop him joined him instead.

[@TheLurker1647]

@@omisan771 Waterloo was the sequel.

[@foreverdirt1615]

@@TheLurker1647 As a conservative? You mean you're an 1800s conservative?

[@heronimousbrapson863]

After his defeat in Russia, Napoleon was first defeated again at the battle of Leipzig in 1813. He was then exiled to the island of Elba. He escaped and resumed his rule of France and was then defeated at Waterloo in Belgium in 1815. It was after that defeat that he was exiled to St. Helena, where he died in 1821.

[@leontrotsky7816]

A couple of extra things worth mentioning about The Office - it was based on a British TV series of the same name (but which didn't run for anything like as long) and it gave birth to a lot of memes at its peak. I mean, I've never watched it, but I still know that identity theft is not a joke, Jim!

[@BOABModels]

I was really surprised he didn't mention that. UK TV series, especially comedies, very rarely last as long as budgets, schedules and writing teams are all a lot smaller than they are in the US. All of the original series was written by Gervais and Merchant for instance.

[@fredbear3915]

Yes I was surprised he didn't mention its British roots... He mentions how one of the things the US series became noted for was the performance of the lead actors in their roles... well thats even bigger in the UK version, because the lead actors, in the case of Ricky Gervaise and Stephen Merchant, were indeed also the writers of the genius work, so you were looking at their very own characters playing out on the screen in front of you. The US series is a (very good) derivative work.

[@MarioAtheonio]

@@fredbear3915 Actually Stephen Merchant only appeared as a cameo.

[@hunterlehman3056]

Would love a part 2 of this. Even on topics I thought I knew about I found myself learning new bits of the story I was unaware of

[@uydagcusdgfughfgsfggsifg753]

Napoleon wasn’t even short, he was 5’7” and surrounded himself by 6’+ tall elite troops, making him short in comparison (plus his French-reported height was short for the time, since the UK inch was shorter than the French inch his height was recorded in) - or so I’ve heard Honestly I’ve never watched the Office, and that’s the one thing on the list I identify with. It just reminds me too much of actual work, and makes me sad, so I can’t get into it

[@Dragonatrix]

Minor note, that 5ft 7 is also using 13 inches to a foot so he was actually above average in height even.

[@nannettefreeman7331]

His disembodied penis is in a private collection out there somewhere after being removed during his autopsy & passed around for a while. I hear it's quite small. But Napoleon, yeah, average height. An Corsica is NOT a "God foresaken" island. It's actually pretty nice! ✌🏼

[@jonathanmillis2015]

Thank you for this and please do more. I love history and love to learn more about it but I often find myself with numerous gaps in my knowledge. That makes it hard to visualize what it might have been like way back when and how that applies to now. This video and all of your shorts are really helpful. Thank you.

[@tomhalla426]

Bonaparte was not all that short for the era, at about 5’5”, but British and Austrian cartoonists ran with the Malign Midget theme.

[@adventureisntfar]

World history and world politics are the biggest areas where my fact based knowledge lacks. These two subjects were always my least favorite in school and it has been hard to fill the gaps in my knowledge today. So thank you for this video! I hope you make a second one to this topic

[@charlesnielsen1327]

I’m 28 and never went to college. Despite this, I have done a reasonable job educating myself about historical topics. JJ is one of the best guys out there when it comes to presenting a fact-based look at the World, and he manages to do it in an entertaining sort of way. Hopefully the future sees him even more popular than he is today.

[@schrodingersmoose]

Confusing the Napoleonic Criminal and Civil Codes is a common and normal mistake, but as someone who did a research project on one it still kinds stung. 😅

[@lelandunruh7896]

I'm about a year older than you, knew every fact you covered, yet still enjoyed the video. I'm also really happy someone is out there covering such a wide range of subjects. I do find it shocking how 20-year-olds today seem to have significantly less knowledge of the world before they were born than I did at 20, and it is great to give them quality resources to start ameliorating that.

[@SupaKoopaTroopa64]

As someone in my early 20s, I always found it weird how my teachers were so reluctant to teach us this stuff. They seemed to have some idea that since we were born in the new millennium, we existed in a new section of history, completely isolated from everything that came before us (or at least that's the vibe I got). I remember my history teacher pausing to ask herself (out loud) if 21st century kids really need to know about Confucius, as if he was somehow relevant to the 90s kids who took this class a few years ago, but not us.

[@mabamabam]

@@SupaKoopaTroopa64 Our history classes were almost deliberate in not teaching us stuff. We would learn what life was like for women at home during WW2, rationing, jobs for women, knitting for the war effort. All in an effort to teach us "how" to do history, to read sources, difference between a primary and secondary source, look at old newspapers, how weekly newsreels were different from other sources. But we were taught nothing about what the hell was a WW2 to start with. As 14yo kids we were either just meant to know that or maybe it was just unimportant.

[@rethanwilliams]

And as we all know, nothing can ameliorate the ineptitude of Principal Skinner

[@Im_Laura_Jones]

Just this past weekend I was sharing with my sister about how much I’ve learned from you about Canadian history and politics, and she said, “Is this the same guy you learned all that flag stuff from?” 🤣 I think it says a lot about your content that I’ve felt so eager to share the knowledge I’ve learned from you with others in my life ☺️🙏

[@PvtPuplovski]

Maybe it just comes with age but I’ve definitely started using the internet more for filling in gaps in my understanding of everyday things. I’ve gotten interested in things I used to think were mundane or best left untouched. No matter what you post, your videos add to peoples understandings of the world and culture around them, and I appreciate it. :)

[@jimbrennan1181]

You bring up a great point @Pvt. Puplovski. Never before in the history of the world has the availablity of information been so readily available. Why are younger people not simply searching the internet to learn the basics of things that they're unclear on?

[@bigsam653]

The worst thing to come from Watergate is that people put the word “gate” after any scandal even when it doesn’t make sense

[@danic_c]

To be honest, J.J. is kind of my comfort KZbinr. I already knew a fair amount of the stuff detailed in this video, but I learned a few new things, and I love just listening to him talk about stuff in the background while I cook myself lunch or make my bed or whatnot. Kudos, J.J.!

[@ItsMeTyler]

Napoleon was actually forced to resign his crown to his Marshalls outside of Paris after fighting his 1813-1814 campaign to reinstate his power against the the Sixth Coalition after his disastrous campaign against Russia in 1812, He was banished to the Mediterranean island of Elba and a while later returned to France and reclaimed his Empire, only to finally be defeated at the Battle of Waterloo by the Seventh Coalition in 1815. Napoleon was so powerful and influential it took Britain, Prussia, Austria-Hungary, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Portugal and many notable smaller states to defeat him, and the crazy thing is they defeated him by implementing, adapting and learning off the systems Napoleon himself created with Berthier. I could go on and on but the French revolutions and Napoleonic Wars are the most overlooked events in History.

[@cerealfanatic]

Watching this in the waiting room before detox. Very comforting having you upload now.

[@JJMcCullough]

Good luck friend

[@tedmands]

A minor correction: The Woodstock Festival actually occurred about 70 miles away from the town of Woodstock, NY at the farm of Max Yasgur in Bethel, NY. The festival was originally planned for Woodstock, NY and smaller festivals were held there in the years before 1969. The town was already a haven for a number of rock musicians in the 1960’s such as Bob Dylan, The Band, Janis Joplin, etc. The ‘69 festival was too big for the town so the promoters moved out to Bethel. Being from Woodstock, NY we would often have to field tourist’s questions about where to find the festival grounds.

[@trevorcorpus8720]

Actually, stuff that I'd love to learn more about that I'm ashamed I don't already know would include: Star Wars, Y2K, the Gulf War, Bay of Pigs Invasion, the War of 1812 and why Canadians trip over themselves in a rush to let Americans know they burned down the white house, and the Hudson's Bay Company (I only recently learned after moving to Canada that it's an actual company and not just the name of some kind of provisional British government, though I guess maybe it was both? Idk).

[@hurricaneofcats]

As for why Canada can't stop talking about the War of 1812 and that one time we burned down the White House I think I can answer that as a Canadian. It's probably because Canada as a nation has always trailed behind the US in terms of independence or national identity and does not have much military history or unifying historical conflicts to form that identity around. The USA has their independence defining Revolutionary War but Canada kind of just got a legal document from Britain saying we were a country at some point. So much of Canada's identity is tied deeply with our conflict and symbiosis with America because they are the only major power we really share a land border with, so that one time we technically fought with America and scored a victory point is considered a win. Burning down the White House against a similarly equipped nation is a much more glorious achievement than the colonial conflicts we had with Indigenous peoples (and cultural genocides) which have now become a point of shame. The 'victory' of the War of 1812 is more national myth than reality though since at the time we weren't even a country. Technically it was a British, Spanish and Indigenous coalition that fought that war, not 'Canada'. Canada was not officially made an independent nation until 1867 and our military was still technically part of the British colonial military until 1931. Canadian soldiers in WW1 were considered a part of British forces and we got pulled into that war. We only got complete constitutional independence from Britain in 1982! TL;DR Canada is a pretty young nation and doesn't have much notable military history, except for that one part of the War of 1812, which is why we keep bringing it up in order to pretend we belong at the big kid's table. 😬

[@TheNewTravel]

Small detail about 1984 - it was published in ‘49 but written in ‘48. Hence the name (Orwell flipped the digits for his imagined future)

[@ryanjofre]

Love ya JJ, I found you from my awesome 16 year old, I’m 43. Rock on.

[@kalinkamalinka4333]

These videos are so helpful and I always learn a lot. Having grown up with skill-based learning, it's always shocking to see how little I know about some the topics you cover. Thanks for filling that gap and making such great videos, J.J.!

[@SpiralSine6]

In before a bunch of historians explain that Napoleon was actually above average height for his time, but the difference between English and French inches meant that English people thought he was only 5’4”.

[@willfakaroni5808]

English people in particular were also just taller then average French people by a bit

[@willfakaroni5808]

@alfonsofedele557 mass-industrialization lowered that by a bit

[@willfakaroni5808]

@alfonsofedele557 oh, I must thinking earlier

[@sirman902]

WE NEED MORE VIDEOS LIKE THIS!!

[@onewingedangel9189]

Here's my question: what do people actually do at office jobs? None of my friends or family have ever had office jobs and whenever someone tries to explain it I just get more confused.

[@JJMcCullough]

Even The Office has fun with this question. Jim and Dwight are in sales, Pam is the receptionist, Angela, Oscar and Kevin are in accounting, and I feel like pretty much all the other characters have pretty vague jobs that the show often makes jokes about for being irrelevant or confusing or even non existent.

[@JStewartGallard]

The Woodstock Festival was actually held on a dairy farm in Bethel, New York, about 50 miles away from the actual town of Woodstock.

[@noahalter7592]

In ninth grade I had a teacher who at the time had a very cynical view of the Arab Spring. I remember asking him if he thought the protest movement would bring about democracy, and he said at the time that Tunisia was the only country there with a chance. Still find it interesting that he was turned out to be very astute in his analysis of the whole situation. On another note, I also think a video like this from a Canadian perspective would be really interesting. There are some topics from Canadian history like the War of 1812 which I feel we're all expected to know about and sentimentalize but I feel like most of us don't really know much about it aside from that the Americans invaded us and we burned down the White House. I remember being very surprised to learn that the War of 1812 was primarily fought over commercial interests and disputes with British-backed Indigenous tribes rather than a strong American desire to annex Canada. Avro Arrow is another subject from Canadian history which a certain type of Canadian holds as very pivotal in our history but I feel like most Canadians don't really know anything about.

[@fredjohnson9833]

The British Navy and Army burned the White House. Canadian militias were not involved.

[@JJMcCullough]

That is a fun idea. I’m not sure how I would solicit a list of topics to do, however.

[@sexykevytyler]

@@JJMcCullough Our classic Heritage Moments would be a start. Even a video on the Moments themselves would be interesting.

[@Bacopa68]

As someone from the USA, I would love to hear about this. I do know that if the campaign against Baltimore had succeeded, the US would not exist as we know it today. But it was also a stupid war. And it gave us our national anthem.

[@benjaminwatt2436]

I always find it funny that people are surprised when they teachers are right about things. it amazes me that the stubborn teen attitude of young people continues into adulthood.

[@andrewzebic6201]

For Napoleon, the historian in me is screaming minor corrections, but culturally you're spot on with how you reference him

[@foreverdirt1615]

Britishly he's spot on.

[@Bacopa68]

Yeah, I know the errors you are talking about. But JJ gave the info that matters for basic cultural literacy.

[@trulsslemmeli8134]

7:51 I never though I would ever see JJ use a meme like this, but I am here for it.

[@WatchVidsMakeLists]

Regarding 1984, I think it's worth mentioning that when someone cries "literally 1984!" they are, comedically or otherwise, decrying a situation in which some authority is attempting to limit what they say or do. For instance, when Netflix announced that they would be cracking down on password sharing, some people compared it to Orwell's 1984 in the sense that Netflix was keeping a closer eye on its users and monitoring their usage with more scrutiny (much like Big Brother).

[@frb5237]

I think a relevant piece of information about Watergate as to how it pertains to "cultural literacy" is that is the source of why various scandals or controversies get the suffix *-gate* attached to them. Which is pretty weird when you think about it.

[@JJMcCullough]

That’s true

[@EnigmaticLucas]

Random Nerdy Trivia: That’s called a back-formation

[@sexykevytyler]

I hate -gate being used to denote a scandal about something. Watergate wasn't a scandal about water.

[@Carol_65]

Excellent, excellent video, JJ. Thank you for this, and kudos to those who were honest enough to answer your poll.👏 I would love to see this become a monthly series.

[@user-yi9ng5py7e]

Great video! Another topic: Spanish civil war. It was widely reported in the US when it happened, but isn’t mentioned in American schools and isn’t talked about elsewhere either.

[@Bacopa68]

Yeah, I got almost nothing about it. I know Orwell's "Homage to Catalonia" is likely the best English-language first hand account of the war. I also know that there was Condor Legion, a Spanish-German volunteer air regiment using German aircraft "leased" from the Luftwaffe. Spain never paid any money for the aircraft, Goering considered it a live fire training exercise. And the experience served Germany well in Poland. That's all I know.

[@LittleKaori]

Thank you so much! Please do more of these, it's so informative!

[@theprofessionalfence-sitter]

Regarding the general skills vs. fact based cultural knowledge, I recently read an interesting book (the cultural map by Erin Meyer) where it was explained that this dynamic is already somewhat reflected in the way people in different cultures talk: in countries like the US, UK, Germany, or the Netherlands, people generally tend to communicate in ways that assume very little shared cultural knowledge, instead opting to be as explicit as possible and (theoretically) understandable to everyone. In countries like Japan, or, to a lesser degree, places in the middle east, or France, people instead assume more of a shared cultural background, opting for a briefer style of communication where a lot of messages are passed between the lines, but in return making it more likely that someone (not as aware of their culture) will miss or misunderstand them. This is also somewhat reflected in the languages themselves where English, for example, tends to have fewer words that can have a lot of different meanings that can only be understood from context.

[@theomik]

Quick comment on the Egyptian coup briefly mentioned. While there was a leader democratically elected, his policies and military presence directly targeted Egypt’s minority Coptic population especially. There were many targeted attacks on these indigenous people that were fueled by the policies of this leader. Many Egyptians today see this time as a much relatively peaceful period, internally at least.

[@amelieholden2029]

I wish I could just ask jj every question I ever had. He always has such a informational and interesting way of explaining things.

[@JJMcCullough]

Aw you are too kind

[@stay_puft]

He is the new Ask Jeeves

[@maximbrekhman4276]

One of my most favorite videos so far, please make more!!!

[@smokeymchaggis73]

A note on Woodstock being a peak of that time period I would argue that Woodstock was actually the last grasp of the hippy love counterculture trying to stay alive while Altamont in Dec 69 was the actual peak where the wave rolled back on itself. Altamont was a perfect snapshot of the love turning to violence and hatred that would follow to arguably the present day.

[@nannettefreeman7331]

Three consecutive weekends in (around?) August 1969: the moon landing, the Manson murders & Woodstock (I forget the order in which they took place), but yeah, Woodstock was more like the end of the innocent hippy love/flower child thing before technology & violence started to prevail in the minds of the masses. A last hurrah, if you will. End of an Era. I thought 1967 was the Summer of Love. It's when I was conceived anyway. I've always thought of '67 as being the pinnacle & '69 being the last hurrah. But what would I know? I was barely a year old when Woodstock happened! I went to Woodstock '94 & that was pretty cool. Nine Inch Nails, mud, no riots. ✌🏼

[@Felipera_]

Please keep doing these! Great content. Specially for your international audience.

[@SamAronow]

"The term used was 'dirty tricks.'" J.J., I think we both know what the Watergate guys themselves called it... But I think the idea of Watergate as a "loss of innocence" is way overblown and revolves too much around the baby boomer generation generally losing the innocence of childhood and adolescence, without a proper context for things that were actually going on throughout their lives. My mother, despite being of that same generation, was also raised in a very politically-active family that had also just lived through some unprecedentedly horrible things, and they actually saw Watergate as an example of the system _working_ in bringing Nixon down and bringing his henchmen to justice. I daresay this sort of good-natured cynicism was pretty widespread as well; after all it was Ford's pre-emptive pardon of Nixon that ultimately nudged him into a narrow defeat for re-election in 1976.

[@ericfisher1360]

Yeah its difficult to blame Watergate in the 70's for the American loss of innocence when it happened post Alan Ginsburg and the Beat Poets, Woodstock, and the sex shops of times square all through the 50's and 60's.

[@SamAronow]

@@ericfisher1360 Or, you know, it was never there to begin with. This is coming out of two world wars, a Great Depression, two Red Scares, Korea (in which more Americans served than in Vietnam), Prohibition, the golden age of eugenics... Plus the Cuban Missile Crisis of course.

[@miraclo3]

a whole bunch of years ago I realized that I missed out on a very important piece of cultural and historical literacy. that was everything to do surrounding the attacks on Pearl Harbor. I didn't know anything about it other than the fact that something happened at a place called Pearl Harbor. I literally think I was just sick the week that it was covered in my history class in high school. but I decided instead of researching it like a normal person to learn more I decided with this one very specific topic I wanted to try an experiment. I wanted to learn as much as I possibly could about this event with never ever looking it up and only ever getting my information from cultural references and getting other indirect information. Over the course of like a two years I was able to piece together pretty much exactly what happened just from random little tidbits of information and I wrote a report as to what I thought happened in as much detail as I could all while never having looked up any information on it directly. after I finish my little report I finally went and actually researched what exactly happened and it turns out I was actually remarkably close on like 90% of what happened. While I never recommend willful ignorance on any subject I found this to be a very informative experiment for myself.

[@KnightSlasher]

People shouldn't really be ashamed because knowledge is very important, I rather have someone ask questions than not know

[@TheRealPress_Start]

I always find it funny when people show age charts like the one in the beginning cause Google thinks I was born in 1917 and live in North Korea

[@MoctezumaStudios]

I would argue that Napoleon not just being a 'generic' historical figure but someone who did influence a lot of urban planning and cultural identities attributed to France, I dont know if I am making this up but Food and business were revamped during his ruling.

[@skeptale]

If I were add one to the list, it'd be the OJ trial. As someone who was born while the trial was going on, it was always one of those things I grew up feeling like I was "supposed" to know and care about, even if frankly neither was the case.

[@absorbinglife]

I love this idea! Thank you, JJ! Would be great to see more episodes like this one!

[@chaddevlin8545]

We need a Part 2! Thanks for all that you do JJ.

[@theanamex9969]

Please do a part 2!!!!!

[@ReecePudding]

You could make a series of these JJ! Even as a relatively well-read 30 year old, I recognize that there are many gaps in my own knowledge. This video has inspired me to go out and research some of those gaps. As a British person, my most embarrassing gap would probably be regarding the Good Friday Agreement and everything that happened in Ireland in the 20th century

[@JAGzilla-ur3lh]

You're an international treasure, JJ. Make this a series and I'll watch every episode. For that matter, I'd love to see a series of deep dive videos where you cover basic topics like these in some actual depth. As for the ten topics of today's video, my knowledge was mixed. I knew Napoleon, The Office, and 1984 reasonably well, but my familiarity with the others was vague at best. The Rothschilds weren't on my radar at all, I couldn't have told you what Kafkaesque meant, and I didn't know what the Arab Spring was beyond involving uprisings or protests of some sort.

[@israaysenurgurbuzer6343]

please keep doing this as a series that was so helpful

[@mbogucki1]

Hey JJ. I am surprised you didn't mention the 1984 Apple Commercial when talking about "1984". It had a rather large influence not only in advertising but how we viewed the world of "1984". Also would love to see the next top 10 things.

[@Golden_Raijin]

I'm so grateful you made this video. I hadn't even realized how much of this I didn’t know! I don't mean to make you feel old, especially since you're younger than my Father, but watching this video reminded me of sitting at my late Papaw's house and asking him about the past. A very comfortable vibe and a great way to spend an afternoon

[@dstinnettmusic]

JJ you are hitting one of my existential dreads. Even the knowledge I think I have, I don’t know the statistics and hard science to really say I “know” it. That combined with the fact most experiments lack many repeated trials….the part where an unbiased person tries to do the experiment and either confirms or refutes or fleshes out the original hypothesis. To me that is the most important part of the scientific method because it’s the part that shows that there could be no funny business, conscious or otherwise, that influenced the original outcome of the experiment. To me this represents a huge weak link in our chain of understanding and could be a problem in the future.

[@alexz3554]

This was so great. I've been thinking how I know so little about some of these important topics/people for a while. Really hit the spot for me

[@Benjaxiso]

I'm a history teacher, and I try to teach a lot of things that are "culturally significant" plus different skills and critical thinking

[@artem.epifanov]

Being about the same age as you are, and also, without children, I also developed this urge to give out to the the younger population. In my case I started to teach photography. These classes are free and I would say that they bring me more joy than a lot of other things going on in my life. And kudos to you for this initiative. 👏

[@NickonStark]

Loved this piece, J.J.! Keep up the good work, you are worth more than most citizens of the world.

[@violinda.]

This was really good. You should make it a series. You explained them clearly and fairly.

[@Matty442]

I would highly recommend reading 1984 - it's a surprisingly easy to read book. I went into it expecting it to be really hard to get through but it isn't like most if not all of Orwell's work.

[@AlexanderKrivacsSchrder]

I obviously can't go through a thousand comments to check whether this has been brought up already, but I was slightly disappointed to see that the only reason mentioned for Mother Theresa's falling popularity is "going out of fashion" rather than the more important reason, which is that we're coming to the realization that she held up poverty and suffering as virtuous situations to be in rather than making attempts to alleviate them for those she "helped."

[@sgtmarcusharris4260]

Napoleon wasn't actually short he was average for the time he was seen as short because English inches were longer than French inches so his height was miss reported He was also usually seen next to his bodyguards who were very big giving an impression he was short

[@dannyarcher6370]

That's why I always specify my length as 7 imperial inches even though my real surname is French.

[@JJMcCullough]

I think this is itself a kind of myth in its own right, the idea that “actually he wasn’t short at all.” I’ve heard so many different “actuallys” about this.

[@mrainbowgs]

@@JJMcCullough I've heard arguments that the French inch being shorter and making Napoleon appear short was the driving factor in why Napoleon was so fixated on metrifications having a worldwide unit of measurement. I do believe Napoleon was perhaps not as short as history makes him out to be, however, if he was truly so insecure about his height that he wanted to conquer the world to prove it wrong he couldn't have been average.

[@jimbrennan1181]

@@dannyarcher6370 😂

[@DetectiveTrupo203]

Ackshuallly you are short and your brain is short

[@TomWasHere20]

I would love another video like this! One historical force that is frequently referenced, but I know basically nothing about is syphilis.

[@professordogwood8985]

I thought Napoleon's shortness was actually a myth started by satirical artists who opposed him. Basically the "Napoleonic Complex" was around before Napoleon himself.

[@benjaminwatt2436]

The modern shock of Watergate, is that our presidents before had the integrity to feel shame for this kind of behavior and resign over it.

[@albertdumont]

Probably one of the most creative video titles and content I’ve watched!

[@MTLYev]

Hey JJ, I remember a while ago, you said you didn't really like teaching, from your Japan experience. But you've kinda become a great teacher in history, pop culture and sometimes about becoming older. Everything you explain is very comprehensive and intuitive. Especially, given your audience tends to be predominantly young. I am 24 and love your content.