Youtube Is Absurd

Let's go.
We can't.
Why not?
We're waiting for algorithm.
00:00 Content Warning
00:18 Chapter 1 - Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy
04:21 Chapter 2 - Five Years!
08:10 Chapter 3 - Gestures Vaguely At The World
11:54 Chapter 4 - No Man’s Land
15:48 Chapter 5 - KZbin Bad
21:36 Chapter 6 - The Absurd
28:50 Chapter 7 - Rhinoceros
32:35 Chapter 8 - Smash That Like Button
36:36 Chapter 9 - The Theatre of the Absurd
41:58 Chapter 10 - The Metamorphosis
46:49 Chapter 11 - Burnout
51:23 Chapter 12 - Conclusion?
53:58: Chapter 13 - Waiting for Godot
58:18 Chapter 14 - One Must Imagine
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#DavidJBradley #youtube #absurdism

[@bootstrap_paradox]

me, an exhausted writer: getting anyone to notice your fiction works online is almost impossible; even my fanfics are getting a thousand clicks at most and this novel querying stuff might take me up to 10 years, or just never work out; and fiction writers can't make a living wage off of their work anyway... this much silence and apathy and rejection is just so uninspiring... oh! i know what i'll do! no one reads books anymore but everyone watches youtube! i'll start a youtube channel! me, 2 months after starting a video essay channel and 22 minutes into this video: well, shit

[@DavidJBradley]

Glad I could inspire ✨

[@bootstrap_paradox]

@@DavidJBradley when the world is on fire, might as well make beautifully crafted essays about it!

[@theothertonydutch]

@@bootstrap_paradox There aren't any jobs and it's going to get worse for creatives but that's gonna make for art that people will want in 50 years.

[@felixoupopote]

@@theothertonydutch oh, really? If nobody can find your work online now, how do you think they'll find it under another 50 years of Internet crap and debris?

[@StupidWisdom]

better algorithms ;)@@felixoupopote

[@rattusrattus7495]

The best waist coat collection I've seen

[@DavidJBradley]

Got them all in by the end

[@CoreenMontagna]

This was great. The whistle bit reminded me of this psych experiment I heard about where a bunch of people sitting in a waiting room were told they had to stand up when a tone came over the loudspeaker. The tone played, everyone stood, and then after a couple seconds sat back down. Over time, people were called into “the experiment room” and new people entered the waiting room, not having gotten the instructions about standing for the tone. Tone plays, all the other people stand up, they look around and confusingly stand up too. After a few cycles, they just stand for the tone automatically like everyone else. Eventually, none of the original people who were given the instructions are left…but everyone in the waiting room still stands for the tone, with no ability to explain WHY they were doing this. (Recollected off the top of my head, so may have some details wrong, lol).

[@DavidJBradley]

Thank you. That sounds quite interesting. The ways that we can condition people. The whistle was a very specific reference to the Beckett short play Act Without Words I (though I used it in something of a different context)

[@ryn2844]

They did this with monkeys and bananas and electric shocks too. If the monkey went for the banana, they got shocked, so they learned not to go for the banana. Then the shock thing was turned off, but the monkeys still didn't go for the banana because they were scared. Then new monkeys got added and they didn't go for the banana, because none of the other monkeys did, so they figured something must be up. After 100 cycles of adding new monkeys and removing old ones they still wouldn't go for the banana even though it was perfectly safe now. I may have gotten details wrong, but that was the gist of the experiment.

[@squashfei8907]

@@ryn2844 That seems like a pretty cruel way to conduct an experiment whose conclusions could have probably been reached by more humane means.

[@ryn2844]

@@squashfei8907 I mean yeah, but then again most experiments done on animals are cruel. This is not even close to the worst out there. Have you ever read Peter Singer's book 'animal liberation'? The amount of pointless cruelty humans are capable of is absolutely shocking and sickening.

[@evelienheerens2879]

Being disabled and chronically ill the only thing that the lockdown changed for me was my access to healthcare. Trips to the shops were always my only time out, only now I don't also make trips to the hospital. It was weird, seeing everyone go crazy just getting a taste of something that is going to be my life until the day that I die. They don't even have to deal with debilitating chronic pain and fatigue or struggle to do simple things like putting on clothes or use the restroom. Being in a risk group for dying if I get covid from just 4 of my many ilnesses I also had to deal with a bit more fear of death then most, yet I seem to cope much better. I use morhpine, not to be pain free but to avoid slipping into shock. I regularly cry myself to sleep from the sheer physical pain in my body and nervous system and my sleep is without exception plagued by nightmares from my chronic PTSD and Trauma related dissociation. Sometimes my nervous system stops making my intestines work and then I can't eat for several weeks, going through literal starvation. I have some economic anxiety and I can't always afford to eat even when my digestive system is working but I'm doing okay. I'm fine. I'm happier then I have been for most of my life. I busy myself writing books, currently on the third one. I play roleplaying games over Discord with my friends. I Study all subjects I can get my hands on from quantum physics to philosophy and I am in charge of my own life. I recently had Sexual reassignment surgery and I no longer hate or feel disgusted by my own body. These are all really good things. Maybe after the pandemic I will look for love again, who knows. My life has been absurd. Trying to function in society being someone I wasn't while doing things my body couldn't handle and suffering pain everyone told me wasn't real. Suffering through abuse, neglect, sexual assault and all manner of violence both physical and emotional. One thing remains true though, I have survived. That to me, has meaning.

[@alkemyfrost]

Yea, i noticed there wasn't much acknowledgement of those of us who live our whole lives in quarantine conditions, it sounds like things have been really tough for you but also that you've found things that make it good! thank you for posting this, I can relate a little to some of it, I don't wanna make it sound like "oh i totally get it" because it doesn't work like that and wouldn't be true nor fair but just like what you said means something to me, thank you.

[@evelienheerens2879]

thank you for that. and no, you can't really compare suffering, that's just not how that works. There is no gold medal in the suffering olympics either, only survival. I tip my virtual hat to you ;)

[@alkemyfrost]

@@evelienheerens2879 you're very welcome that's so true and important to remember, so many try to make it a contest XD to you as well! :tips virtual hat*

[@katherinemorelle7115]

I relate very heavily to this- specifically the point that while others have had a hard time dealing with isolation and being housebound, I’ve been fine. I’ve had 9 years experience at this point, and it’s not going to change. For me, I picked up historical sewing- mostly by hand as sitting at a sewing machine (even one with hand controls) is much more difficult for me than sewing by hand in bed. And I’ve made some beautiful things I’m really proud of. Thanks for your comment. It’s nice to know there are others who feel somewhat similarly to myself.

[@evelienheerens2879]

it's like we have all this practiced skill at dealing with it... i remember so many people used to say i'm so lucky not to have to go to work every day. must be nice to just lazy about the house. so happy for the prospect of never having to hear that shit again. :)

[@connorscorner443]

The bit about the bug hit way too hard. I'm physically disabled and I can't do the work people expect me to

[@morphingfaces]

Yeah it's fucking ridiculous we live in a intensely ableist late stage capitalist society I have been scrutinised and criticized for only working 3 days because I get intense social anxiety and discomfort due to my autism and trying to survive and manage my mental health I am talked down to and told to work more by the majority of people I try to communicate with about mental health

[@AntjedePantje]

That sucks so much for you both. I personally think that everyone who is able should do what they can, so that together we can take care of everyone. I hate this 'every man for himself' bullshit that's going on almost everywhere rn

[@lilivanessi]

Dang, this was so good. Even depressed and (thank you for the content warning) suicidal as I am, this essay was oddly comforting/soothing. The whistle tones, while jarring at first, became amusing, and the pauses allowed me to really sit in the present, and absorb the ideas presented. The pauses also felt very living, to me. Very much like the video was live theatre. Even though I imagine for some they were very uncomfortable, I very much enjoyed the pauses. Thank you for a really lovely video essay. Thank you for saying kind words that are hard to hear

[@halfpintrr]

As a physically disabled woman, this hurts. I’m getting reprimanded for working from home even though I’m a decent worker. This never ending barrage makes me just want to sleep. I spent my 3 day break just not leaving my apartment. It’s hard. But I know things can be good. Maybe I just need to metaphorically move.

[@creepycannelloni6596]

I'm somewhat really glad you talked about metamorphosis. We had to read it in school and something about this fear of one day randomly becoming irreversibly "useless" and a pest in the eyes of everyone around me really connected with me. But when we had to interpret it and I made an interpretation about the book being about chronic illness, all the other students were like "no....that is very far fetched, don't you think?" Idk that book in particular just stuck with me.

[@DavidJBradley]

I don't think it's particularly far fetched at all. I think people do have a tendency to not see things they don't understand and actively avoid it if it makes they feel uncomfortable or guilty over how they may have acted. I personally haven't experienced chronic pain or disability, but in listening to people who have I saw what they'd told me reflected in the text.

[@Stephen-Fox]

I don't know if that was Kafka's intent when writing it - I don't think anyone can. Even if Kafka was alive I don't think he could with 100% certainty, and he'd be the person best placed to know - but it definitely seems like a very valid reading of the work to me.

[@chaosbean6320]

Now I want to know what their reading of the book was, especially because the only interpretation I've heard is the one David makes

[@creepycannelloni6596]

@@chaosbean6320 I don't remember all of it well, because it was pretty long ago, but basically, they accepted the premis that he became an actual insect and then did interpretations why everybody delt with it the way they did.

[@chaosbean6320]

@@creepycannelloni6596 that's so... Boring tbh

[@dantemorris2874]

It never occurred to me to imagine Sisyphus running down the hill after the rock. I find it hilarious, whether it's him bounding after it with a goofy grin on his face like a dog, or going "shit.shit.shit" like he just dropped an earring in the sink and he's trying to desperately grab it before it goes down the hole. This is one of the best essays I've seen on KZbin, the work you put into it really shows. I hope for your sake that that hardwork was done at a healthy balanced pace

[@technopoptart]

ngl, i just kind of had the thought he'd be begrudging and dragging his heels. after a while he'd be resentful of the futility even though he still cannot be free of it

[@wilfredjensen8504]

This is almost poetry, it gave me a giggle and feelies, and I really enjoyed it, thank you

[@WhyDo]

Man, I just subbed because I'm asexual... I wasn't ready to have every single anxiety I have as a ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴏʀ™ laid bare like this. Seriously though, this is one of my favorite videos ever. It's just beautifully done & I can tell I'll be thinking about it for years to come. & I know this is exactly what you were talking about, but... it still just makes me deeply sad and angry that this is currently at 4k views. It pisses me off that if you were to click on analytics, KZbin would have the *audacity* to tell you this video was "underperforming" as if that means anything. As if it's anything more than a demand: "compromise your vision, play our game." Some of my best videos are my "worst" in the eyes of this platform - and vice versa. As I've poured more time and effort into KZbin during the pandemic, I've never quite been able to come to terms with how absurd that fact is. But I agree, even having to navigate that personal absurdity, and the broader absurdity of the world we're making content in... the creative process brings me joy no matter what. There's nothing cooler than having a vague idea for a video and seeing it all the way through to completion, and hopefully I'll never lose sight of that fact. But, y'know, it's a LITTLE BIT HARD to be a happy Sisyphus... when there's someone lying down at the top of the hill, criticizing your posture every time the boulder falls!

[@gryfon_gamez8184]

no David clones were harmed in the making of this video. Physically, that is.

[@FaradornTardis]

I've heard the line "One must imagine Sisyphus happy" quite a few times without actually understanding what it *meant* even in contexts designed to explain it. I don't quite know why the imagery of him gleefully chasing the boulder down the hill was what made it click for me, but I'd like to thank you for it anyway.

[@penelnorman7383]

I always find it interesting that contributors to the absurd often have a significant connection to anti-fascism. Both Beckett and Camus fought in the French Resistance and a lot of the UK based writers helped to fight the far right as it appeared there. Waiting for Godot in particular (specifically the original French language text) has a number of references to specific locations, names, and events Beckett would have encountered while working underground - he and his wife were translators who had to go disappear in the middle of the war after their names were leaked to the axis powers. Camus wrote a number of essays and obituaries in tribute to the work and character of friends he lost during the war. I wonder what it is about opposing fascism that causes people to relate to these texts and ideas; maybe it has to do with combating essentialism and egoism built into the right, that admitting the narratives we're taught to believe to uphold capitalism (white supremacy, heteronormativity, etc) are hollow leads to a new search for alternate meaning or a more critical attitude towards 'meaning' in general? This all was obviously beyond the scope of the video, which was fantastic, but I still think it's interesting to think about.

[@iamverytired6322]

I have a bit of a theory related to that but take note that I am in no way a professional or person of authority on the subject. But yes, the way I see it is that Fascism cannot co-exist with absurdism, existentialism and variations thereupon because Fascim inherently requires a higher meaning. A founding aspect of Fascist ideology is the existence of "the other", the existence of an outsider to the group. This aspect of the ideology, also present in radical nationalism (idk if all of these are the right terms but they get the point across), can be seen in the Nazi vilification of Jewish people or in the sentiment towards South American immigrants during America's last dabble in the far Right. The existence of "the other" is core to Fascim but under an absurdist world view, "the other" cannot be. Think about it, if nothing matters and there is no higher meaning governing humanity what makes a group different from the other? If the meaning of Man is void, then there is a void where Fascim wants to find an inherent difference between groups. Without a meaning to life, one cannot put a hierarchy to said life. So yeah, that is my personal opinion on why absurdist thinkers tend to not be Fascists, hope you liked it

[@Pencliff]

I cannot imagine the time and effort that must have gone into this but it is all so well put together, I don't think I understood absurdism before but I now realise I've been thinking it and accepting the absurd all along. I just love all of this. Also, I really like how you used your wonderful waistcoats to represent the different sections.

[@savannah2179]

this video snuck into my room at midnight, beat me with a pool noodle, and burned my diary; WOW this was really good! also incredibly relatable to a lot of thoughts i've had while laying awake in bed trying to calm my ADHD brain enough to sleep

[@ephemeralmist3247]

This was a really fantastic video, to the point that I'm not even sure how to put it to words. Everything flowed so eloquently from one point to the next, everytime you switched vests was a treat due to the clean edits and your immaculate fashion sense! While KZbin is certainly loves to play the villain role in the lives of creators I hope that, like Sisyphus before you, you are able to embrace the absurdity of it all and find at least a little enjoyment in what you create! ❤ I know this may not mean much, but I genuinely hope that you have a great day today! 🌟

[@stewartmcgowan6373]

CW: Suicide I think the move right now is to say "die by suicide" or something similar instead of "commit suicide," in order to disassociate it from its criminality and to recognize suicide as being about more than the dying.

[@NunSuperior]

I think Godot is in charge of the KZbins. We can tell him to fix it when he gets here. Alternate title : A Parade of Vests Proud to be one of your first subs and a Patreonizer.

[@kelzling]

I really appreciated this, parts of it hit me a lot deeper than I was anticipating. I usually have youtube on while I multitask due to ADHD brain but you had my entire focus for a while there. Looking forward to see what else you produce.

[@tecc]

Absurdism in the arts has a fascinating history with shared trauma and nation-wide/world-wide mental strain. It begs the question: is there no point to our suffering? If there is no point, then why must I try so hard? It makes sense that it spikes in popularity in the wake of incredibly damaging wars and traumatic events (though when aren’t we experiencing these things, really), and it makes a huge amount of sense to see you discuss this in relation to current events in the way that you do. How do you process and rationalize the trauma society has insisted is necessary because we know no other way to live? Was there ever really a point to any of it at all? Well, even when it’s pointless, might as well keep going

[@lukiatiyah-singer5100]

Being a mathematician, I really felt this video resonate. As 'productive' (in the capitalist sense) as some parts of mathematics may be, by and large, it seems absurdly foreign, pointless and difficult at times. And it makes me wonder why anyone (including myself) would spend their time doing it. In the end, I think, mathematics (like everything else inside and outside this world) is kind of similar to Sysiphos's boulder. Anyway, thank you for your videos, they mean a lot to me :)

[@jhelga9816]

Similar to how I feel towards my discipline of choice, history.

[@maristiller4033]

I love absurdism and existentialist thought and I just read The Myth of Sisyphus so this came at the perfect time. Wonderful video! Edit: Also love Kafka, especially The Metamorphosis. Great job!

[@Sandra-hc4vo]

I somehow missed the very obvious connection that The Metamorphosis represents how people will think of and treat you if you can no longer be a part of the capitalist system. Somehow an already crushingly sad book just got way more so.. I am a recent subscriber. and this was really powerful. Sounds exactly right. I am an artist, (trying to make it), and also feel like the whole path of it all is very exhausting. I hope someone will make a youtube video about it sometime. :)

[@rickstarz]

Fantastic! I discovered your channel about a year ago and it's brought some comfort in this absurd time.

[@FlorenceFox]

This was legit a fantastic video. Wasn't sure where the video was going at times, but I get the feeling that was by design. It all came together pretty neatly in the end, though, and I have to admit, I am entirely surprised that this video managed to end on a rather optimistic note. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.

[@mlybolt]

Wow! This was unexpectedly powerful! Thank you! … Also, your comment section is full of lovely insightful people! Well done creating (curating) your community!

[@JuuuDantas]

Thank you, David, this was amazing. I feel so lucky I was able to find your work. This week I watched Into The Woods with a friend over stream thanks to your video and I felt something I haven't felt in a loooong while. That sensation that I found another thing that makes sense in such fundamental level that I'll never let go, and I have to thank you, for that. I've watched other videos about absurdism in this hellsite and I've been interested but afraid at the same time, because it hits so close to home and to the beginning of my troubles "we get accustomed to living before we get accustomed to thinking" and it's still painful to go back, so I'm grateful for this video and all the references you collect, they are all very precious like friends guiding the path. That's all I have to say, thank you.

[@Tosspoet]

I love your work, thank you for this. I remember I watched Waiting for Godot when I was a teenager sick with the flu. I remember it was the first time I watched something I felt was written by someone who had something to say, even if I didn't fully understand it I felt it. because in many ways growing up neurodivergent felt like being in a constant state of flux between understanding and reassessment.

[@BellaLoveLove]

My only point of contention is that Beckett's Breath is good, actually

[@DavidJBradley]

It IS good, but also possibly the only ever real shitpost in the history of theatre

[@tecc]

Somehow makes me think of Duchamp’s Fountain

[@THATGuy5654]

I'm actually halfway through The Myth Of Sisyphus! Crazy timing!

[@ElliCler]

oh if only someone had explained 'metamorphosis' or 'no man's land' to me in such a clear and emotionally accessible way before! and i actually really like camus and godot, huh. i should look for stagings of some ionesco plays next i suppose. i'd love to follow youtube creators i'm subscribed to to some other platform that would treat you all more fairly. i suppose trying to get such a thing off the ground would be a lifetime project though.

[@andriypredmyrskyy7791]

Power structures are nefariously self-serving. The only way to change things to make life better for people at the bottom of the hierarchy is to have enough power to change it, which only happens at the top of the hierarchy. The only way to get to the top of the hierarchy is to engage with it. To change the world you just be molded by it. "You criticize capitalism, yet you participate in it" well no duh, I still want to change it. And then, the system morphs to compensate for your criticism, maintaining its power.

[@CapriUni]

Happy(?) Anniversary. You prefer theater to philosophy, but I'm going to throw down some philosophy, anyway. There was this dude, Epicurus, who taught that the soul died with the body -- that there was no afterlife. And furthermore, that the gods were so perfect and aloof from this world that they didn't care one way or the other whether we "sinned." And the way you had a good life was to avoid pain (physical & mental) as much as possible. He *also* said that the two greatest virtues in the world were wisdom, and friendship.. Of the two, he said, Friendship was the greater. Because wisdom is mortal, and *Friendship is Immortal* The first time I read that, I was confused. Because Epicurus taught that immortality doesn't exist. And then, it hit me: Unless you and every single one of your friends die at the exact same moment, the friendships you make with people will live on after you die, because your friends will remember you. And the relationship you had with them will influence the friendships they form with other people in the future, and so on, and so on, forever. That's immortality. And that's a pretty good meaning to life, if you ask me.

[@space-case]

I saw the movie reviews before they were deleted. I didn't even realize they were ever pulled.

[@jadondavid8272]

Of all the absurdity on KZbin, I somehow got recommended a true gem to behold. Thank you for making this, and thank you for rolling that boulder.

[@ceilazel6061]

I got to see Rhinoceros when I was a kid by volunteering to be an usher when the a local university put it on. I hadn't thought about it in a while, so thank you for reminding me of this important play. This video was quite affecting and interesting.

[@idgafcadf]

Only just found your channel and enjoying! Thank you for providing this insight alongside terrific media critiques

[@squashfei8907]

Wow. This video was one of the best videos I've seen recently. I remember a Contrapoints video where Natalie said that she wished that thinking about things like the meaning of life was more common on the left (and obviously things have changed since then) but this was that, basically. It was really relatable to ideas that I thought about while trying to fall asleep. Thanks for this.

[@meats7854]

You know, normally when a KZbin video makes me flinch several times because of sound, I just turn it off, but I know when you do it you're doing it for a reason. I hate it, but I respect and appreciate it And I love seeing you utilize it. Hearing....I can deal with it.

[@SpamCobb]

This is the first long-form KZbin video I watched in regular speed and I found it riveting and thought-provoking. Thank you for that.

[@mystariomoon104]

I find the fact life has no true meaning almost lovely, if not bathed in hopelessness. We could very easily die tomorrow weather or not their is or is not an afterlife doesn't change that fact, but no matter what happens people wake up and they do what they will if it be though habit or will, we create the world's in are heads and seek connection and understanding cause in the end that's all we can do. It's a never ending dance of steps, spinning, as the music changes and the steps sometimes stay the same or change along with it. I guess this comment doesn't make much sense XD. I enjoyed the video, can't wait to see the next ^-^

[@DavidJBradley]

This doesn't sound too far off imagining Sisyphus happy

[@elilope7992]

I agree a lot of people on youtube have a tendency to focus on the idea of nihilism, depression, and existentialism. At a certain point you will get tired of that mentality, just like how good things fade away. If all the good things are temporary so are the bad things. I really like your neutral outlook on life, and That’s how the world should be. Not to much, not too little, just in the moment.

[@beccanibi882]

Go~osh, I loved this !! I was very excited back when this video came out because I'm very attached to the Absurd Theater (End Game and The Chairs especially break me everytime). I only got around to watch this video now (let's say I understand your mental health fatigue) but it was absolutly worth the wait because everything from the topic, to the structure, to the theater inspired performance gave me that weird nerdy satisfaction I get when I watch a Good Smart Video. I hope you find the balance to continue cuz I love your content and am always curious about what you'll do next !!

[@Scrittlescrattle]

Love your channel buddy, heres to you getting more attention.

[@Wildcatsabotabby]

This video is absolutely fantastic, you put in to words so much of what had been occupying my mind lately. Thank you 💜

[@iceyarticuno]

Comment for the overlords, my tears for you, sir.

[@SunnyGirl135]

Great video. Thank you again for the content you create!

[@allenpooley868]

Always enjoy your content, and love how you embrace the absurdity in this video.

[@alicalegari8490]

One of the most stunning applications of absurdism I’ve seen! I really loved this one!

[@wolfexer8250]

I see what Bennett Foddy tried to do with the game but i personally just find it irritating, it's just the "try hard and you'll succed" messagee but success in it just doesn't give me satisfaction, quite the opposite i played it for an hour and every time i got through a challenge i just felt like i wasted my time. Maybe if the mechanics were more fun or it was comedic or had a unique art style i would find some joy in it, the "extremely difficult and self aware" schtick isn't even that new, and by itself it just feels like an overpriced flash game.

[@Stephen-Fox]

It wasn't a game that interested me - Machocore games tend not to, I just don't... Respond to challenge as an aesthetic, and will typically get bored of a game before I either get frustrated or overcome the challenge. Even in games I'm really enjoying and everything about the mechanics are on point, but I did watch a little bit of someone's LP of it, and some of the Bennett Foddy quotes in it were... Frustrating. About how this represented real challenge unlike most games where the challenge is designed to slowly escalate along with your skills to help you remain in the zone, when... It was obvious from watching the play of it that Foddy had designed the layout to escalate in challenge - later parts of the game were clearly designed to be harder than past ones - which isn't like a real mountain (There was also something about how the edges of games have been filed off and games were actually hard in the past when... They were hard in the past because when you're income depends on people constantly feeding a machine with quarters, or you literally can only fit 30-60 minutes worth of content onto your storage medium without people being sent back to start every now and again, you're going to be designing games with different design intent not because of some grandiose authorial intent to make the thing hard, but because you're livelihood requires people to struggle, even if you think the experience would be stronger if it were easier). Some of the statements just... Rubbed me the wrong way?

[@wolfexer8250]

@@Stephen-Fox Yep it's very pretentious at times.

[@KarmaKreamer]

Making youtube videos ought to be consider more like making music -- artist, their method of expression, and the nature of what they are trying to express, will (and perhaps ought) to change over time. You as a consumer of that art may prefer the original work that brought the artist to your attention, but you shouldn't begrudge an artist for creating something new/different from their past works. Just be happy that they've found the strength to create something new. :)

[@iamverytired6322]

This is one of the best videos out there, thankyouverymuch

[@catherinebrady4924]

i was very touched by the depth of feeling you displayed when expressing that you hoped we watching wanted to live. It means something for someone, even an internet stranger, to reach out in such a sincere way. Thank you.

[@DawnDavidson]

Wow. I found your channel via that House video (brilliant, BTW). Stayed for Ace and queer content. Enjoyed your video on Sherlock (shared that one with a newish partner earlier tonight (well, last night, but I haven't slept yet, so....). Then found this one. It was already 2 am when I started it. Didn't think I'd make it through, but dayum if you didn't hold my attention for this whole time. Riveting. Informative. Somehow still hopeful. Thank you. I'll be sharing this with many more folks.

[@petitepatate2222]

Wow this was a lot. I subscribed for the ace content because representation. Yeah 🥳🙃. But this was miles ahead. In my eyes, most people don't see the world as absurd and it's in our hand to make it better. For some it's social work, for other it's art. And this was the later. Thank you.

[@MysteryCorgi_VN]

Thank you. This tackles basically all the reasons why I haven't done creative stuff that gets posted on youtube or any other platform that requires frequent updates. I don't have that consistency due to disability and it does a number on my confidence. I'm haunted by the time I was called "flakey" over a decade ago. Also dang the Metamorphosis hits different through the lense of chronic illness.

[@QuestingRefuge]

Thank you for this. It really is incredibly helpful to hear this expressed so well.

[@legrandluan]

Huh. This might be one of the greatest videos I've ever seen on this platform, genuinely. I don't think I have the vocabulary for it, but it's just, wow. Thank you very much for this and thank you for creating such amazing videos :]

[@Jojoscotia]

I don't know why I'm watching this a year and a half later, how I missed it the first time round, or what all I may have missed in the mean time, but I loved this video. So well built and created.

[@0black0luna0]

Thank you for making your wonderful and lovely videos, and for the waistcoats. Even if you stop making videos someday, I hope you keep up the waistcoat love ❤️

[@Krompulos]

Thank you for this. As a creator who has been pushing a Boulder for over 8 years on this platform, I realize the absurdity of hope, but am happier with it than without. Know your efforts are appreciated and you work is phenomenal.

[@MythicalDelenn]

Glad I finally got around to this one! As much as I am currently a small enough creator that it really does feel like everything I do is pointless, I suppose I can at least be comforted by the fact that people with larger audiences feel that way, too.

[@scottlees8622]

Thank you for this

[@LuckyOtter_WorldBuilding]

REVOLUTION!

[@neverfinishedstory]

This was absurdly enjoyable ♡

[@Saka_Mulia]

Thank you for this, especially for introducing me to Eugène Ionesco. Great vid

[@MiriamClairify]

Wait a minute, Chartwells as in the company that administered all the dining halls at my midwestern US university?

[@clouduponthemoon530]

I audibly gasped. We (school) changed over to Chartwells after a diligent hunt for good food. The food now provided looks, smells, and tastes NOTHING like how it all began. I thought was just us. As sucky as that is...it's kind of soothing to know it wasn't just my tiny school that got tricked.

[@rashkavar]

Absolutely fascinating video! Thank you so much for all the work that you put into this. If I might make an editing suggestion for accessibility purposes: if you're putting unvoiced text on the screen, folks like me who use subtitles have trouble reading it if it's in the bottom quarter or fifth or so of the frame as the subtitles will be overlaid onto the text and render it unreadable. For me, as someone who's just using subtitles because I parse text better than audio, it's not critical if the text is being read as it appears - those who are hard of hearing might prefer that segment of the frame just not have text in it regardless; I don't know. I know it's impossible to design around all possible configurations of subtitles, as KZbin allows the overlay to be moved around the screen, but I suspect most people use the default position and size of 2 lines at the bottom middle, because that's generally the standard approach for subtitles everywhere. (And because KZbin has a bad long term memory regarding video settings, and seems to just randomly reset things to default for no reason, making the default option the preferred choice simply by being the laziest choice.)

[@wingcastlereads5657]

Thanks for a great video!!! Works mentioned: No man's land, Harold Pinter 12:00 Homecoming, Harold Pinter 13:15 The dumbwaiter, Harold Pinter 13:15 The birtday party, Harold Pinter 13:15 The myth of Sisyphus, Albert Camus 24:06 Rhinoceros, Eugene Ionesco 28:55 Our exagmination round his factification for incamination of Work in progress 37:32 The theatre of the absurd, Martin Esslin 38:25 The bald soprano, Eugene Ionesco 40:14 The maids, Jean Genet 40:14 Happy Days, Samuel Beckett 40:23 Not I, Samuel Beckett 40:40 Breath, Samuel Beckett 41:02 The metamorphosis, Franz Kafka 42:10 The trial, Franz Kafka 43:28 In the penal colony, Franz Kafka 43:32 Waiting for Godot, Samuel Beckett 54:08 Others mentioned: Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Arthur Adamov.

[@ryn2844]

Yeah 'absurdism' has kind of been my dominant emotional state for a while now, if that makes sense. I don't know how to get a hold of this 'hope' thing you speak of that allegedly keeps people going, given our current climate-fucked-ness, but I actually am starting to think that's a dead end. Maybe fully realizing that there is nothing I can materially change about whether the world will burn, and that that isn't my fault so I shouldn't feel so goddang guilty about it, is what can get me back into life-ing? Idk weirdly this video was helpful I think.

[@elilope7992]

It’s called being neutral, life is meaningless yes, but all the bad things in your life is temporary if you allow it to be. Just as good things are temporary and artificial, according to existentialism. You are your own power, you either channel it or don’t.

[@JoTheAnomaly]

Thanks you for the content warning! This comment is so that both you and the algorithm know I like you even though I didn’t watch the video.

[@JoTheAnomaly]

Thanks to whoever liked this. I’m watching now that I’m in a better mental state!

[@clouduponthemoon530]

Aaaaand my TBR just got longer. Fabulous vid.

[@violenceisfun991]

Theatrically Blended Rice?

[@DJvolli]

I wish I could write something meaningful here to help you understand how... Validating this video was for me. Thank you

[@wilfredjensen8504]

I watched this, not paying as much attention as I should have, but too tired to pay much attention at all, but as a person who studies philosophy and loves and words and writing, dang was this a well-written piece of art. The whistle was perplexing, and startling, and repetitive, and forceful, and the more times it was played, the more I intrinsically understood something I didn't understand, something, as you ingeniously explained, is best explained by Sisyphus himself. Also, from a western perspective, I very much enjoyed the point that we live in an age where the amount of work published is greater than ever, despite us arguably living in, simultaneously, the most comfortable time in humanity and the most difficult time in humanity. Thank you for making art!

[@diribigal]

While I acknowledge all the bad things in the world you mention, I don't share the despair and "things are meaningless" feelings emphasized through a lot of this piece. However, that summary of Waiting for Godot got to me: stuck waiting even though it's not making me any happier - I have to do whatever it takes to make positive change in my life. (Is this engagement?)

[@saranicole5898]

Really well done good job

[@violenceisfun991]

¿Home owe faux bic?

[@astabaker9421]

I've been thinking about devising a piece about youtube... thank you for the inspiration >:)

[@soulmechanics7946]

Yeah, I lost my Mom this winter.. 😞 ..and working in healthcare I have seen the worst of it. I have lived through the very worst of it all in my time, but we are privileged to have the opportunity to be here now, to experience this great trial. We have the opportunity to be amongst the very greatest people, to be the most excellent of all time. Fight on. ✊ No turning back now. The big show approaches.

[@SouthPark333Gaming]

What an amazing video!

[@Vio818]

So I wrote a 3 paragraph deeply intellectual message about how your video made me remember my own journey towards Absurdism and the joy of seeing how well you portrayed it only to while spell checking it accidentally click on another vid and see my message be deleted. So because we must try again. I love Absurdism it was a long LONG journey to get here. My university failed to really get me to understand it. I knew what it was wrote essays and essays about it. But I did not really get it. Then it clicked. I cannot truly explain why it did but once it did my life just felt better. I still do the things I do but no longer with the end goal of "If I do this then I will be happy" but with the joy of the striving being enough. And TRUELY being enough. If your video actually brings someone to this revelations (and I do mean that literally I describe to my therapist the feeling of it being like Moses on the mountain when it clicked) then you will have utterly effected someone else's life in a positive way. Your vid does a great job of conveying the idea and feeling of Absurdism better than anything I seen in a long time. Like I said my lectures didn't bring me to the realisation of it. Only life did and feeling it did. It doesn't matter if you perfectly conveyed the exact textual understanding of Camus understanding of Sisyphus. You got the nature just right. Thank you.

[@saf_saffy]

Thankyou for this. I will try to imagine sisyphus happy and find small happiness myself in my daily boulder (or as they say 'new liver, same eagles!')

[@c3r6s9]

if it makes you feel any better, I've got notifications on and i make an effort to stick around, algorithm or no

[@TheMessCalledJess]

I feel like I just went to church. I’m so glad I found your content

[@sektaufeis6139]

Uff, that was a tough ride! But resonated on so many levels. Fun fact: my favorite techno club is called sisyphos and i find that perfect: meaningless, endlessly repeated and exhausting--but still happy

[@Q269]

Stress is the voice in the back of your head that says there's something you want to fix; it does not mean that you are broken, nor does it mean you're responsible for what is broken.

[@SylumSolosEverything]

Only 8:33 in. I'm pausing it because just for a moment I want to share just how much I relate to what's been said so far. The first part with the man and the hammer speaks to me generally in life as a whole, since I'm in my 20s and just NOW diagnosed with autism...and C-PTSD... something that someone in the know could imagine creates a hideous cocktail of social anxiety and depression that holds me back from talking directly to strangers even if it's so much as talking to someone behind a counter or on the phone. I have trouble keeping myself fed and showered. Don't even have a job. There's only one person who I am able to trust enough to help me with what I need.. The only thing keeping my head above the water each and every day is focusing on what I'm interested in... and right now, my interests are what I do on my youtube channel. Recording and editing myself playing story driven video games, no commentary, with all of the silent gameplay parts cut out for the sole intention of focusing only the story being told in usually 30-40 minute episodic videos. It sounds easy since it's just playing games and I'm not even in front of a camera but it honestly isn't... I'm really passionate with sharing stories from these games that really hit my core with others but obstacles that I've faced with this hobby includes but is not limited to: Frustration and delays from running into a difficulty spike. Walking out of my gaming comfort zone. Accidentally forgetting to hit record, particularly during a very monumental moment in the story with gameplay that gave me a lot of grief and being forced to do it all over again...sometimes, depending on the game, that means starting the whole game over again. Organizing and editing the footage until a migraine inevitably forces me to stop. Footage ending up having crap video/audio quality or just stops recording without my awareness due to running out of data storage and being forced to find some way to redo it. Figuring out how to cleverly edit footage from games that lack proper transition points in a way that keeps the final video feeling fluid enough to not distract the viewer from the experience. I'll spend weeks to months covering a game and uploading my projects knowing that probably nobody is going to see them. I don't even know if others would find the content as engaging as I do. I've burned myself out at times over it despite not getting any recognition for my work, but I continue doing it because I love making these videos and I love sharing them with people. Some games have absolutely stellar storylines that capture me so strongly that I want nothing more than to share it with people...especially the people who are either unable to play the game, uninterested in playing games but interested in their stories, or have never even heard of or been exposed to these kinds of storytelling in video games. I want others to feel the same way I do when I experience it. That desire could possibly come from having a rough time connecting and expressing my emotions to others properly in general due to my autism. I've run into that feeling of demoralization a number of times, especially when my projects burn me out, but I keep coming back because I'll find something in a game that totally blows my world and it torments me to just keep that experience to myself.

[@justjulia1720]

Oh, wow. Was not expecting to hear something about Eugen Ionescu here lol. I have problems with reading, so I haven't managed to really get into it, so I haven't managed to read Eugen Ionescu's work, but I wanted to comment anyway bc Romania doesn't usually get attention.

[@huntedsnark7507]

Have smashed like button. Engaging engagement sequence... Seriously though, I love the way you structured this. Great revisit of the absurdist dramas and the perfect juxtaposition with the capitalist nightmare that is this site.

[@oberstmerkel7919]

The beginning of chapter 11 reminds me of bread and my youth.

[@FrokenKeke]

David, go left!

[@DavidJBradley]

I did. It was only camera right

[@Zeithri]

“Astride of a grave and a difficult birth. Down in the hole, lingeringly, the grave digger puts on the forceps. We have time to grow old. The air is full of our cries. But habit is a great deadener. At me too someone is looking, of me too someone is saying, He is sleeping, he knows nothing. Let him sleep on.” That's beautiful ~

[@adriarchy]

bravo!

[@mimipipi120]

I think a really smart thing would be to post each chapter of this video as its own video too. Whistles and all ☺️👍👍👍

[@Q269]

YES

[@iamwhatitorture6072]

Took me somehow 8 chapters to realize that meaninglessness/meaning was the narrative throughline.

[@anna2731]

Everytime people say that existens is meaningless, they do it with the subtext that it's bad and sad. Or even say it out loud. And I never understood that. Don't understand it even now. Why is it a bad thing? Life has no meaning and that's good! Imagine if there was an objective meaning of life. Imagine you disagreed with it. What a nightmare that would be! Like if the meaning of life was to serve a god you didn't want to serve. Or if the meaning of life is to breed and you didn't want kids. Why can't existens just be for it's own sake? Like how Kant argued for Art for arts sake. Maybe we go on not despite the meaninglessness of life but thanks to that meaninglessness. I for one am grateful that there is no meaning.

[@mercurieslocker]

"I bite the hand that feeds me because it also punches me in the face" WORD

[@TheBirdOfParadox]

Despair accords with reality but I insist on hope - Camera Obscura by Lloyd Rose

[@halcyon_echo42]

Definitely have the fear of being a burden always at top of mind & try to avoid any sort of inconveniencing to others if at all possible. It's sad but care is a resource we can't give out to all otherwise we would not have enough for our loved ones or our selves over time.

[@Q269]

43:41 yeah, I feel like Gregor Samsa.

[@s3.14dervision]

I remember being a huge fan of Kafka as a teenager, and no wonder. I lived a horrid, abusive life then. I identified with Gregor.