The Effects of Nerdfighters on its Teenage Members Today: Editing help is welcome, thank you.

The Effect of Nerdfighters on its Teenager Members Today

When most people consider the internet as an entity, they think of anonymous posters driving pre-teens and teenagers to suicide through cyberbullying, inappropriate videos made by drunk college students, and an online world where children spend hours glued to the screen, slowly losing their intelligence as they try to get past just one more level. Realistically, the internet is full of value, information, and charitable people, if one only knows where to look. Through one such web community, Nerdfighters, teenagers can learn about people outside of their social bubble and interact with students who share their interests but may live far away, and it also allows them to express themselves creatively and make a difference in the world, despite the lack of monetary capabilities and ability to travel most teenagers have. The community created by Hank and John Green, known as Nerdfighters, has positively impacted teenagers’ knowledge of the wider world, history, science, education, and charity, as well as their ability to accept diversity and their interest in the well-being of their peers around the world.

“What is a nerd, and where did the word come from?” many people may be wondering. There has been much debate over the word, and whether or not it is a negative thing to call someone, for a long time. The word is generally recognized as having come from Dr. Seuss’ If I Ran the Zoo, in which the narrator, Gerald McGrew, states that he would collect “a Nerkle, a Nerd, and a Seersucker too” for his zoo. Phillip K. Dick claimed to have coined the similar “nurd.” A 1951 Newsweek article reported on the word’s popularity in Detroit, while at the same time, a Rensslaer PTI used the word “knurd,” or “drunk” backwards, to describe someone who preferred to stay in and study, as opposed to a partier. In the 1960’s, the term began to spread throughout the United States of America and Scotland as a popular synonym for “square” or “drip.” Only now did it begin to take on its current association with bookishness and social ineptitude.

Today, “nerd” is a term often used in a derogatory way to describe someone who prefers to passionately pursue intellectual activities or other slightly obscure interests than engage in more popular or social activities. Those deemed to be nerds by their classmates are often excluded from physical activities by their peers and are considered loners. They often tend to associate with other like-minded, similarly alienated individuals- hence the typicality of such groups as Nerdfighters forming. John Green, co-founder of Nerdfighters has noted the following about nerds, and how people view nerds. Nerds like us are allowed to be unironically enthusiastic. Nerds are allowed to love stuff, like jump-up-and-down-in-the-chair-can’t-control-yourself- love it.... when people call people nerds, mostly what they’re saying is, ‘you like stuff.’ Which is just not a good insult at all. Like, ‘you are too enthusiastic about the miracle of human consciousness. (Nerd- Brotherhood 2.0)

In addition to those definitions, there are a variety of stereotypes that surround nerds, as well as some more realistic common characteristics. For example, most people assume that all nerds are either very thin or extremely obese, and are intelligent, but socially and physically awkward. In movies, nerds are generally portrayed as white or Asian males with glasses, braces, acne, pocket protectors, and pants worn above the regular levels. Nerds are assumed to be good with computers and technology and enjoy comic books. It is true that for the most part, nerds focus on things considered either overly mature or too young for them- nerds will tend to have a passion for math, science, technology, classic literature, and other intellectual pursuits, or trading cards, comics, RPGs, Legos, fantasy, and science fiction. These passions lead to another common stereotype- that all nerds suffer from OCD, and have an extreme devotion to the rules and the “nerdy” things that they love.

As the computer industry has risen in recent years, “nerdy,” technologically savvy people have gained large fortunes and prestige, making the connotation about nerds less about awkwardness, and more about intelligence. People have begun to realize that some nerdiness is a good thing, as intelligent, respectful, and interesting people tend to earn more money. Katie Hafner was quoted by the New York Times as having said the following in August of 1993:
My idea is to present an image to children that it is good to be intellectual, and not to care about peer pressures to be anti-intellectual. I want every child to turn into a nerd- where that means someone who prefers studying and learning to competing for social dominance, which can unfortunately cause the downward spiral into social rejection. (qtd. Nerd- Brotherhood 2.0)

Another popular quote about nerd pride is well-known and commonly attributed to Bill Gates, but was actually originally said by Charles J. Sykes- “Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.”
As the public started viewing nerds in a better light, movies, television shows, and the media also started to encourage nerdiness- some examples are the Revenge of the Nerds in 1984, FC Nerds, and the episode “Nerdator” of Freakazoid. In the episode, this memorable quote was said for the first time:

...What they lack in physical strength, they make up in brain power. Who writes all the best selling books? Nerds. Who directs the top grossing Hollywood movies? Nerds... And who are the people who run for the high office of Presidency? No one but nerds.” (qtd. Nerd- Brotherhood 2.0)

Today, many people choose to celebrate their nerdiness in various ways. In Spain, May 25 is Nerd Pride Day, and there is an entire genre of Nerdcore hip-hop (starring artists like MC Plus +, MC Hawking, and MC Frontalot), as well as a wide variety of Nerdcore webcomics (Penny Arcade, User Friendly, PvP, and Megatokyo are all popular nerd comics). Last but not least, the group mainly discussed in this paper, Nerdfighters, is a popular way to show nerd pride in the internet community.

Now one might be curious about what a Nerdfighter is, and how the organization was founded. Brotherhood 2.0, the first form of the Vlogbrother’s video logs, was started in January 2007 by Hank Green as a year-long project between him and his brother, John, in which the two would communicate without using text at all- i.e., communicating through video log (vlog for short) or on the phone was acceptable, but an email was not. The Brotherhood 2.0 project began to rouse a certain amount of following; enough so that when the project ended in December, 2007, the two continued to make vlogs and post them on YouTube under the username “vlogbrothers.” They have amassed over 75 million views, 1.1 million Twitter followers, and over 800 videos since their original vlog.

John Green, born August 24, 1977, is the older Green brother and a New York Times bestselling author. Since the origin of Nerdfighters and the vlogbrothers channel, he has written four books (Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, and Will Grayson, Will Grayson, the last of which was co-written with David Levithan) and a variety of short stories. He won the 2009 Edgar Award, the 2006 Michael L. Prince Award, and has twice been a finalist for the Lost Angeles Times Book Prize. He was also a New York Times Book Review and Booklist reviewer. His short story titles include, “The Approximate Cost of Loving Caroline,” “Great American Morp,” and “Zombiecorns,” the last of which is not about zombie unicorns, but instead zombies who enjoy worshipping corn. Besides writing, he enjoys religion (he identifies as Episcopalian), Mark Twain, the last words of famous people, Judy Bloom, literature, librarians, and conjoined twins. While Hank is the one who came up with the idea for Brotherhood 2.0, John is the one who really maintains it. One of his most notable quotes on nerds is as such:

Saying, ‘I notice you’re a nerd’ is like saying, ‘Hey, I notice that you’d rather be intelligent than be stupid, that you’d rather be thoughtful than vapid, that you believe there are things that matter more than the arrest record of Lindsay Lohan. (Nerd- Brotherhood 2.0)

Hank Green, born May 5, 1980, is the younger Green brother and a resident of Missoula, Montana. Where John Green can be considered a literary nerd, Hank prefers science and mathematics. He has, however, written for the publication mental_floss on numerous occasions, and has also wrote an article for the New York Times in July of 2010. He has also done work for the Weather Channel, NPR’s “All Things Considered,” Air America’s “The Young Turks,” Planet Green, and Forcast Earth. Hank is the founder and Editor in Chief of EcoGeek, a website that combines intelligence and nerdiness with a desire to save the earth. Officially, he is a webpage designer, but he also like music, corn dogs, books, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and guitar.

Having established the origin of Brotherhood 2.0 and the Vlogbrothers, it is also necessary to explain how the word Nerdfighter came to be and what a Nerdfighter is. The term was first coined in a February 1, 2007 Brotherhood 2.0 video titled, “In Whic John Miraculously Uploads a Video in the Savannah Airport Despite Not Having a Power Chord,” when John discovers an arcade game titled “Nerd Fighters.” The term gained its current meaning alter in that same month, when John’s ongoing lecture on the “war between nerds and popular people” and “people who fight with their brains” coincided with the fanbase that followed the Vlogbrothers. February 15, 2007 marks the date on which John stated, for the first time, the quote that any Nerdfighter will say if asked what the word mean- “A Nerdfighter is like a regular person, except instead of being composed out of tissues and cells and organs, they are made entirely out of awesome.”

The far more realistic definition of the word, however, is someone who fits most of or some of the nerdy characteristics (intelligent, intellectual, dedicated, and possibly slightly obsessive) and who is also determined to make the world a better place through charity and positivity. Nerdfighters generally visit the Nerdfighters website fairly regularly, watch the Vlogbrothers videos, and participate in their projects whenever possible. Nerdfighters are also known to generally have one or several of the following “powers,” or nerdy interests among others. A Nerdfighter power could include Harry Potter, Weird Al, English, Dungeons and Dragons, rock climbing, band, guitar, computers, mathematics, literature, video games, opera, hippy, Wikipedia, the Muppets, musical theatre, comic books, classic RPGs, Grammar Nazi (the word is used, here, in the nicest of ways), Doctor Who, StarKidPotter, the Lord of the Rings, space, vaulting, gymnastics, Glee, history, or language.

When Nerdfighters were asked what they considered the key components of the group, for the most part, they replied that the most important thing was a desire to be a part of the group- and in the Vlogbrothers FAQ video, they very succinctly state that anyone can be a Nerdfighter, no matter their age, gender, or sexual preference. Otherwise, most said something like, “...Dedication, [a] thirst for knowledge, [a] sense of humor, [and wanting to be] a generally good person.” Another Nerdfighter said, “[Someone who] is interested in the world around them, and works to decrease world suck and increase world awesome in whatever way they choose,” and yet another said, “A pursuit of knowledge and a willingness to make a change for the betterment of the world (Anonymous Interviews).

The group is founded solely on the ideas and actions of two people, and has evolved to become something far larger. Also, it is without most of the usual issues caused by internet anonymity, where people use their ability to function without risk of social punishment to be rude and impolite, and instead is full of people who support and learn from each other. Nerdfighters are an interesting example of internet communities, where the community didn’t come together based around some sort of fictional media... or around a common place... but instead around people, and the ideas those people espouse. And it’s overwhelmingly positive, as an internet community. (Anonymous Interview)
When faced with the concern many adults raise when it comes to cyber bullying and internet communication, Nerdfighters are unanimous in both their politeness is stating that the concern is a valid one, and also their wholehearted belief that one should not avoid all people spoken to through the internet out of concern of meeting one bad. All people surveyed replied with an example of a friendship that never would have been formed without the Nerdfighter community, and a firm statement about the positive relationships that could be made through the semi-anonymity of the computer. Many people who fit the qualifications of “nerd” aren’t used to a whole lot of social interaction, and having time to think before typing their responses to a conversation offers them the opportunity to communicate without feeling like a fool. Nerdfighters is a safe place to meet people with similar interests. One interview subject said, “Online socializing can really benefit teens. It’s great to get honest, semi-anonymous advice from those outside of your life,” and another mention how being called a name by someone you’ve never spoken to before and have the ability to avoid in future is far less biting than if someone you’ve known for years and face daily had said it to you. (Anonymous Interviews)

Nerdfighters has also made many of its members feel as though they could make a difference in the world. “...John and Hank’s story, along with that of Esther Earl, have showed me how just a few people can affect the lives of many.” (Honora Johnston Interview) (Esther Earl is well known and was well-loved throughout the Nerdfighter community; she was a huge supporter of the organization and that of the Harry Potter Alliance until her death last year from cancer.) Others have stated just how empowered and inspired they feel by the projects organized by the group, and how the things they do can make a difference. I absolutely [consider the Vlogbrothers my role models]. They have both achieved their dreams- writing and environmental activism. they gave shown me that it is possible to achieve what you want. (Honora Johnston Interview)

The group has also had a huge impact on its members’ knowledge of current events, diversity, science, history, and education. The Nerdfighters surveyed claim that Hank and John are able to explain science and literature/current events topics (respectively) far more clearly than any of their teachers has ever been able to. One Nerdfighter says that
John explains ... why I should care about [current events] as opposed to throwing out numbers and statistics. Brotherhood 2.0 and the Project for Awesome have really opened my mind to how much needs to be done, and how much can be done.

John and Hank show empathy and understanding for those around the world that are different from themselves, and are therefore great role models for teens in a world that, for the most part, only helps others when it benefits themselves. As far as history goes, generally all NFs agree that the videos make the learning experience far more memorable than if the information had just been read out of a textbook, and it gives an example to budding teachers of a way to make a class far more interesting. One Nerdfighter, an education major, says she looks a lot at how they teach, so she can get ideas of how to do so in more traditional settings. Hank and John also offer a ton of information that might not regularly come up in a course or in everyday life, like the life of Queen Ranavalona I and Ivan the Terrible’s hidden library. “I’m a life-long student,” one Vlogbrothers video watcher says, “and I love learning everything I possibly can. The videos have made me more aware of little snippets of history that might have been overlooked in a course. As far as science goes,” she says, “they give me real life applications for the topics; for example, Hank’s EcoGeek.”

An overwhelming number of members replied that they felt it had raised awareness that being nerdy wasn’t necessarily a bad thing when asked about the effects of Nerdfighters. Being a nerd used to be- and still is, in some places- frowned upon, but Hank and John have given nerds a place to go and a community to be a part of. Nerds can be proud of their determination and intelligence here. For a group of people that has always suffered from social difficulties, almost by definition, and has, as a general rule, felt alienated for their intelligence and obsessive nature, Nerdfighters offers the outcasts a place to feel included, a reminder that “normal” isn’t necessarily a box everyone has to fit into. Really, it shows teens struggling with their own self-confidence that they are not alone in their interests and habits.
I think it espouses the idea that... it really is okay to be who you are- a lot of media marketed towards teenagers pretends like they mean this, but they only mean it if you’re white, or straight, or pretty, or athletic. But really, in Nerdfighters, you can be your weird, nerdy self, as long as you’re nice to people. And it makes the idea of contributing to other people, even in little ways, seem more doable for teenagers. And it gives younger people a voice, during a time in their life when they might not feel like they have one, and a community where they’re allowed to just kind of be. (Anonymous Interview)

Nerdfighters, as a whole, has offered teens who are intellectual and passionate about things a place to go where they will feel included; a supportive group of people that reminds them that they are not alone, while also helping encourage a wider world view and a respect of the diversity of others. It also encourages charity and life-long learning, informing its members of current events and historical ones, as well as explaining math, science, and education, leaving it a clear representation of the good that can be found in the internet, despite the seas of bad.

My response to people's apparent desire for a school for internet nerds.

This afternoon, Hannah mentioned in passing how fantastic she thought it would be if there was a school full of just awesome people, and all the non-awesomes were sent away. Of course, she intended it quite innocently, but it started an extensive line of thought on my end about what such a school would, indeed, entail.
The very first, very obvious question one has to ask themselves is, who would be able to attend this school? Who is, in the minds of this school’s admissions board, ‘awesome?’ Would this school fall for the same, typical school issue of defining greatness on academics and testing scores alone? Hannah’s school seems to more be the student’s idea of awesome, a friendly, ‘cool,’ maybe slightly eccentric person who would frequent Tumblr and take slightly hipster photos of themselves. And this raises the other interesting question of, when did the word ‘awesome’ begin to take on this connotation (at least in this community, the community Hannah means when she speaks of a school of merely awesome people) of someone slightly nerdy, the kind of person who reads John Green books and Harry Potter and enjoys Nutella? The answer is, quite obviously to anyone OUTSIDE of this community, that this image is what the majority of the people in the group identify with. That is awesome because it’s what they are; that is awesome because it’s the social norm. In a community of students who all focus very hard academically, the person who is most adept at this is awesome; but, as is far more often the case, a community of students who do poorly academically and focus more on athletics will alienate an academically adept teen and socially reward the receiver of the most sports achievements as opposed to scholastic ones, despite the more obvious applicability of an intelligent student gaining approval in a place of learning. So, in point- people associate awesomeness with themselves, and the social norm of the group in question, and associate uncoolness with someone who is either obviously better at something than them, or very obviously worse, as it is often deemed ‘uncool’ to hang out with someone who doesn’t have many skills and is considered unpopular by the masses and those who are Awesome. Tumblr and Hannah’s definition of awesome reflect this, even through the anonymity of the internet- people on Tumblr who post pictures of themselves looking beautiful, who are artsy enough to create some art, who have a pretty face and a nice sense of humor and already plenty of friends- these people are more popular, are considered more unreachably godlike, than the people who can write thirty page papers on Awesomeness or who may be far more adept at computer skills, despite the fact that the whole area of interaction is through the computer. Obviously I am a poor person to speak to about awesomeness and cool because I clearly fall into the uncool category of the paper-writer.
Moving on, who is to judge this awesomeness? If ‘awesome’ is merely based off of one’s own ideals and abilities, then the Admissions Director of the School of Awesome would almost inevitably fall into the trap of placing anyone in the school who was similar to themselves, or who idealized them (because everyone likes people who like them). If there was no official admissions director, the school would be flooded with people who considered themselves awesome (because many people do, you know) and would lack some of the very most awesome people who consider themselves horribly uncool (because many of the best, most amazing people, in my opinion, are those who are honestly too humble to believe that of themselves- these people naturally gather a fair amount of background support but never really realize that their popularity is, in fact, popularity, and not pity or just normality. They are truly ignorant of their position). So, I believe the school would have to have an admissions director, merely because one of the main parts of the whole idea was that non-awesome people wouldn’t be allowed to attend. Would this be because they wouldn’t be admitted in the first place, and, if they were accidentally chosen for the school (like if a muggle were somehow let in to Hogwarts) they would be sent away by the school’s administration, or would they merely be chosen and sent away by the students themselves, like a larger, more inclusive version of a regular school’s ‘cool’ group, where those who did not fit in would actually be forced to leave the school?
On some level, all societies function on this basic idea- if you don’t fit in with everyone else, we don’t want you here. Schools try to prohibit this as much as possible, forcing students in and maintaining the balance between social classes as well as possible, and the students do it some themselves, too, allowing the formation of several different groups, where the nerds can be and the athletic people and the artsy ones, but there’s still a lot of alienation, where a certain student isn’t accepted in any of these ‘clicks,’ or goes to a school that’s small enough that there aren’t enough students to form the group that they would generally associate with.
On a wider level, most neighborhoods are like this- sitting up on the hill that overlooks Sunnyslope, where I live, I noticed how, for the most part, our entire little area is just one-level, white houses. The people there, living their own little individual unique lives, are still very much the same. Our neighborhood is lower middle class. Most of the people are Hispanic, and therefore share the same but slightly different households of large, Catholic families, with woman who cook and men who sit on the lawn and drink and children who watch noisy television and play basketball in the street. They are all very kind to us, but we do not fit in. We are not Catholic. We are not Hispanic. We are no lower middle class. There is only one child in our family, and the wife of our household works full time and does cooking only part of the time. We do not fit the social norm. We are not awesome. After living here for nearly sixteen years, we are the oldest family unit nearby, but we still do not fit as part of the community. When attending neighborhood events, we attract strange looks and no one starts conversation with us. We are not encouraged to leave, and only very rarely do we receive a gesture that is anything but polite, but if this was to be the only community my family participated in, if we had no other social endeavors, I am very certain that we would have left shortly after I was born.
I’m afraid that the school would attract people of all the same views and opinions, and start to stagnate. Without varying beliefs and thoughts, there is no growth; without rebellion, faulty systems are never improved. The internet and school systems that are forced to accept anyone allow for the debate that is required for thought on important issues; disagreement spawns interest and research into events outside your social bubble. As the attendee of a private school for the past nine years, I can honestly say that I have been very upset, on occasions, to be the only person at the school who is Democrat, who is not Catholic or Christian, who values environmental issues and animal rights. I have been alienated and bullied and hurt mentally and emotionally for my beliefs and my disagreement with the beliefs of other students. But I would not have traded in this experience for any other academic one, because I believe that facing this adversity has really helped me to establish what exactly it is that I believe, and this diversity from my own opinion in my school has helped me realize just how important it is. Of course, it would be an amazing relief to be at a school where I was accepted, and people shared my views and did not persecute me for them, but I wouldn’t learn anything from it. I wouldn’t learn what other views there are in the world, or how the struggles that others go through, or what differences there are between me and those coping with physical and mental stress I still can hardly fathom. Most importantly, however, I wouldn’t understand that even those who are different from me, who are better or worse than me at whatever individual respective talent is being described, can still be awesome.

IDEA project outline. (As a "DANG IT I'VE LEFT MY USB AT HOME! backup.)

The Effect of Nerdfighters on its Teenage Members Today

Thesis: The community created by Hank and John Green, known as Nerdfighters, has positively impacted teenagers’ knowledge of the wider world, literature, science, and music, as well as their ability to accept diversity and their interest in the well-being of their peers around the world.
I. Basic Background Information
A. The Nerdy Basics
1. Nerd Origin
a. The word is generally recognized as having come from Dr. Seuss’ “If I Ran the Zoo,” in which the narrator, Gerald McGrew, states that he would collect “a Nerkle, a Nerd, and a Seersucker too” for his zoo.
b. Phillip K. Dick claimed to have coined the similar “nurd.”
2. The Common Connotation
a. Origin of Connotation
i. In 1951. Newsweek reported on its popularity in Detroit.
ii. A 1965 Rensslaer PTI used “knurd” (the word “drunk” backwards) to describe someone who would prefer to stay in and study as opposed to party.
iii. In the 1960’s, the term spread throughout the US and Scotland as a popular synonym for “square” or “drip.” Only now did it begin to take on the current association with bookishness and social ineptitude.
3. What Makes a Nerd, a Nerd
a. Nerd Definition
i. “Nerd” is a term often used in a derogatory way to describe someone who passionately pursues intellectual activities or other obscure interests, rather than engage in more popular or social activities. Nerds are often excluded from physical activities by their peers and are considered loners. They often tend to associate with other, like-minded individuals.
ii. “...because nerds like us are allowed to be unironically enthusiastic about stuff. Nerds are allowed to love stuff, like jump-up-and-down-in-the-chair-can’t-control- yourself love it... when people call people nerds, mostly what they’re saying is, “You like stuff.” Which is just not a good insult at all. Like, ‘you are too enthusiastic about the miracle of human consciousness.’
b. Nerd Stereotypes and Characteristics
i. Intelligent but socially and physically awkward. Most people assume that all nerds are unfit- either very thin and weak or extremely obese.
ii. In the movies, they are often seen as white males with glasses, braces, acne, and highly lifted up pants, and many sport pocket protectors. There is also a common stereotype about young Asian males.
iii. Nerds commonly focus in things considered either overly mature or too young for them- nerds will tend to have a passion for math, science, technology, and classic literature, or trading cards, comics, RPGs, fantasy, and science fiction. These passions also lead to a stereotype that all nerds suffer from OCD, and have an extreme devotion to the rules and the ”nerdy” things that they love.
c. Nerd Pride
i. As the computer industry rose, “nerdy” technologically savvy people gained large fortunes and prestige, and the connotation became less about awkwardness and more about smarts.
ii. People began to realize that some nerdiness is good- intelligent, respectful, and interesting people earn more money.
(a) “My idea is to present an image to children that it is good to be intellectual, and not to care about peer pressures to be anti-intellectual. I want every child to turn into a nerd- where that means someone who prefers studying and learning to competing for social dominance, which can unfortunately cause the downward spiral into social rejection.” –Katie Hanfner as quoted by the New York Times, 29 Aug. 1993
(b) “Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.” –Charles J. Sykes
iii. TV shows, movies, and the media started to encourage nerdiness- see such things as Revenge of the Nerds in 1984, Nerdator, and FC Nerds.
(a) “...What they lack in physical strength, they make up in brain power. Who writes all the best selling books? Nerds. Who directs the top grossing Hollywood movies? Nerds. Who creates the highly advanced technology that only they can understand? ...Nerds. And who are the people who run for the high office of the Presidency? No one but nerds.” –ep. “Nerdator,” Freakazoid
(b) The news website, Slashdot, bears the slogan, “News for nerds. Stuff that matters.”
iv. Celebrations of Nerdiness
(a) Nerd Pride Day – May 25 in Spain ever since 2006
(b) Nerdcore hip hop- MC Plus +, MC Hawking, MC Frontalot
(c) Nerdcore webcomics- Penny Arcade, User Friendly, PvP, Megatokyo
(d) Nerdfighters!
B. The Nerdfighter Basics
1. Brotherhood 2.0 and the Vlogbrothers
a. Founded in Jan. 2007 by Hank as a year long project between Hank and John
b. Planned to spend a year communicating only through video, phone, and other forms of non-text related communication
c. Continued the project after 2007, amassing over 75 million views, 1.1 million Twitter followers, and nearly 800 videos.
2. John Green
a. Born August 24, 1977, he is the older Green brother and New York Times bestselling author.
i. Looking for Alaska- a novel about a boy named Pudge who is obsessed with the last words of famous people, and his experiences and growth at a private school in Alabama with his new friends Takumi, the Colonel, and an unforgettable girl named Alaska.
(a) “Thomas Edison’s last words were, “It’s very beautiful over there. I don’t know where there is, but I believe it’s somewhere, and I hope it’s beautiful.”
ii. An Abundance of Katherines- Chronicles the crazy road trip of an anagram-obsessed, washed-out child prodigy Colin who has dated (and been dumped by) nineteen different girls all named Katherine, and his mission to discover a formula that will predict the future of any and every relationship.
(a) “Books are the ultimate Dumpees: put them down and they’ll wait for you forever; pay attention to them and they’ll always love you back.”
iii. Paper Towns- Quentin has always idolized and adored the fantastic and perfect Margo Roth Spiegelman. But when Margo takes him on a wild, all-night-long adventure and then leaves with nothing but a morbid series of clues, Quentin is forced to realize that even those we deem perfect have problems with their self-image and beliefs.
(a) “"Look at all those cul-de-sacs, the streets that turn in on themselves all the houses that were built to fall apart. All those paper people in their paper houses burning the furniture to stay warm. All the paper kids drinking the beer some bum bought for them at the paper convenience store. Everyone demented with the mania of owning things. All the things paper-thin and paper-frail."
iv. Will Grayson, Will Grayson (co-wr. w/ David Levithan) – In which two characters named Will Grayson (one, JG’s, who is trying desperately to live life without being noticed, while also being friends with a man who is described as ‘the largest person who is also very, very, gay’, and the other, DL’s, who is struggling with depression and a complex relationship with online friend who is actually made up by his enemy Maura) meet up and deal with their problems and their individual relationships with the large and gay Tiny.
(a) “Tiny Cooper is not the world’s gayest person, and he is not the world’s largest person, but I believe he may be the world’s largest person who is really, really gay, and also the gayest person who is also really, really large.”
v. Has won the 2009 Edgar Award, the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award, and has twice been a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.
vi. He was also a New York Times Book Review and Booklist reviewer.
vii. Short story titles include, “The Approximate Cost of Loving Caroline,” “Great American Morp,” and “Zombiecorns,” the last of which is not about zombie unicorns, but instead, zombies who worship corn.
b. Besides writing his own books, he enjoys religion (he’s Episcopalian), Mark Twain, the last words of famous people, Judy Bloom, literature, librarians, books, and conjoined twins.
c. While Hank was the one who came up with the idea for Brotherhood 2.0, it is really John’s project.
d. Another of John’s memorable quotes on nerds (besides the “you like stuff” one) is the following: “Saying, ‘I notice that you’re a nerd’ is like saying, ‘Hey, I notice that you’d rather be intelligent than be stupid, that you’d rather be thoughtful than vapid, that you believe that there are things that matter more than the arrest record of Lindsay Lohan.”
3. Hank Green
a. Born May 5, 1980, Hank is the younger Green brother. He lives in Missoula, MT.
b. Where John in the literary nerd, Hank prefers science and mathematics. He has however, written for the magazine mental_floss on numerous occasions, and also wrote an article for the New York Times on July 24, 2010. He has also done work for the Weather Channel, Planet Green, NPR’s All Thing’s Considered, Air America’s The Young Turks, and Forcast Earth.
c. Hank is the founder and editor in chief of “EcoGeek,” a website that combines intelligence and nerdiness with a desire to save the earth.
d. Officially, his job is “webpage designer,” but he also likes music, corn dogs, books, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and guitar.
4. Nerdfighters
a. Origin
i. The term was first coined in a February 1, 2007 video titled, “In Which John Miraculously Uploads a Video in the Savannah Airport Desite Not Having a Power Cord,” when John discovers an arcade name titled ‘Nerd Fighters.’
ii. The term gained its current connotation later in that same month, with John’s ongoing lecture on the “war between nerds and popular people” and “people who fight with their brains.”
iv. On February 15, 2007, John said, for the first time, the quote that any Nerdfighter will say if asked what a Nerdfighter is- “A Nerdfighter is like a regular person, except instead of being composed out of tissues and cells and organs, they are made entirely out of awesome.”
b. Definition
i. Someone who fits most or some of the nerdy characteristics- intelligent, intellectual, dedicated, slightly obsessive- and who is also determined to make the world a better place through charity and positivity. Nerdfighters generally visit the Nerdfighter Ning and the website Your Pants fairly regularly, watch the Vlogbrothers videos, and participate in their projects whenever possible.
ii. Nerdfighters are known to generally have one or several of the following “powers,” or nerdy interests, among others.
(a.) Harry Potter, Weird Al, word, English, Dungeons and Dragons, rock climbing, band, guitar, computers, mathematics, literature, video games, opera, hippy, Wikipedia, the Muppets, musical theatre, comic books, classic RPGs, Grammar Nazi, Doctor Who, StarKidPotter, the Lord of the Rings, space, vaulting, gymnastics, Glee, history, or language.
II. Effects
A. What Nerdfighters say are some key components.
1. “[...Someone who] is interested in he world around them, and works to decrease world suck and increase world awesome in whatever way they choose (sometimes that could be monetarily like donating to the Project for Awesome, sometimes that could be by doing something cool, sometimes that could be by doing something kind... the options are limitless!)”
2. “A pursuit of knowledge and a willingness to make a change for the betterment of the world.”
3. “...Dedication, [a] thirst for knowledge, [a] sense of humor, [and wanting to be] a generally good person.
4. “A desire to become a Nerdfighter- that’s the only requirement to become a Nerdfighter. However, most Nerdfighters tend to be nerdy (naturally) about all sorts of things, awesome, and they want to make the world suck less.”
5. Basically, the most important parts of Nerdfighters are an interest in learning, a desire to make the world better and more interesting! If one wants to pursue betterment and knowledge, then they are already Nerdfighters.
B. Why Nerdfighters think the group is worth studying.
1. “...Nerdfighters are an interesting example of internet communities, where the community didn’t come together based around some sort of fictional media... or around a common place...but instead around people, and the ideas those people espouse. And it’s overwhelmingly positive, as an internet community... It’s also... a good example of a community forming a common vocabulary and syntax based around common experience, and how new members of that community are socialized through that shared vocabulary (in less pretentious terms, we’ve got inside jokes, and lots of them.)”
2. “It merits research because it’s phenomenal that just two people have started a whole community of awesome much bigger than just them. It is a testament on how amazing human beings can be if we work together for good, that just two brothers have started this whole thing through just a set of video logs.” (Honora Johnston)
3. “...we are anonymous... and can choose not to reveal our real names and faces. In many cases, this can result in deindividuation [where someone, in the right circumstances or surroundings, can lose their sense of self and do horrible things they might not do normally, say, if there were a chance that the deed could be traced back to them] and all sorts of nasty things. So online communities like this one are without all the social constructs, an area ripe for research. Nerdfighteria in particular is interesting because people are, for the most part, generally civil. Creativity and discussion are encouraged rather than conformity.”
4. In summary, it is a group founded solely on the ideas and actions of two people, and has evolved to become something far larger. Also, it is without most of the usual issues caused by internet anonymity, where people use their ability to function without risk of punishment to be rude and impolite, and instead support each other and learn from each other.
C. When faced with the concern many adults raise when it comes to cyber bullying and internet communication, Nerdfighters responded as so:
1. “This is always valid, but on the flip side, just as you may meet many negative people you never would have spoken to otherwise, you also come into contact with positive people that build friendships with you that you never would have otherwise. This is near and dear to my heart, as I was bullied and friendless in middle school, but found comfort and friendship online. my main advice for parents is for parents to talk to their kids, ask them what they’re up to and about their lives online; trying to install filters or spy on them only makes them more secretive, and they will probably be able to get around whatever security measures are installed.”
2. “You must be careful, but when people are speaking to each other face to face through something such as Skype, it’s almost the same as meeting someone in real life. I’m sure there are bad people on Nerdfighters, but there are so many good people that one shouldn’t just avoid it out of fear of the bad, and should open yourself up to a wide variety of good friendships instead.” (HJ)
3. “...When I was younger, there wasn’t a safe place on the internet to meet good people, and if I found a group of people, they’d disregard me because of my age... Then, when I lied, saying I was 16 or 18 so someone would take me seriously, I was relentlessly hit on by creepy old men, just for being a girl. Sometimes I would say I was a 17 year old male to be left alone. ...I found a great community of people [through the internet] that were interested in creative endeavors and became very close to them... I still consider them great friends, after over five years. Some live in Ireland, or Australia. Those are places I’ve never been, but I have friends there. ...[Some kids abuse the internet] but cyberbullies can be stopped very easily if one just screenshots or saves conversations. ...Without the internet, I’d have about 70% less friends, no place to vent my frustations, [and] I’d be much less intelligent (most of my information comes from the internet really)...
4. “Online socializing can benefit teens. It’s great to get honest, semi- anonymous advice from those outside of your life. Nerdfighters is an especially supportive community.”
5. “I don’t find this a very valid concern. ...In real life, people can physically hurt you, or can bully you over much more prolonged periods of time, except with real-life bullying you can’t just leave the forum or change your username or block them from your Facebook account. I’ve been a heavy internet user for a long while... and I’ve been bullied... a lot less online than in person. ...Someone calling you –insert cruel and insensitive word of your choosing here- online has less of an impact than if someone you’ve known for years in real life does the same.”
D. Nerdfighters has made its members feel like you they can make a difference.
1. “...John and Hank’s story, along with that of Esther Earl [a huge participant in the Nerdfighter community and also the service organization Harry Potter Alliance, who recently passed away from cancer at the age of seventeen] have showed me how just a few people can affect thousands of lives.” (HJ)
2. “I feel empowered and inspired by both our large projects that the entire community takes part in, as well as the small scale projects that people share.”
3. “I feel like the small things I do can actually make a difference in people’s lives now. I felt this way most of the time before Nerdfighters, but the whole movement of NF have helped make it an even bigger part of my life. I try to smile in all situations, and I’m getting DFTBA [a popular initialism in the community, standing for Don’t Forget To Be Awesome] tattooed on my left wrist as a reminder. I strive to be awesome every day, and I feel like it makes a big difference in my life and other’s.
4. “I look up to [the Vlogbrothers] as older people who are nerdsome but use their nerdiness for good, and have good and interesting careers they love, and a good relationship with their family...”
5. I absolutely [consider Hank and John Green my role models]. They have both achieved their dreams’ writing and environmental activism. They have shown me that it is possible to achieve what you want.” HJ
E. Current events, diversity.
1. “”My knowledge of current events has definitely increased, and I love that John and Hank are both awesome guys that show empathy and understanding for those around the world that are different from themselves.’
2. “Nerdfighters has broadened my perspective of the world outside of my little bubble of social interaction, work, and school. I’ve learned all sorts of things about... current events- for example, John recently made a video on the revolution in Egypt from which I learned much.”
3. “It has helped me a lot with my World Studies class, and being more aware of what is going on around the world. John explains things around the world very clearly in his current events videos, and why I should care about it, as opposed to throwing out numbers and statistics.”
4. Brotherhood 2.0 and the Project for Awesome [an annual charity project in which Nerdfighters support and popularize their favorite charities through YouTube] have really opened my mind to how much needs to be done and how much can be done, as well as how many charities there are around the world.
F. History, Science, education.
1. “...My knowledge of history has definitely increased, and the videos make it more memorable than if I had just learned it in a textbook.”
2. “...As an education major, I look a lot at how they teach and inform people for ideas of how to do so in more traditional settings, so their educational videos are always interesting for me to look at.”
3. “...I’ve learned a lot from Nerdfighters about science (I definitely understand it better when Hank explains it than any science teacher I’ve ever had) and history (same thing as science except when John explains) and I’ve learned random and amazing things from both of them (The Terrible Library, how nuclear plants work, etc.) It’s not necessarily knowledge I’ll apply anywhere in life, but it’s information I’m glad to have because it enriches my life by knowing it. I’m a life-long student, and I love learning everything I possibly can.”
4. “John’s French Revolution videos have really helped me with my history class, and have also made me more aware of little snippets of history that might have been otherwise overlooked in a course, like Queen Ranavalona. As far as science goes, they give me real life applications for the topics, for example, Hank’s EcoGeek.”
G. Effect on the Wider World
1. “The Project for Awesome has grown hugely since its first few years, raising not only money for charity but also interest in charity, as well as gaining popularity for the group [Nerdfighters], and therefore increasing it’s effectiveness even more.”
2.“It has made being a nerd less of a stigma and more of a thing to be proud of. When John and Hank started, being a nerd was frowned upon, but now us nerds have a place to go, people to talk to, and we can be proud of our intelligence and willingness to learn.”
3. “I think it espouses the idea that... it really is okay to be who you are- a lot of media marketed towards teenagers pretends like they mean this, but they only mean it if you’re white, or straight, or pretty, or athletic. But really, in Nerdfighters, you can be your weird, nerdy self, as long as you’re nice to people. And it makes the idea of contributing to other people, even in little ways, seem more doable for teenagers. And it gives younger people a voice, during a time in their life when they might not feel like they have one, and a community where they’re allowed to just kind of be.”
4. “I think it has helped a lot of people to become more comfortable in their own skin. In many places, “nerd” is derogatory, but here it is a badge of honor. Seeing that other people like similar things is a reminder that not everyone has to fit whatever the definition of “normal” is... I think it has helped connect teens to people and feel like they are part of something larger. ...It can start to feel like everything is a show and we are always observers sitting on the sidelines. Interaction and relationship are good ways to be reminded that we don’t have to be apathetic.”
III. Conclusion

Pay No Attention To It: Solution to a Problem, or Issue Unto Itself?

In the book The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse, Uncle Khosrove repeatedly responds to problems by shouting, “It is no harm, pay no attention to it!” regardless of what has been said or what may be the result of his words. This is what he says to the threat of his house burning down, a horse going missing, and all other things he encounters in his daily life. Is this a reasonable way to deal with the unhappy situations we face in life, or does it merely push the problem away from us for the moment, so that we are forced to instead cope with it after its effects have been exacerbated?
Khosrove is forced to deal with much hardship in life, as all are. He is pushed from his homeland into a strange country, and is left poor and starving in a little island of Armenian culture surrounded by a vast ocean of Americanized settlements. What can he do but push aside his feelings? Sometimes, when things are really difficult, the only thing that can be done is pay no attention to the pain. If one lets negative emotions well up inside, it can eat away at all chances of happiness. To worry about the future or present is, in some cases, futile and deeply harmful. Khosrove manages not to let his inevitable fears about property, family, and emotional instability hurt him, and instead reassures himself that “it is no harm.” What will come, will come, and he will have to meet it when it does.
On the other hand, if you constantly put off what you must eventually face, things will never get done. If life is spent “paying no attention,” solutions may be missed, happinesses lost, and a domino effect of hardships start from ignoring one important misfortune. When Khosrove tells his frantic son that the fire razing his house to the ground is no harm, he is blatantly lying, and endangering his family, his possessions, and possibly the whole community. To put everything he loves at such risk is foolish, and cannot possibly be condoned. If I never studied for a math test, or paid any attention to it, I would fail all the quizzes, never turn in any homework, do extremely poorly on the exam, and, most importantly, never learn anything.
To ignore some issues is the only way that some things can be dealt with- to focus continually on the future is nearly as bad as always reminiscing on the past, and is equally useless and a total waste of time. However, when a trouble is put aside, it still must eventually be faced, and it is often better to face an issue before it escalates into a full scale disaster than leave it, living your life in blissful ignorance, until finally it becomes so huge that you have no choice but to respond. Khosrove’s manner of putting aside absolutely everything that he faces that displeases him is one I do not support, merely because of how all encompassing its range is. If he were to use this phrase only when there was nothing to be done about the issue, it would merely be a way of coping with something that cannot be dealt with or solved by focusing on it. Instead, he includes things like a house fire in the list of acceptable scenarios it can be used as a response to, and therefore endangers both people and property in his refusal to act.