"He was not a metaphor or a statistic. He was, however briefly, a human being" Damn that got me

@kenike007

4 жыл бұрын

As we all are!

@vianjelos

4 жыл бұрын

Just imagine that but in Rod Serling's(creator of the twilight zone) voice...it.deffinatly sounds like an outro to a classic TLZ episode.

@rebeccacaraska4112

4 жыл бұрын

Yep. Me too.

@kellyalves756

4 жыл бұрын

Especially the “ briefly” part. We’ve been discussing the photo longer than he ever lived.

@josedacosta9847

4 жыл бұрын

We never know what comes tomorrow! Better to ensure you are saved in God's arms!

"You look like the kind of trouble I wouldn't mind getting into" would make a heck of a pickup line.

@adityakhanna113

5 жыл бұрын

Cool. Using this.

@Vocalinds

5 жыл бұрын

I think it already is? Or at least it's a quote from somewhere.

@TheTetrapod

5 жыл бұрын

It sounds like narration in a hard-boiled detective story.

@MiniM69

5 жыл бұрын

And prepare to be ignored and/or sneered at. You don’t need lines - just be yourself!

@thatjillgirl

5 жыл бұрын

@@MiniM69 I mean, I'm super married, so yeah, I won't be using any lines any time soon. ;)

I started crying. We tend to forget that old pictures are not just pieces of art, they were real in that moment. These were real people. Lost and confused like me. Lived and breathed and dreamed and loved. Wow.

@xTFFxVengeance

4 жыл бұрын

Definitely... its humbling.. its unfathomable, and I try to imagine it so much.

@Christinacalm

4 жыл бұрын

Same, i can't image what it would be like to be heading to a dance with your friends later to be drafted to war and one doesn't come home, but looking at picture getting a small glimpse into their lives is something wonderful and beautiful.

@ronniestewart8135

4 жыл бұрын

@@Christinacalm this was a time everybody choose sides nobody wanted to the song the original crime the started the first World War everybody was sure themselves just so you know did about half of the the soldiers that fought World War 1 the veterans come America was put on an island somewhere near the Florida Keys and was left for a hurricane to destroy them all

@vaderetro264

3 жыл бұрын

Probably not quite as lost and confused as you.

@arnoackermann6584

3 жыл бұрын

It left me profoundly touched

I am a retired photographer. I occasionally look at my own images, taken 40 or fifty years ago and do this type of interpretation, knowing the image was done in a moment, with deep meanings reserved for later viewers.

@andreika6681

4 жыл бұрын

when you must know how delusional people can be about what they see on these photos. they see what they WANT to see. three fellas might have stopped at looked funnily at a guy with camera who broke wind, and 10 books will be written with all kinds of fantasy interpretations of their faces...

@faber4392

4 жыл бұрын

@@andreika6681 and that is the beauty of interpretation, we will never know, it is up to us to decide, and it can tell you a lot about yourself, how you perceive and experience art and the world. it's not about what it is. it never was, it's about what you see , art isnt just an image, a painting, it's a symbol of creativity, that is to be interpretated, admired, despised loved hated, seen.

@robertpatterson5362

4 жыл бұрын

Robert Patterson

@ihavefallenandicantreachmy2113

4 жыл бұрын

@@andreika6681 The Three Farmers are wearing a Novelty "Who Farted" Tee, under their spiffy Dance Duds.

@IsraelCountryCube

4 жыл бұрын

Old man old man you know I sometimes wish I lived in those times to see what it was like but then I realize what scholars 2,000 years ago wanted to see how far we’ve gone now all I have to do is the same Go Foward and keep Marching.

"what this photo doesn't show" The cameraman?

@liliawolf1621

5 жыл бұрын

S h e r l o c k

@rokudoma3385

5 жыл бұрын

h o l m e s

@chronologious9657

5 жыл бұрын

Watson, we have have a problem.

@p0k314COM

5 жыл бұрын

Other "farmer" with expensive camera. What a joke.

@snowvilliers3849

5 жыл бұрын

@@p0k314COM Yea, and you are a good one

A summary: "Boy, they had no clue"

@sid2112

5 жыл бұрын

They never do. It's a hard way to become a man.

@SinoSene

5 жыл бұрын

Why do you need to summarize a video less than ten minutes in length? And why summarize it into such a morononic statement?

@Feet570

5 жыл бұрын

SinoSene r/whoooooosh

@sid2112

5 жыл бұрын

@@SinoSene why do you need to comment on it?

@elh7149

5 жыл бұрын

@@SinoSene I did watch the whole video and enjoyed it, to be clear. It's just a joke :)

The quotes about history are striking in the circumstances we are in now. They were not wrong.

@craigteanelson176

4 жыл бұрын

He didn't know it, but when John Green was sitting there talking about the next surprise we couldn't see coming, he was talking about covid. This video is an example of the phenomenon the video describes

@schrm

4 жыл бұрын

i have troubles with the metaphor of a great dance, though. it wasn't a dance, it isn't.

@johannestonnies7898

4 жыл бұрын

@@schrm dance? more like iron bath lol

@Steph-ue4in

4 жыл бұрын

Yes I own the novel by Richard powers and as interesting as it is we can never forget history

@alicec1533

4 жыл бұрын

@@craigteanelson176 Douglas Hofstadter has entered the chat...

“Feet in the mud, head in the sky.” Ah, yes. They’re standing. Indeed.

@julesmoizan8893

4 жыл бұрын

Thats deep ngl

@ihavefallenandicantreachmy2113

4 жыл бұрын

Sir Elton John is, still, standing, as well, after all this time (2 Months)

@chaddixon5725

4 жыл бұрын

Pretentious right?

@altinfoil592

4 жыл бұрын

Photograph read as metaphor. This is exemplary of the typical arts student's exercise of "observation", which is not so much observation of the photograph as an exercise in imagination of the observer - and an example of the unbridled flights of fancy found in arts circles that ascribe meanings that the photographer, painter, or writer never imagined. A flight of fancy. Observer of metaphor as the metaphor.

@camellia_black

4 жыл бұрын

Their heads are in the sky, above the horizon, from the perspective of the camera.

"The kind of trouble you wouldn't mind getting into" is the most James Dean thing I've ever heard.

@dstinnettmusic

5 жыл бұрын

Lawrence Calablaster honestly it is the most John Green thing I’ve ever heard. It’s super typical to how he writes, as it touches the exhilarating but terrifying feeling of experiencing big things for the first time when you are young.

@tdmxross

5 жыл бұрын

I'm the 1000th like

@SAXORXIII

5 жыл бұрын

I read this as soon as he said it, creeped me out.

@jasonhatt4295

5 жыл бұрын

This Otto guy must've been James Dean before James Dean

@jesuschrist2612

5 жыл бұрын

Lawrence Calablaster it's one of the most not gay but still kinda gay things I heard

It really gave me a pause when I noticed that these young chaps only lived 40kms away from the village I grew up in. This short distance, together with the photo erasing 100 years between this moment and now, by bringing it back to the present, really made me empathize with them even more. If the dice of cosmic coincidence landed differently, I would've probably met a similar fate. I might've even gone with them to the dance.

@57thorns

5 жыл бұрын

At the same time, in an era where there were no roads for cars, 40 km was very far. Even in a society used to long walks (45 minute walk is a fair bit) the 40 km would be 8 solid hours of walking if the terrain is favourable, and no one would have the time to do that very often. Now, even a bicycle will let you travel that distance in two hours, and by car or train it is half an hour or less.

@gabrielasart8004

5 жыл бұрын

Damn that's profound.

@mrwaffles7548

5 жыл бұрын

@@57thorns the maximum the average car could go between 1931 and 1941 (1939 being the year the war started) is 45 mph it would have taken him 3 hours or more on a flat road. edit:going maximum speed the entire time.

@oOSk8OrDieOo

5 жыл бұрын

I thought the same thing even tho i live twice as far away from the place (would take me like an hour to get there). I find it fascinating to imagine that not too long ago these chaps were living so close and yet its a completly different world they lived in.

@randomstuffwithcarole8687

5 жыл бұрын

Philipp Cloud I have been reading about the artist Frank Marc who died in WW 1. Such a loss of youth and talent.

7:45 "He was not a metaphor or a statistic. He was, however briefly, a human being." What a beautiful statement. It touched me deeply. Thanks, John.

What a wonderful commentary. Set in the context of history this photo becomes so much more. Thanks.

I am crying for the death of a german soldier who died in more than 100 years ago. Congratulations John Green.

@HH-qc7io

5 жыл бұрын

Because no matter how far apart, different in nation or look, we are a family and so cry when a brother or sister dies. Time nor distance is a factor and so you still cry from the heart. I hope I made some sense.

@kenziekenz574

5 жыл бұрын

@@HH-qc7io It makes sense! That's so beautiful and so true. ❤

@Inertia888

5 жыл бұрын

this video deserves an award

@twobob8585

5 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately, that's a picture of a German soldier from WW2, he has a swastika on his uniform.

@BillyKamp

5 жыл бұрын

@@twobob8585 that's not an swastika. At most it's just a cross. Their helmets are from WW1.

John Green speaking at a normal speed is my favorite thing

@ethelb6237

5 жыл бұрын

Bianca Pardinas try listening to him speaking fast but slowing it down in settings. It’s hilarious and I like it just a little bit more

@gypsieladie

5 жыл бұрын

Same.

@guynorth3277

4 жыл бұрын

Dudes awesome

@Ron-rs2zl

4 жыл бұрын

Who is this John Green?looks familiar but I can't place him

@kennethhendricks5176

4 жыл бұрын

It gives me a Mister Rogers tone.

In human history , someone always send boys who had no clue to senseless wars...

@765respect

4 жыл бұрын

But never a politician's son unless there is a political motive to it. With the exception of Stalin and the hate he had for his son.

@AlternateRealityMusic

4 жыл бұрын

“War is when the young and stupid are tricked by the old and bitter into killing each other”

@raylovelace8588

4 жыл бұрын

@@765respect Pretty much everyone's picture of a "successful" psychopath.

@765respect

4 жыл бұрын

@@raylovelace8588 Shudders

@chrisbinckes2732

4 жыл бұрын

@Dan Smith i was an 18yr old conscript january 1975 sent into something i didnt want or could imagine... the war in namibia angola i did my full eleven year obligation as a sapper then got out of the theatre and been traveling ever since the astrogypsy existence and now it finds itself here in tasmania turning 64..... i hope oneday that war will be abolished globally..... jimi hendrix was and still is my avatar guide

Totally beautiful. Photographs are always more than meets the eye - in the same way, someone once said: "Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about."

@rebekahsquires2073

3 жыл бұрын

Yes! 🥰😁

@lechat8533

3 жыл бұрын

@Holly Ella Beautifully said.

@fang_xianfu

Жыл бұрын

And people you've never met fought the wars you know very well.

Wow. Every word has value. Sentences are strategically planned. Well researched. Logical and lyrical. Includes a deeper meaning. This is truly a highly developed analysis.

@johnfrey5163

5 жыл бұрын

tyvek05 Why are you attacking this person with a false statement? He clearly states many facts, researched what ended up happening to the boys, and relays the backstory of the photograph. Yes, he asks small questions about who they may have danced with and whether or not they drank, but he presents those as speculation. If you are referencing how he characterizes the boys, he says immediately after that it is simply a characterization based on the photo, and that the audience should not take what he says about their personalities as fact. Every other piece of the video has truth in it, most of which was new information for people watching, thus enriching their lives through education. You show complete ignorance to the field of history if you say that presenting relevant facts and drawing connections and possibilities has no value.

@Michael-wt6jn

5 жыл бұрын

Ur a nerd

@Niaaal

5 жыл бұрын

@tyvek05 This is exemplary art critique. Not a scientific exposé. You simpleton

@writerconsidered

5 жыл бұрын

Yes John is a writer, writing is an art as well.

I feel pretty hyped that I was part of making this, even if I was just translating a text

I went into watching this video thinking there was some kind of hidden Easter egg, and I left with a sense of nostalgia and feeling sentimental over 3 boys who have long passed away and that I have no connection to and who had no clue some random person in 2020 would be looking at them on a KZread video. Interesting how photos have the ability to give us a glimpse into the past and see a brief moment of times that are long gone.

Anyone notice that kids look much older in photos than their actual age?

@dianeparr2483

4 жыл бұрын

It was a hard life back then. But man those nice looking suits can

@jpecco9668

4 жыл бұрын

Beacause they had to work to help their families, unlike the lazy kids today, who think the world owes them everything 🤨

@imnotpaulavery7608

4 жыл бұрын

J Pecco 🙄🙄🙄

@johness5425

4 жыл бұрын

@@jpecco9668 "Lazy kids" who are required by law to go to school and don't have a choice to work. And let's not get into the fact that he world economy has gone to shit with all of the money being funneled away from working people and towards corporations and billionaires.

@rickc2102

4 жыл бұрын

@@jpecco9668 aww, pobrecito, who disappointed you? Or more likely, whom did you disappoint to be projecting thusly now?

I've been taking pictures of people for over 45 years and this story touched me deeply. The story behind each image can be so quickly lost. I keep journals that detail every roll and now every event that I shoot, and write as much detail as possible when I get home. Who was there, what they wore, my fresh impressions of the night/day/event. John, I love your storytelling and I try to approach life in the same way; as a human, a participant and an observer. Have something to say. I appreciate this content.

@57thorns

5 жыл бұрын

That is great, also because of one of your pictures will become a precursor of something momentous, your documented perception of the time will be part of the story.

@BariumCobaltNitrog3n

5 жыл бұрын

@@57thornsThank you, I'd like to think that will be the case.

@daddygirlchanelhines4600

5 жыл бұрын

@@BariumCobaltNitrog3n I would love to see your work.... I wanted to try photography kudos..

@BariumCobaltNitrog3n

5 жыл бұрын

@@daddygirlchanelhines4600 my instagram is C41derful

@765respect

4 жыл бұрын

I do the same with recipes. They are not only what I fed my family but an account of where I got the recipe, who was in attendance, what were we celebrating or doing, a story of a day in our life. A gastronomical snapshot if you will.

This channel is so important in helping people understand and analyze art

@SwagFlap

5 жыл бұрын

@@EWKification Haha thats funny that is how i feel about your comment :)

@CitizenSnips69

5 жыл бұрын

This is why i never got into "fine" art and literature. You guys read too much into this shit. It's a picture of 3 young men in suits, going to a dace. Their heads are cut off by the horizon, WW2, dance they can't see.... "3 farmers," but they weren't farmers? I'd call it "3 males" but the art crowd might get hissy at me for "assuming" their gender. Idk how to put this into words, but... Any conclusions you draw from these things are usually meaningless things your brains assign to the photo, in a sense. They have meaning, but they're just nice coincidences that you give meaning where there often is none. Just enjoy the picture for what it is. No need to make some "intellectual" shit up to muddy up the real story.

@ali.e7860

5 жыл бұрын

@@CitizenSnips69 sure because this hasn't been said hundreds of times before.

@CitizenSnips69

5 жыл бұрын

Hmm. Thought most people who understand literature and the arts would understand how to argue. Seems like you would try to use evidence or any kind of reasoning to try to refute my point, instead of the "lots of people say that and it's stupid" tactic. I'll be doing stem if you need me. Go get an art degree or something, lol. I appreciate the arts and everything, but ya'll mfs take yourselves way too damn seriously. Tbh, don't even take this that seriously. Ya'll nutty

@danjajeff1404

5 жыл бұрын

Art in its entirety is absolutely subjective. Paintings are overpriced not because they are truly good, but simply because someone says it is. It's all extremely pretentious and literally does nothing for humanity, much like religion.

"Reminders that I too might be surprised by history", Not a mention of 'Social distancing', between the three men. So great that this video sits happily on that irony, just over a year prior to the phrase being popularised, maybe that's the case for all videos on history. It really adds to how great this one is, Thank you, so happy to come across this. x

0:58 : “the way you feel when you’re-“ out with the boys.

I remember the vlogbrothers video based on this photograph! I am a history teacher and use the video as a starter to teach WW1 :)

@7skyhorse

5 жыл бұрын

it's my favorite vlogbrothers video!

@joshuasims5421

5 жыл бұрын

This one, right? kzread.info/dash/bejne/qYeD162xfM21YM4.html

@amberbydreamsart5467

5 жыл бұрын

That sounds like an excellent starter for that subject, I recently re-watched that video myself and was struck by it. Thank you for what you do, history classes were absolutely one of the main keys in shaping my worldview growing up and I'm always grateful for those who teach it broadly and thoughtfully.

@Dyundu

5 жыл бұрын

Good to see someone fighting that good fight. Keep on teaching!

@SK-tp6gq

5 жыл бұрын

Watch (Great War Diaries 2014) its the greatest WW1 documentary ever created. It integrates you inside the lives of people in that era, how did they feel about the war And how they lost their beloved ones and so many more. While watching it, You’ll feel like you were living with them! Highly recommended.

"He was, however briefly, a human being" :cry:

I love how the music builds up in this conspiratorial tone and then he’s like: *”They weren’t farmers”* 👁👄👁

I really don’t understand the hostility to his expressing passion for a work of art and all these comments protesting his sincere telling of the truths he noticed and uncovered (with much help) by looking at it for a very long time. Why he finds it so amazing. I get tired of all these negative-attitude, anti-intellectual know-it-alls.

@chlopaczekhula3524

4 жыл бұрын

Well mostly because some people see this as a normal image that anyone could have taken not particularly interesting. If you took your phone and made a picture of your friends it would look similar to this one but this is considered “a masterpiece of art” it just annoys a lot of people I guess It’s over analyzed praised and called beautiful when in actuality it’s just a normal bland image and people don’t like that I believe that art is subjective and you can like whatever you want but I do not like this image it doesn’t show something beautiful like a landscape and it doesn’t show emotion or a feeling we sometimes get. It doesn’t tell a story all we know is that these people are going somewhere Yeah sure the story behind this image can be considered beautiful but not the image At least in my opinion

@MHTutorials3D

4 жыл бұрын

I agree, a lot of assumptions are made, but sometimes a photo is just a photo

@budhalbr

4 жыл бұрын

Only an egotistical elitist would use a term like "anti-intellectual".

@francophone.

4 жыл бұрын

"Negative" attitudes. Pun intended?

@emilyflux

4 жыл бұрын

@@francophone. Clearly not, but thanks for *exposing* it! :-)

A symbolic reading of this photograph may not do justice to these young men's actual lives, but their surnames do translate to "Small, Small, Warrior", so there's that.

@jaehwasa6850

5 жыл бұрын

Was thinking the same thing. Especially Krieger (warrior) seems ... It's always one of those surnames I stop, when I hear them.

@AndarooPandrew17

5 жыл бұрын

That’s what most young men are at some point in their lives. More so then anything young men sent to war as these boys were. It’s insane to think in the grand scheme that one of these boys probably laid on the battle field and died, maybe he bled out, maybe it was instant. Idk. But I imagine if there was a god and he pays attention to the quarrels of man, he looks down at boys like the one who died and thinks to himself as he looks at them “Small, small warrior you are.” And now I’m crying. Nice.

@swaggattarius4355

5 жыл бұрын

Wow

This photograph has so much emotion, truly a captured moment. Talking about the actual subjects of the photograph was a really nice touch to this video too, made it all the more real. Especially seeing how they changed in two different photographs. Usually I find these kinds of photographs a little boring but you've really shed new light on this particular one for me. Thanks.

I'm typing this during the Covid pandemic, and this hits different. Surprises indeed.

@ukinam2143

4 жыл бұрын

History is indeed surprising. And were currently part of its biggest events in this century.

I am not much of what some may call, a fan of art. But the passion you so elegantly communicate during this humbly brief video has definitively changed the way I now and forever will view photography. Thank you so very much.

@koblososzkar9395

4 жыл бұрын

Passion? More like drama.

When The Art Assignment meets The Anthropocene Reviewed.

@vlogbrothers

5 жыл бұрын

Indeed! -John

I don't know why I clicked the video But boy, was it an awesome ride!

@bookswithbenjamin8902

4 жыл бұрын

Same

@TEFLAudios

4 жыл бұрын

likewise

It is very likely that they were actively searching for Wives at their ages, which would account for each of the three distinct attitudes of these men. Opportunities to meet and impress unmarried women was a rare event back then, and most were dance parties to which the young would come from miles around...maybe someone new had arrived, or a child was finally old enough to go to the parties...maybe the girl who danced with you a lot last dance would be there, and interested. So many possibilities. The false devil may care attitude of the one smoking and standing in a jaunty pose with his cane thrust forward (hoping to charm a young lady with his wit and silver tongued phrases carefully memorized)...the middle man taking the strong silent type, (hoping a dash of mystery and the glance of a half lidded eye might attract the right lady.)...the nervous jitters of the first man, (thinking, what if no one wants to dance with me...and what if they do? What if my palms sweat? Perhaps this is his first dance and he fears making a fool of himself what if no one wants to dance with me?) He interests me because I see two plausible stories for him. The second story is that he has his eye on a lady he has danced with previously. Perhaps there is a ring in his pocket, and he intends asking her to be his Wife, he is in a turmoil of conflicting thoughts (should I ask her? What if she says no? What if her Father forbids it? I should have brought her flowers. Do I have enough to take a Wife and have children? Is she promised to another?) They are dressed like city-slickers...tight collars, fancy suits, they each had a scrubbing today. To each of them, these clothes are like a costume...they are like the peacock, ready to show off, hoping to attract a mate in their splendour. The costume gives them the freedom to not be a miner for this one day, or an office clerk...freedom to see themselves as handsome and dapper at least for this one evening. Men’s formal wear has always been their plumage...even when it is often black tuxedo with elegant accessories, mostly because it makes them FEEL different, and that gives them the courage and confidence to approach young ladies, ask them to dance, and then attempt to develop a conversation...keeping the other men away from their chosen ones. Thank you for your insightful opening discussion about this iconic photograph. I have liked and subbed. KZread needs more channels like yours.🖤🇨🇦

@markespitallier7884

4 жыл бұрын

S James

@markespitallier7884

4 жыл бұрын

Tamarra s

@tamarrajames3590

4 жыл бұрын

Mark Espitallier yes, my name is Tamarra S. James.🖤🇨🇦

@liper13

4 жыл бұрын

Very well put

@tamarrajames3590

4 жыл бұрын

liper13 thank you so much for the lovely compliment. I have always enjoyed looking at old photos and imagining the back stories of the subjects. This one was fun to play with in that way, especially as I spent much of my childhood on a farm. Watching the hired hands get slicked up for a dance or fair was always a mystery to me until I became old enough to understand.🖤🇨🇦

Still looks like a badass album cover

"He was, however briefly, a human being." This is the most vague and yet profoundly accurate description of any of us.

@donnaroberts5932

4 жыл бұрын

Yep unless you happen to be a female!

@donnaroberts5932

4 жыл бұрын

@Alexander Supertramp Hi yes I realise that was vague at best.. But what I meant was that the sentiment "HE was, however briefly, a human being" to me highlighted the invisibility of women throughout history. Women did plough those fields whilst their sons, fathers, husbands were away. Infact we saw a clip of women in factories making bombs but even if the men did get back from war. The women would have gone right back to the kitchen or the bedroom to make bread or babies. Not much credit given throughout history for their sacrifice pain & loss. No voice no appreciation no acknowledgement of their importance or existence let alone validity. It's so sad that the only acknowledged hero's in history are men. Shine on friend.. Hug your mum, sister, wife or daughter they are stronger than you will ever know & will have to deal with more than you can ever imagine because they are female even today & will do it with grace strength & a smile :)

@toralthefurry3432

4 жыл бұрын

Donna Roberts rude joke 🙄

@donnaroberts5932

4 жыл бұрын

@@toralthefurry3432 Hi, If you are referring to the poem.. I was just quoting Thomas Hardy. War is terrible & that poem sums it up. So how's that rude?

@donnaroberts5932

4 жыл бұрын

@@toralthefurry3432 Actually I would love to know please tell me what you are referring to. I think there is a misunderstanding :)

So sad about August, so many people died in WWI. It is a stark reminder of the fragility of life.

@michaeld.williamsiii9026

4 жыл бұрын

fromala2U Very true sadly...

@thedevilsadvocate5210

4 жыл бұрын

War what is it good for Absolutely nothing

@erichkaufmann5284

4 жыл бұрын

WW1 was so bad that Americans lost 116,000 soldiers in just 2 years 1917-1918 compared to the Vietnam war where Americans lost 58,000 soldiers fighting for 10 years think about that for a second I’m not saying America did all the work I’m simply saying that’s how bad the war was

@Odo55

3 жыл бұрын

@@thedevilsadvocate5210 Can you dig it ?

Very flowing and eloquent exploration of the photo and its meanings. Thank you

This one was amazing. I always knew that the picture is anything but Candid portrait of farmers but this whole information was new. I am grateful for this. Also Only John can talk about such things so profoundly. Thank you John and Sarah for this.

I'm so happy Tuataria's research is now live in the world omg. This came out beautifully, John!

I love analysing old photos, I can Spend hours looking at a single photo, love this a analysing of a photo with some actual research about the people 😊

@mtlicq

4 жыл бұрын

@samara kiely - in this case, the photographer was smart and made sure the heads were above ground, for dignity, close to the divine, while below they are earthy, well grounded in reality, yet still dignified...I could write more but i'm off track...some less thoughtful photographer just snapping a photo 'randomly' might yield a photo that will lead to wrong or unintended analysis results.

This was an astoundingly good video. Thank you so much for producing it.

It's so easy to depersonalise war statistics. People from other times can seem so unimaginable, but how many times have I walked to a "dance", in my best clothes, with my friends. Countless times. I've also taken countless photos of such moments. I love John's ability to tease out what a lot of us dismiss. Thanks for this video.

My perception of the image changed several times as more information was added. Now I have to let all the layers stew for a while and see what I end up with. Beautiful job.

Made me cry by talking about an old photo. Subscribed.

You have such a touching way of talking about things. This made me cry, beautiful presentation of a sad part of history

“We aren’t farmers, dum dum dum dum dum dum dum!” 🎶

@sid2112

5 жыл бұрын

Lol my pot addled mind went there too.

@alexiswilliamsinc

4 жыл бұрын

😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

"He was, however briefly, a human being." That's gonna stay with me forever. Beautiful and tragic. Treat everyone with kindness, everyone.

Made me cry, when he said "He was however a human being...." Really beautiful...

I never put so much thought into a single photo, I will never again look at a photograph in the same vcd way. Such a profound commentary, I really enjoyed this. Thank you ever so much.

I am reminded that on both sides of every war....mothers are losing their sons. Human beings are dying. It's sobering to realize that, yet again. I could wish our leaders would be reminded, and mindful, of it.

@codename495

5 жыл бұрын

Sonja Johnson You think they aren’t?! The terrible burden of leadership can encompass the guilt of knowing with grave and absolute certainty that your choice will cost lives, but that your inaction could cost more. You view war on such a small simple level, your desire to sound kind ignoring reality in favor of emotion based nonsense. Yes, people die on all sides. Yes, on a personal level it is tragic, but in the grand scheme we are all of us insignificant.

@divaofdoom4211

4 жыл бұрын

Which is precisely why ALL military casualties are met by officers in honor guards when their caskets return to the US. It is to remind them who is out there.

I know he has been making my internet better with many projects for over a decade, but I have to say Artassignment!John is my second favorite iteration of John*. This was great, thank you! * second only, of course, to Firmino enthusiast John, which: same. We would have won the World Cup.

@oof-rr5nf

5 жыл бұрын

Crash Course Literature John comes first on my list Then this guy

This is an amazing video with such meaningful yet simplistic commentary that leaves you wondering forever about the fate of these three men. Brings a very fresh and deeper perspective to how I view photos. Thank you!

My hat is off to you. You have a great voice, it attaches itself to the listener til the end. How well it is written, compliments the voice. Thank you. I appreciate what you do.

Normally i'm not a fan of such videos, but this was really well written and had an understandable sencefull moral, telling a whole story instead of just overmoralizing and analyzing a single picture. Well done.

@Nygaard2

5 жыл бұрын

Normally I’m not a fan of people using CAPITAL letters haphazardly, but you make a good point, so I’ll let it pass...

@mokkaherrman1104

5 жыл бұрын

@@Nygaard2 i'm sorry, German autocorrect.

It is a strange & difficult honour to participate in history.

@aSpectrumofDorky

4 жыл бұрын

Your words are so bittersweet and much harder to swallow a year after you wrote them.

You have truly brought these young men to life. I hope the ones who survived went on to have families of their own.

"...which is not a bad metaphor for being 20." Subscribed! You and your videos are awesome. Telling the truth about things which used to be very easy for people to hide and to lie or mislead about. Great content & commentary! My heart goes out to these young men, to their families, to history, to the photographer, and very much for the negatives of his that were lost. And 1914 was such a hugely pivotal turning point in history.

Amazing! Tells a story in nine minutes that Netflix (and similar) would struggle to complete in ten hour-long episodes.

I got so many chills. I'm so happy to be proud of Tuataria and to have contributed in some small way to this video. It's so moving to realize this story and how, as John says, pictures don't ever tell the whole story. Wow.

Whenever I sit and look at old pictures, I often wonder what they were doing, or what they were talking about moments before, and after that moment in time when the camera shutter opened. I loved this video. Thank you.

This is not a video that I would have typically watched, but I am glad I did. The narration, and the choice of words chosen - as well as looking back on the lives of these three young men - touched this old retired Marines heart. It makes me think of all the young lives that ended prematurely due to a thing called war. Oh, how I would gladly sacrifice my own if it would turn back time and erase from history every war that there ever was. Thank you for this brilliant video and your exceptional narration, I will be an avid viewer from this day forward.

"I give canes three stars." Because this felt like a visual episode of Anthropocene Reviewed.

Imagine someone in the future making a deep analysis of a picture you took because you just thought you were clean 😂

@slayer8actual

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah, the idea that someone can pin me down as to the type of person I am, and how I felt about life in general, because of a millisecond frame of photography, is ridiculous. It would have to be a six second Vine vid before anyone could do that because I'm deep. So deep.

@Waithuhh

4 жыл бұрын

That is the importance of the photograph :^) These man did not know what was to come in life and no matter how mundanethe photo, it still tells of what were the thoughts at the time or atleast what they thought. History is beautiful

I just stumbled upon this and made me cry at 2 am. Thankyou for your Humanity and sharing with us.♥️

I love these old photos. Thank you for making such tasteful videos and giving much respect.

I wrote a sonnet about this photograph a couple years ago: Bugles and drums beckoned atop the mount; They say photographs are but light and time, I used to eye those morning rays with doubt And fathom retreat from my steady climb Away from youth. Oh, God! We gave our lives To that damned ascent; we were too busy Covering our tracks and freeing captives To look up. Imagine our misery When one day we caught glimpse of horizon; We looked over our shoulders, bemused; He shot us, then, and we stood there, frozen In that moment, our surroundings diffused: It was just a plain, a muddy expanse; And we? We were on our way to the dance.

@toobusytocreateaname

5 жыл бұрын

Tzvi Levitin +

@Andy_Idea

5 жыл бұрын

This is fucking brilliant.

@austindonohue4409

5 жыл бұрын

Damn

This research has been a journey. I am so glad, I could help out with this video. As always, John is able to contextualize historic events in a really emotional and personal way. I’m so glad to be part of the community of tuataria, where we among many other things enjoys digging into a pile of historic and in the internet-age almost forgotten documentations.

@vlogbrothers

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you, Ketie! :) -john

The beauty in John Green’s words! Please more videos like this one!

This a a throughly lovely well researched piece on how a photograph hides as much as its reveals. Great presentation!

i love how you created a narrative with such a sense of affection to the audience with a photography analysis which is why i love art.

“A picture is not a life.” So poignant. At a time when so many of us are heavily influenced by social media images.

I am in awe at this video and find myself coming back to it constantly thank you very much for making this

This is YT at his best, interesting and stimulating, well researched and competendly presented. I wish all of YT was like this. Thank you.

I'm so thrilled that John is getting to talk about this photo again, in a new context :)

Thank you John Green for your story I love listening to you. You put so much emotion in your words that make me feel like you are taking to me personally. Photography is one of my favorite topics and hearing your take on it was a good start to my day.

Thank you for this wonderful and excellent video. I am glad to see that it is possible to find a video on KZread that is thoughtful, instructive, and calmly paced. Please make more of this...

I am borderline obsessed with old photographs, the people & places are so alive to me...I imagine the lives they led, the sorrows & joys. Photographs are time machines. Subbed 👍

This made me cry actual tears! I've never connected with a single picture as strongly and probably wouldn't have if you hadn't explained the history and lulled me in with your words.

@vlogbrothers

5 жыл бұрын

I'm very glad to know that others are looking at the picture and finding it as moving and important as I do. Thank you. -John

This my fellow AP students is how you contextualize evidence

@cinnamon9390

4 жыл бұрын

Please never say anything as fucking stupid as "Their heads are sort of being cut off by the horizon line, which turns out to be tragically resonant because when the picture was taken of course, the three farmers were on their way to two dances: the dance they knew about in a nearby village, and the dance they didn't know about, World War I."

@BuggSmasher

4 жыл бұрын

@@cinnamon9390 I've never said it. Not once, I promise !

@gocpng4699

4 жыл бұрын

👀

Such beautiful poetic commentary which tugs at my heart strings. What a beautiful yet tragic story of three young men.

Thank you for sharing this. Your assessment of the photography is something a light sculptor lives for! Kudos from the Show Me state!

Damnit John! Quit making me cry! This was beautiful, thank you.

Poor Evald was already nervous, I can't imagine how he was after the war.

@liam1558

5 жыл бұрын

@MrZapparin yeah..😢☹️😨

That was genuinely thought provoking, and rather moving. Excellent.

Thanks for this! I'm not a very observant person so sometimes when people help me look at something "more slowly" I notice a lot that I wouldn't notice otherwise.

John Green, this is the second time today you’ve made me cry.

@vlogbrothers

5 жыл бұрын

I'm on a roll! -John

@thystldown

5 жыл бұрын

And if I read something of yours we’ll have a heckin’ hat trick!

The analysis of the photography combined with the actual history of it is definetly worth watching.

What a charmingly tragic, but poetic assessment of a photograph. Photos are like mini time machines. A short glimpse into the past and a moment frozen in history..... Good video 👍

Thanks a lot for this talk!! August Sander is one of my favourite photographers!!

At 7:03-7:16, I was reminded of a moment in the Doctor Who episode, Twice Upon a Time, that still makes me tear up the moment I remember it. For background: it follows the Doctor rescuing a World War I captain by leading the latter into their time machine, to the captain's absolute confusion. CAPTAIN: Is this madness? Am I going mad? DOCTOR: Madness? Well, you're an officer from World War I, at the South Pole, being pursued by an alien through frozen time! ... Madness was never this good. CAPTAIN (darkly): World War I? DOCTOR: Judging by the uniform, yes. CAPTAIN: Yes, but... what do you mean... _One?_

@ventheman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Your post has made me interested. What movie is this. If it's a show what episode is this. Thanks

@annastavreva1850

5 жыл бұрын

@@ventheman8418 Doctor Who, Twice Upon a Time. It's literally in the first sentence :))

@GrandMarshalGarithos

5 жыл бұрын

WWI was known as the first world war at the time.

@batspam1013

5 жыл бұрын

VenTheMan he stated it

@wordzmyth

5 жыл бұрын

@@GrandMarshalGarithosIt was known as "The Great War" and "The war to end all wars" that's what they were dying for. To find out that was not true would have been quite a shock.

I don't know why but I absolutely love that picture. And I love your interpretation.

Wow! Mr. John Green, I Love What You Do.... Your Gift Of Story Telling Brings These Photos Relevantly Alive ~ The Young Men Danced Again, Thanks To You - & Those Behind The Scene!!! Keep Up The Great Work!

Worthwhile documentary on a single photograph.

Thanks for an excellent presentation. I went to Google and just spent an enjoyable hour looking at photos by August Sander. Portraits, and a few street scenes, that convey quite well the Zeitgeist of early and mid-20th Century Germany.

Wow, this very deep, emotional and intriguing all at the same time.

This was a beautiful talk about photos taken from that time. A deep chat about the futures they didn’t know of until then. And honestly, we’re living in history right now. This quarantine, pandemic, it’s some big history that’s bound to make it to the Text Books in the future.

Wow, this was a fantastic show of respect to the men in that photo, not to mention the photographer. Beautifully done.

Fuck. I love so much, and it makes me mad how many of his negatives we will never seen again because they were lost or destroyed. I think it is also not about what we do not know but also about how much is fleeting. Soon they will make it to the dance, soon they will be sent off to war, and soon they won’t all return. This precious time in their life is fleeting and so is ours.