For those asking: This video was indeed uploaded earlier today but then I took it down to edit out a shot where you could see part of someone's face who'd asked not to have their face on film. (Many of the refugees I spoke to asked not to have their faces on film because they worry about family members in Syria being targeted.) Sorry for the reupload, but I hope you enjoy and share the video. Thanks! -John
Don't worry about it, John. There are many that are fearful of showing this perspective of this crisis, you defy this whilst respecting the wishes of the people. It is a testament to the positive nature of Nerdfighteria!
this people is very suffered we help with what we have John I hope that you are understanding because I am using Google translator because I am Brazilian and I don't know speak English ve
I recently did a service project in America where we helped immigrants who had just arrived. We supplied food, water, showers, and clothing. I, personally was assigned to help a mother and a daughter who had just arrived from Guatemala. As I was going through the process, I had walked them to the health clinic and the mother had explained to me how much she had been looking forward to one simple thing, showering. it hadn't really hit me how much I take for granted, and how much just a shower can do for someone. when the mother had gone to shower I was with the daughter helping her find clothes. the daughter would not leave her mother and simply sat down out side the shower facility. the coordinator of the project explained to me that this happens a lot, because of displacement, family is all they have. the girl had only known a world of separation. just thought I'd share this
John and Hank are truly a description of what it means to be a good human being. Bits and pieces of information like these need to be shared, and having people like you two do this is extremely important. Please never stop being the amazing people that you guys are and keep on doing the good work that you do.
"Human Nature is not just some force acting upon you. Human Nature is also something we are creating together, as we decide how to treat each other and the world we share." - John Green
Popular media make money when more people watch, so headlines like "refugees struggle to live normally" get way less attention then "murder/rape in refugee camps"
So true, and such a pity. The news should be supposed to give a true representation of what's going on in the world, and not try to compete for viewership using only the most extreme cases that will cause the most uproar...
+Zappa Plays Minecraft The Syrian conflict has gone on for years now, it kind of has to develop into a town if these people are to live there for years with no way of knowing when they can return home. Seeing how much they work to make the camp a place they can live and get by in is both heartening that they show such resilience in the face of it all yet sobering that they have been put in this situation in the first place, where it makes sense to open a pizza shop and install satellite TV dishes in a temporary refugee camp. It's terrifying to know that there is no apparent plan out there to put an end to this conflict, and scary to think of the cost carrying out such a plan will require.
The french people's reaction. Not letting fear cast out the innocent for the action of the violent. France showed that in face of a tragedy they wont allow fear to cloud their judgment.
+DarkHaze I'm so sorry that the 15 year old Obi, who had dropped out of school to work but took up a photography class taught by volunteers because he missed learning is your enemy, who in some way has personally harmed you or one one your family and, oh wait, he did not. I'm going to go off on a limb and say no one in this camp has ever harmed, or wanted to harm you, Dark. Maybe unlike Oi, you want to remain ignorant and think the idea of wanting to learn is just an affront to your principals as a person who wants to be dumb, except I know it isn't, because you consider yourself one who makes tutorials, one who wants to teach others how to do things. The children that made those pigeons John saw fly in formation were not causing pain, in fact that were causing joy. Do they not deserve to be brought joy in return? Or does that make me a whore as well, for even suggesting that I be sympathetic towards people who are by no means trying to hurt my life.
It's been many years that I've had Muslim friends, both from my native United States, and outside of my native United States. One of them is a very close friend actually. I can't say she ever stabbed me in the back. Interestingly enough, one of my parents is Jewish (though really agnostic in actual beliefs) and the other is a relatively devout Christian. Considering the last 100 years of Isreal and the wonderful Jewish and Muslim relations there, I think I should be more likely to agree with your judgement. But I don't. Because people aren't their religions. People aren't their race, people aren't their policitical affiliations. People are complex being with complex thoughts and attitudes and genetically, and culturally, you share more with Muslims in say Pakistan than I probably do. Go back not that many years and everyone you consider your enemy is family, your cousins (I don't know you specifically but, statistically that is the case). So yeah, next time you're in a social situation with someone whose religion you don't know, then don't be afraid to try to make friends and, who knows. You may not like their taste in movies, you may find someone you get close with. But religion is only going to play as big a role as either of you make it.
You mean like in Azerbijan? A muslim majority, secular democracy (albiet with a President who does like his power too much). Which has a sizeable Jewish minority (they have always supported Isreal and traded with them) and a christian minority. There have been abuses yes, but that is from a not that popular cult of personality President who has been critisized intenrally for human rights abuses. What about the Muslims in Bah'rain, which basically does not have non-Muslim citizens because it's an incredibly small independent island nation that only survives because of tourism from Saudi Arabia (not that they don't do it well). They have had massive pro-democracy protests over a leader who in 2002 proclaimed himself King. And of course, from my own experience as a gay, agnostic, white American. I could tell you stories of me balling my eyes out around my friend after a break up, and her comforting me because it really sucked and she's a good friend who is not and has never been object to the fact that I am gay. "Like right for prayer breaks at work and right to wear that stupid sack on their heads while being a model" And I'm sure you would also object if one of those Christians demanded the right to have Sunday off from work, and wear those stupid shapes around their neck. I'm sorry to the person to have to tell you, but there is no they, it is only individual people, that you are all claiming do the exact same thing. I'm sorry to tell you, but that's not how humans work.
+DarkHaze I completely disagree with you, and I would argue that when you look at the majority of *humans* you see "the hard truth." So I'd say you're not really making a great argument there.
DarkHaze Not saying horrible things don't happen there, and horrible people don't live there. You really think "they" are all onboard with that shit??? Are you onboard with all the shit that goes on here in the west? You know that people in other countries think we're a bunch of a-wholes because of our crap, too, right? Sorry, but generalizing doesn't actually work as you seem to think it does i.e. it doesn't work at all no matter what group you are talking about.
I find it impossible to watch a video like this and not feel immense empathy for the thousands of refugees suffering, and yet somehow there are people who can watch this and still see find themselves incapable of seeing this refugees as just as human as them. This video both fills me with empathy and warmth for our world... and immeasurable sadness.
Have you ever considered that someone could disagree with you while still seeing refugees as human? or is everyone who thinks differently from you just automatically evil?
J.M. Alexia Or perhaps I was basing my response on experience. I've been called evil plenty of times for disagreeing. It is perhaps the most common way to dismiss those with whom you disagree, whether the term used is actually evil or some other form of it such as racist, sexist or xenophobic.
***** You're the one bringing up 'evil'. I'm an existentialist, so evil's not really something I put much stock in. I do call some people xenophobic, but I have no idea what your beliefs are so I'm not going to bandy around labels. I clarify: I was not attacking you, or your ideology, or anything to do with you and nor was I truly attacking those who hate refugees. I was stating my observations, the empathy I felt towards these refugees, and the sadness I felt that there are people (many of them in America) who show no empathy towards them, in many cases actively espousing hatred and bigotry, such as Donald Trump's vitriolic speeches and a historic sentiment in my country of not trusting immigrants, let alone those fleeing disaster and war. If anything, you have been more personal with your words, implying that I judge all who do not stand with me as 'evil'.
J.M. Alexia by accusing those who disagree with you of lacking empathy you've equivalently accused them of being sociopaths hence where the evil comes in. You don't have to explicitly say the word for it's implications to come up. Lets suppose you were actually right about hatred and bigotry directed towards Islamic refugees and migrants. How do you know that this is derived from lack of empathy? How do you know it's not their emotions getting the best of them in response to islamically motivated terrorism? In that case then the hatred would be derivative of the empathy they have for victims of terrorist attacks. Just because it's easier to vilify those with whom you disagree doesn't make it correct.
Because I am tired of seeing things like this, videos like this and that the conversation seem so focused on either extreme or no more than rather void virtue signalling. Disclaimer: I approve of the work done by Vlogbrothers and bringing attention to where the aid is most useful.
I just love how john gives his undivided and wholly serious attention to people. You see him sitting with a serious look and clear determination that yes he wants to listen to you, as he listened to them. It's another one of very respected traits in a person i see which is so benign of him to be. He makes kids laugh and them make them hapy and show his affection. I love him seriously !!
Thank you, thank you for going and seeing, and for helping those who can't see have some empathy. I know for some it's hard not to just see the statistics... But you see each person, each family, and you through what you do, help me to see them too. So thank you Mr Green, whom I follow a lot, thank you for leading me to things that make me strive to be a better person on this earth. In the past I have thanked you on behalf of some sort of community that I'm never sure I belong to. So today realizing that this will most likely be dust in the mad winds of the Internet still want that dust to be there, thank you for the things you do, though you don't know me or have an reason to understand this. Thank you.
This is the kind of Vlogbrothers video I have always loved. You confront the worst situations with honesty and optimism. Here is where you DFTBA the most. That, and the Batman feud.
This was a very very difficult video to watch. It's powerful and sad, and yet still, there's a glimmer of hope and beauty. John, I know this can't be easy for you to make videos like this, but, I'm glad you do. Thank you.
John, I've been watching the vlogbrothers for about four years now. I rarely comment, but I just wanted to say that your videos on the Syrian refugees have been my favorite ones this channel has ever produced, and I view them as some of the most important videos I've ever watched on youtube. You offer such insightful thoughts while also allowing the refugees to share their voices. I can't thank you enough for making these videos, and I hope you'll continue to make videos such as these in the future.
I couldn't help but smile at the little girls at 0:47 giggling at whatever John was doing at the time. They reminded me of the girls I connected with during my trip to Guatemala. They had a unique spark of joy most middle class children dont even seem to have. They were just joyful to be alive. I feel like there is a form of dehumanization about only thinking about what we can give people in poverty, and not also about what we can learn from them.
John, This youtube page is one of the few outlets I have, after graduating college, that inspires me to grow and care for those not in my immediate circle. Thank you for all that you do and for making the world a little better.
Thank you for bringing awareness to this issue. To many of us Americans stress and complain about what we perceive is a bad day. Thank you for using your celebrity and therefore connections to help to open our eyes. There is so much bad happening in the world it's hard to know what to do first. I guess it's important for us all to just do something.
John, I wish I could go out and see the world like you, not for the sites of tourism but for the cultures and conditions of the people who occupy this planet. I am so appreciative for this channel and these types of videos. Thank you for giving me a view of the world I would have never seen otherwise.
Great video John, it's hard for us Americans to understand refugee crisis and to have a non-agenda driven individual like yourself show a small moment in a camp is very enlightening. Thank You
He doesn't have a fixed agenda. He's just a decent person that shows a few hours of what he experiences without manipulating his message to prove a point. IMO
Why reupload? EDIT: From John's Twitter: "The video about Zaatari was up earlier but I took it down to re-edit. But it's back! Thanks for watching and sharing" twitter.com/johngreen/status/740300638987358208
Wow Mr. Green! You said the words I've been seeking to describe and express my feelings! From the bottom of my heart I thank you for shedding light on to this forgotten side of the crisis. Sincerely, a random Syrian.
I'm going to zaatari in September to do a study on improving youth primary education outcomes by supplimenting lessons with recreational education programs. Hopefully it goes well, I have experience with refugees in the US but not ones who are still in the camps. If anyone would like to get behind donating some books or pencils hit me up :)
This is what we need more of in mainstream media! I have learnt, felt and thought much more in three and a half minutes of watching this video than I ever could in an hour of mainstream news. Thank you John (and Hank) for making these videos and helping me to better see and understand the world around me, you guys are absolute legends. :-)
You and your brother deserve the Nobel prize. Not just because of this video but because you two have done so much to change the world, or at least what is within your grasp to do so.
Man now I have to remember my other comment! XD If I can remember it went something like: Thanks John for purposefully popping our American bubble to help us see people of different situations more complexly. DFTBA!
This is quite strange to see, because this made me realize that those refugees actually are better of in a Jordan refugee camp then they are here in the Netherlands. Here we place the refugees outside society. They can't work, don't learn the language or anything (children do go to school tho). Those people are just sitting and waiting for years doing nothing. In this video I hear about people having jobs and I see shops; an economy! It is like they are starting a village and are building up there lives. I feel that that's actually better than sitting here for 4 years in a camp with not much to do and full of insecurities. How eye-opening.
Also: the problem that many people here have with the 'refugees' is that many of the people that came here actually weren't reefugees, but economic migrants taking advantage of the situation. I haven't heard anyone saying they don't want to help refugees over here. I DO hear people saying they don't want to help the economic migrants. Over here, many people use the word asylum seekers, instead of refugees, because not all asylum seekers are refugees and that's now more true then ever. And it frustrates people. Those economic migrants take the space and food that is supposed to go to the refugees! Every economic migrant that is here takes up a spot that was supposed to go to a refugee and therefor is 'screwing over' someone that needs our help the most.
Refugees also cannot (legally) work in Jordan. Obviously governments have to decide whether asylum seekers are refugees or economic migrants, but there are a lot of people trying to get to Europe from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria who are fleeing extreme violence. In fact, several of the people featured in this video are trying to get legal resettlement in Europe but have so far been denied. -John
havent seen a video in a long time that managed to capture the topic in such strong, to the point, concise, intensely moving, apt and beautiful words and clips - very, very well done!!!!! a message we may never stop sharing or we lose forever!
So I noticed that if I hadn't been told that was a refugee camp, I would just think it was a small bustling town. It's good to see that they're making the most of a difficult situation.
I literally feel so helpless and desperate watching such videos. I want to volunteer. I want to do so, so much for them but it's just a matter of how? I'm 14 but I want to be there, I want to give them hope, I want to do something. I just feel so restless right now ugh
Check out the Effective Altruism movement if you want to make a difference. You can check out their website or read Doing Good Better by William MacAskill for example. A way for you to effectively help for example could be to really do you best in school and get a good job, which would enable you to donate a chunk of your salary to mosquito nets for example. If I remember correctly, you can literally save someones life for 3000 dollar :)
Learn a skilled trade that can make you enough money to contribute financially, or that is actually valuable to international aid. That could be business, computers, medical, law, distribution networks, etc. Feeling the desire to help is common. Being in a position to help, is hard.
Hey, your life matters too. It's okay to focus on you, because you might make yourself into a successful person who DOES have the means to help these people.
I wish that more people in America (especially in the south where I live) could see the world the way you do John. It pains me to hear people I know clamor and call for us to ban refugees from emigrating here where our standard of living is so luxurious. They don't understand who they are turning away, or what they have suffered from the very people that they are scared of letting into our country. (being the extremists)
I'm from Georgia and I feel you so hard. It's disgusting down here. The bigger trump gets, the more confident people are in being openly racist and sexist and xenophobic and just generally horrible.
They understand. As do I. It makes no difference. We cannot help them without harming ourselves as has been seen in Europe. What masquerades as kindness will only leave all in despair in the end. If you give all your money to the poor, you do not help the problem. You only give some poor people temporarily higher standards of living while adding yourself amongst the number of poor people. The end result being that you make the problem worse. Do not mistake what immediate action appears to be of kindness when it will only lead to pain in the end. Temper your emotional response to want to help with rational analysis.
+amyamyamy17 It just so happens that calling someone racist, sexist, and xenophobic doesn't actually make it true. How about next time you actually listen to what people are saying and the reasonings behind it before you resort to nonsensical ad homs.
***** I'm afraid not. It would only bring more harm to ourselves. We are under no obligation to help anyone. I do not understand how people can be so dense as this. You live your life without care or worry for the millions that die and suffer great agonies every single day, but for some reason this one group of people are the people we should care about? It seems hypocritical for you to demand compassion for distant others in a world where if said compassion were distributed evenly it would drive one to suicide.
Thank you for this, John. This is why I'm a Nerdfighter. Not for random fandoms and useless affiliations to fictional TV characters. This is real life and I can only respect you more and more for this.
We need to take care of Americans who need are help, before we help these people. People are sick, dying, and living in extreme poverty in streets in the United States. Including numerous veterans. Not saying we shouldn't or can't help these people, but we need to fix the problems in our country first and take care of our people.
I think videos like this speak volumes more about the complexity of refugees than a lot of refugee charity ads. If ever there was something to be using your platform for it'd be this. Actually it's kind of strange you guys havn't branched out into owning a humanitarian reporting channel or something that consistently goes to and reports on these places.
Wow. Thank you for documenting your journey. It amazes me that after everything that's happened to these refugees, all they want to do is learn. Puts things into perspective. Thank you for a great video.
goddamnit john. you're human in all the ways that word is aspiritantional. humanity spills from you with such clarity it can't but help touch those around you, as some spark lights up and the fire blazes if for a brief flash.
Hi John,Thank you! This is what we need more of,not division and derision.People are just people and we are more alike than different.we are all human and apart of an extended family,treat them with the same love you would show your own brothers,sisters,mother's,fathers and children,because they are! Thanks
+slim shady Although it would be pretty awesome to be able to punish Hank after a long punnishment-free time, I think he has enough stress with Vidcon coming up and we should just spare him this one time ;)
DarkHaze No, I got all that, but in the comment I was not saying how I love refugees. I was just saying I liked the video, that's all. Why u hef to be mad?
+Nyski "bigot, bigot, bigot" - liberal who doesn't live in the real world or understands the longterm consequences of importing an alien culture which isn't compatible with the west. Maybe go do some research before you call people 'racists', 'islamophobes', 'bigots' who are concerned about the demograpichal and cultural changes which will happen to their countries. Also inform yourself on how ISIS is using this imigrant invasion to send their extremists into different parts of europe and are planning on doing terrorist attacks. It isn't all sun and rainbows with these people like this propaganda video is trying to make of it, and the people of Europe know first hand from experience.
wow, this is the first time I've seen a refugee camp and you were a great 'guide'. The people living there are so strong and I couldn't imagine any of it. I was so amazed when the boy was smiling because I'm so used to living like most westerners do and I couldn't imagine to ever smile again. but they've seen far worse and they can really appreciate the small things in life.
Your thought about the definitions of "ourselves" and "them" really struck me and reminded me that I often (always) get wrapped up in defining myself by my geopolitical label and I forget to broaden my ideas of community to all humans.
John, As ever, thank you for this. Stories like this might never be told, at least not as eloquently, if you were not the one to tell them. They would be lost among thousands of others craving the much needed attention of everyone. You are magnanimous. And, again, thank you,
Depends on the video. In a video like this, that's all voiceover, I'm reading from a script or essay or whatever I wrote after looking at all the footage I want to use. And then as I edit, I sometimes find things I want to make explicit reference to (like the pigeons in this video, for instance) and so I go back and re-record some more scripted voiceover. In most of our videos, where I'm looking at the camera, it's a mix of writing and extemporizing. -John
Wow. What a staggering video. As I tweeted after watching it, what a powerful and precious invitation she makes when saying "I want you to imagine yourself..." We can't really do it, not entirely successfully, as you point out. But we can certainly try. I think it's our duty to try when such a request is made. I am so moved by this video.
Yeah I did not understand that bit. Birds flock naturally, why would a child need to train them to do this? And how could they possibly do that anyway!?
it's traditional thing in Syria. .. like everyday I see a lot of pigeon groups flying in the sky ... even there is a square in Damascus called Al-Marja and you can always find at least 100 pigeons there ... and near the Omayad mosque (a famous mosque is Damascus ) there is a small area that is only for pigeons and you can only feed them the food that is being sold near that area ...
I got wrapped up in life, the ending of a school year and up coming summer plans, I forgot the rest of the world. I'm sorry I forgot and that really sucks! I'm happy to hear of the hope and possibilities carved out by the determines and I'm thankful that you soat it out.
Well here are the women, children and elderly of refugees. I've only personally seen 20-40 year old men here in Europe and few photos of kids on media.
Well yeah, mostly. If war broke out in Europe I would totally try to get as far away as possible. If I had kids, not so much. By not doing anything we are damning a lot of the kids to stay in these camps or to go here alone in hopes of being able to take their families..
It's usually the fathers and brothers that go first cause the journey is quite harsh. After they've been granted asylum, they then try to work and earn money to get the rest of their family over in a way better and safer than through smugglers.
No. Women and children only. If they are working aged men, go fight for your country. Why are we importing basically an army of young men and leaving the vulnarubles behind? Seems like a invasion to me!
I find videos like this so important and thank you for doing this. We treat these people as numbers; fight over where to put these numbers, and forget the faces and families behind it.
More of this please! I still know so little about the situation in Syria and I am in the middle of creating a one man play that I hope will educate and illuminate what is going on as well as getting a Western audience to care and to see how Syrians are just like us. These videos have done wonders to help me realise what I should put in the play and also that I had quite a few misconceptions about refugees. Keep up the fantastic work!
I do not understand. I grew up think a refugee was a person displace by war or natural disasters who needed a place to stay until it was safe to return home. In the case of war a person would stay in the host nation until the war was over, unless an unfriendly government won. Then that person could become a citizen of the host nation. Now people are using the word refugee and migrant interchangeably. Am I missing something?
It's because of the recent influx of people into Europe. It was an intermixed group of refugees from Syria and economic migrants from all over Africa and the middle east. Politically left people however refer to them all as refugees because that want to justify sending aid to them all, while far right people call them all economic migrants because they want to justify not sending any aid to any of them. It's a mucked up mess of political ideologies.
Well, the main difference between a migrant and refugee is that a refugee is forced to leave the country to escape violence. Migrants are simply people who chose to move to find better work or live with family or something, but could have chosen to stay without risking their lives. Also, Emily is right about refugees having more rights. Media and political leaders do like to use the word migrant just to avoid those rights and imply that's it's not as big a deal. "Refugee" has a much more negative and extreme connotation than "migrant". Hope this helped, and is all correct. I'm not a huge expert on this subject :)
John, what would it take to become a teacher in one of these camps? I'm graduating high school, & I want to be a teacher, but these past few months I've been thinking about going to college and then trying to teach in a camp, but I have no idea what that would be like, plus I don't speak the language and I don't know if I'd even be good at it or do well over there. I've had ideas, I just don't know how to make them work. I was thinking of a way to use YT to help with the thing that guy was talking about, how the rest of the world sees them as an us and them thing, and I was thinking, if I do end up teaching in a camp, I could bring my camera & computer and get a group of students to make videos of their stories, and then have those students do challenges & stuff to make people realize that they are just people like us. & I was thinking I could fit it into school by teaching them to edit and do video stuff that they could use to have a job later in the world. What do you think?
If you're interested in teaching English, there are actually programs to teach English around the world. Funnily enough I was wondering the same thing as you when I was watching this video. Granted I now want to be certified in a lot more than English so I can help these kids better.
Awesome you're taking an interest in working directly with refugee populations! You can't just go and teach in a camp (at least like Za'atari) as they tend to be highly secured but there are organizations you can apply to work for that operate schools in camps. If you are interested in Syrian refugees in particular, you may want to look into studying Arabic in college along with education. It is also very possible to get certified as an English as a Second Language teacher post-college and get by in Jordan teaching English while you learn Arabic through immersion to help you be better equipped for working in a camp/living in the Middle East. Best of luck in your future!
you don't need to speak Arabic, you'd be surprised how educated the refugees are, also the Jordanian populous are mainly good at English. I love your idea on teaching them how to edit and create videos, the problem is they can't afford any of the equipment, nor can they afford an internet subscription etc, refugees save every penny for food or educating their kids. so I'm afraid it won't work out as you expect. and I did check, they don't need English teachers, they mainly need Physics & Math teachers. but I'm sure you can help around in the camp in other ways, hell simply spreading the word will do a world of good.
As for how well I may be living, I don't care. I don't need a nice house or nice things. I want to help people. And to the one person, yes I realize that these camps are super high security. I have nothing to hide so I'm not very worried about that. I'm not so much into teaching English as I am really bad at it, and my spelling is awful. And to the one particularly helpful person, just a second, you get your own reply.
Thank you for this John. It's so important that we use our online platform to rid the internet of the horribly untrue stereotypes and misconceptions that the media would have us believe about refugees. Hearing their individual stories reminds us that they are real people and not just statistics that we see on the TV.
From vlogbrothers comment "For those asking: This video was indeed uploaded earlier today but then I took it down to edit out a shot where you could see part of someone's face who'd asked not to have their face on film. (Many of the refugees I spoke to asked not to have their faces on film because they worry about family members in Syria being targeted.) Sorry for the reupload, but I hope you enjoy and share the video. Thanks! -John"
how much money would it take to fix this problem? so that all these kids could get a proper education AND have enough money so they wouldn't feel the need to drop out, to earn money for their families.
Imagine a shittonne of money. Now forget whatever that was, it was no where near enough. This is not a problem that can be fixed by keeping refugees in refugee camps indefinitely. They're called camps for a reason. They're supposed to be temporary.
I'm 42yo and it never occurred to me that refugee camps had a market... I feel ashamed about not knowing this. I've taken what I do and where and how I live for granted at times... thank you for this.
The individual entrepreneurial spirit these people show to move their local economy is admirable. People need to have a real family in a place to work. I believe we should share more of these videos with our own children in America. Most of these people just need a little bit of a credit line and their family structure with traditions do the rest. In comparison we also have to realize that our society today is artificially operating in the destruction of families; restraining the access of people to physical places; we used poorly many of the public properties of the municipalities we already have and the "help" we allow in the form of "thousands of dollars in educational credit lines" will have a problem making a pay back to the State funds because it is like if someone in the society deliberately wants to put people on debt and leave them without real measurable skill that people can use to survive.
My housemate's family lives kinda near that camp. They are also refugees from Syria but they have the means to live outside the camp. Thanks for visiting them and giving them a voice and a face.
For those asking: This video was indeed uploaded earlier today but then I took it down to edit out a shot where you could see part of someone's face who'd asked not to have their face on film. (Many of the refugees I spoke to asked not to have their faces on film because they worry about family members in Syria being targeted.) Sorry for the reupload, but I hope you enjoy and share the video. Thanks! -John
Thanks for the clarification!
awesome video. thank you for sharing and for being considerate to these people and taking the time to edit and re-upload. DFTBA
Don't worry about it, John. There are many that are fearful of showing this perspective of this crisis, you defy this whilst respecting the wishes of the people. It is a testament to the positive nature of Nerdfighteria!
I'm happy to see you making this kind of video ,, I hope there is more people like you out there
much love from Palestine ♥
this people is very suffered we help with what we have John I hope that you are understanding because I am using Google translator because I am Brazilian and I don't know speak English ve
I recently did a service project in America where we helped immigrants who had just arrived. We supplied food, water, showers, and clothing. I, personally was assigned to help a mother and a daughter who had just arrived from Guatemala. As I was going through the process, I had walked them to the health clinic and the mother had explained to me how much she had been looking forward to one simple thing, showering. it hadn't really hit me how much I take for granted, and how much just a shower can do for someone. when the mother had gone to shower I was with the daughter helping her find clothes. the daughter would not leave her mother and simply sat down out side the shower facility. the coordinator of the project explained to me that this happens a lot, because of displacement, family is all they have. the girl had only known a world of separation. just thought I'd share this
Wow.... Thanks for sharing this.
Thank you, for sharing.
Good thing people like you exist
This honestly made me cry. Thank you for the insight and sharing
How do you get involved in something like this?
Please reply!
John and Hank are truly a description of what it means to be a good human being.
Bits and pieces of information like these need to be shared, and having people like you two do this is extremely important. Please never stop being the amazing people that you guys are and keep on doing the good work that you do.
Gotta love when John goes into the insightfully husky voice.
I think it's called vocal fry. Kids these days seem to throw the term around a lot.
I think he was sick during/shortly after this trip.
+bexett Probably, but thus is just his "melancholy insight" voice he uses in all Thoughts from Places and dramatic reading videos.
This was beautiful John, thank you
innit
+1
You're a nerdfighter aswell?! :O
Naval Porcupine for years! DFTBA
+
"Human Nature is not just some force acting upon you. Human Nature is also something we are creating together, as we decide how to treat each other and the world we share." - John Green
This series on refugee camps is so moving, far better coverage than what the news is managing.
Popular media make money when more people watch, so headlines like "refugees struggle to live normally" get way less attention then "murder/rape in refugee camps"
So true, and such a pity. The news should be supposed to give a true representation of what's going on in the world, and not try to compete for viewership using only the most extreme cases that will cause the most uproar...
I love how, even being a refugee camp, it looks so alive, particularly in your last shots.
It's more of a de-facto town than it is a camp.
+Zappa Plays Minecraft The Syrian conflict has gone on for years now, it kind of has to develop into a town if these people are to live there for years with no way of knowing when they can return home. Seeing how much they work to make the camp a place they can live and get by in is both heartening that they show such resilience in the face of it all yet sobering that they have been put in this situation in the first place, where it makes sense to open a pizza shop and install satellite TV dishes in a temporary refugee camp. It's terrifying to know that there is no apparent plan out there to put an end to this conflict, and scary to think of the cost carrying out such a plan will require.
Some people have the ability to look and see beauty everywhere.
great comment. I feel the same. Amazing.
Everyone has that ability, or at least the potential for it.
The french people's reaction. Not letting fear cast out the innocent for the action of the violent. France showed that in face of a tragedy they wont allow fear to cloud their judgment.
+
Before the chaos, Syria was a country where school enrollment was 99%. They've lost generations in this war.
+DarkHaze I'm so sorry that the 15 year old Obi, who had dropped out of school to work but took up a photography class taught by volunteers because he missed learning is your enemy, who in some way has personally harmed you or one one your family and, oh wait, he did not. I'm going to go off on a limb and say no one in this camp has ever harmed, or wanted to harm you, Dark.
Maybe unlike Oi, you want to remain ignorant and think the idea of wanting to learn is just an affront to your principals as a person who wants to be dumb, except I know it isn't, because you consider yourself one who makes tutorials, one who wants to teach others how to do things.
The children that made those pigeons John saw fly in formation were not causing pain, in fact that were causing joy.
Do they not deserve to be brought joy in return? Or does that make me a whore as well, for even suggesting that I be sympathetic towards people who are by no means trying to hurt my life.
It's been many years that I've had Muslim friends, both from my native United States, and outside of my native United States. One of them is a very close friend actually. I can't say she ever stabbed me in the back.
Interestingly enough, one of my parents is Jewish (though really agnostic in actual beliefs) and the other is a relatively devout Christian. Considering the last 100 years of Isreal and the wonderful Jewish and Muslim relations there, I think I should be more likely to agree with your judgement.
But I don't.
Because people aren't their religions. People aren't their race, people aren't their policitical affiliations.
People are complex being with complex thoughts and attitudes and genetically, and culturally, you share more with Muslims in say Pakistan than I probably do. Go back not that many years and everyone you consider your enemy is family, your cousins (I don't know you specifically but, statistically that is the case).
So yeah, next time you're in a social situation with someone whose religion you don't know, then don't be afraid to try to make friends and, who knows. You may not like their taste in movies, you may find someone you get close with. But religion is only going to play as big a role as either of you make it.
You mean like in Azerbijan? A muslim majority, secular democracy (albiet with a President who does like his power too much). Which has a sizeable Jewish minority (they have always supported Isreal and traded with them) and a christian minority. There have been abuses yes, but that is from a not that popular cult of personality President who has been critisized intenrally for human rights abuses.
What about the Muslims in Bah'rain, which basically does not have non-Muslim citizens because it's an incredibly small independent island nation that only survives because of tourism from Saudi Arabia (not that they don't do it well). They have had massive pro-democracy protests over a leader who in 2002 proclaimed himself King.
And of course, from my own experience as a gay, agnostic, white American. I could tell you stories of me balling my eyes out around my friend after a break up, and her comforting me because it really sucked and she's a good friend who is not and has never been object to the fact that I am gay.
"Like right for prayer breaks at work and right to wear that stupid sack on their heads while being a model"
And I'm sure you would also object if one of those Christians demanded the right to have Sunday off from work, and wear those stupid shapes around their neck.
I'm sorry to the person to have to tell you, but there is no they, it is only individual people, that you are all claiming do the exact same thing. I'm sorry to tell you, but that's not how humans work.
+DarkHaze I completely disagree with you, and I would argue that when you look at the majority of *humans* you see "the hard truth." So I'd say you're not really making a great argument there.
DarkHaze Not saying horrible things don't happen there, and horrible people don't live there. You really think "they" are all onboard with that shit??? Are you onboard with all the shit that goes on here in the west? You know that people in other countries think we're a bunch of a-wholes because of our crap, too, right?
Sorry, but generalizing doesn't actually work as you seem to think it does i.e. it doesn't work at all no matter what group you are talking about.
I find it impossible to watch a video like this and not feel immense empathy for the thousands of refugees suffering, and yet somehow there are people who can watch this and still see find themselves incapable of seeing this refugees as just as human as them. This video both fills me with empathy and warmth for our world... and immeasurable sadness.
Have you ever considered that someone could disagree with you while still seeing refugees as human?
or is everyone who thinks differently from you just automatically evil?
***** I think you're reading more into this than was actually intended. And making a lot of assumptions about me that are fairly unfounded.
J.M. Alexia
Or perhaps I was basing my response on experience. I've been called evil plenty of times for disagreeing. It is perhaps the most common way to dismiss those with whom you disagree, whether the term used is actually evil or some other form of it such as racist, sexist or xenophobic.
***** You're the one bringing up 'evil'. I'm an existentialist, so evil's not really something I put much stock in. I do call some people xenophobic, but I have no idea what your beliefs are so I'm not going to bandy around labels.
I clarify: I was not attacking you, or your ideology, or anything to do with you and nor was I truly attacking those who hate refugees. I was stating my observations, the empathy I felt towards these refugees, and the sadness I felt that there are people (many of them in America) who show no empathy towards them, in many cases actively espousing hatred and bigotry, such as Donald Trump's vitriolic speeches and a historic sentiment in my country of not trusting immigrants, let alone those fleeing disaster and war.
If anything, you have been more personal with your words, implying that I judge all who do not stand with me as 'evil'.
J.M. Alexia by accusing those who disagree with you of lacking empathy you've equivalently accused them of being sociopaths hence where the evil comes in. You don't have to explicitly say the word for it's implications to come up.
Lets suppose you were actually right about hatred and bigotry directed towards Islamic refugees and migrants. How do you know that this is derived from lack of empathy? How do you know it's not their emotions getting the best of them in response to islamically motivated terrorism? In that case then the hatred would be derivative of the empathy they have for victims of terrorist attacks.
Just because it's easier to vilify those with whom you disagree doesn't make it correct.
who the fuck disliked this video
some people who think everyone is ISIS?...
+Muhammad Al-Sabbagh makes sense...
Because I am tired of seeing things like this, videos like this and that the conversation seem so focused on either extreme or no more than rather void virtue signalling.
Disclaimer: I approve of the work done by Vlogbrothers and bringing attention to where the aid is most useful.
Trump
+Mithridate your tried of seeing this video u can read the title don't like it then don't watch those kind of videos
As a Superhero in training, I really appreciate you sharing this experience.
I just love how john gives his undivided and wholly serious attention to people. You see him sitting with a serious look and clear determination that yes he wants to listen to you, as he listened to them. It's another one of very respected traits in a person i see which is so benign of him to be. He makes kids laugh and them make them hapy and show his affection. I love him seriously !!
I love how versatile this channel is. You guys can make a video about anything silly/dumb or incredibly important. Awesome.
Thank you, thank you for going and seeing, and for helping those who can't see have some empathy. I know for some it's hard not to just see the statistics... But you see each person, each family, and you through what you do, help me to see them too. So thank you Mr Green, whom I follow a lot, thank you for leading me to things that make me strive to be a better person on this earth. In the past I have thanked you on behalf of some sort of community that I'm never sure I belong to. So today realizing that this will most likely be dust in the mad winds of the Internet still want that dust to be there, thank you for the things you do, though you don't know me or have an reason to understand this. Thank you.
This is the kind of Vlogbrothers video I have always loved. You confront the worst situations with honesty and optimism. Here is where you DFTBA the most. That, and the Batman feud.
This was a very very difficult video to watch. It's powerful and sad, and yet still, there's a glimmer of hope and beauty. John, I know this can't be easy for you to make videos like this, but, I'm glad you do. Thank you.
That image of the birds was perfect beyond words ❤️ thanks as always
Powerful video. Thank you.
Thank you for making them come across as humans, thank you for the immensely aware and positive exposure. Thank you
This is beyond beautiful, John. Thank you for sharing their stories with us with the utmost humanity and compassion
This might be my favourite Thoughts from Places ever. Wow.
John, I've been watching the vlogbrothers for about four years now. I rarely comment, but I just wanted to say that your videos on the Syrian refugees have been my favorite ones this channel has ever produced, and I view them as some of the most important videos I've ever watched on youtube. You offer such insightful thoughts while also allowing the refugees to share their voices. I can't thank you enough for making these videos, and I hope you'll continue to make videos such as these in the future.
When you have to pause your Dear Hank and John podcast to watch the new vlogbrothers video
A++ -John
Or when you can hear your roommate listening to the Dear Hank and John podcast in the next room while you watch the new vlogbrothers video...
(hi i saw your subscriptions and you have very good taste in youtubers :) )
+Paula Salazar right back a'cha :)
I couldn't help but smile at the little girls at 0:47 giggling at whatever John was doing at the time. They reminded me of the girls I connected with during my trip to Guatemala. They had a unique spark of joy most middle class children dont even seem to have. They were just joyful to be alive. I feel like there is a form of dehumanization about only thinking about what we can give people in poverty, and not also about what we can learn from them.
Thank you for creating this video.
John,
This youtube page is one of the few outlets I have, after graduating college, that inspires me to grow and care for those not in my immediate circle. Thank you for all that you do and for making the world a little better.
This video was incredibly beautiful and eye opening. Thank you for giving us a view of the reality of refugee camp (both good and bad) x
Thank you for bringing awareness to this issue. To many of us Americans stress and complain about what we perceive is a bad day. Thank you for using your celebrity and therefore connections to help to open our eyes. There is so much bad happening in the world it's hard to know what to do first. I guess it's important for us all to just do something.
Life's Library Detectives:
WCABAIT
yess I found it
John, I wish I could go out and see the world like you, not for the sites of tourism but for the cultures and conditions of the people who occupy this planet. I am so appreciative for this channel and these types of videos. Thank you for giving me a view of the world I would have never seen otherwise.
Great video John, it's hard for us Americans to understand refugee crisis and to have a non-agenda driven individual like yourself show a small moment in a camp is very enlightening. Thank You
John has an agenda. It's just a positive one. :)
He doesn't have a fixed agenda. He's just a decent person that shows a few hours of what he experiences without manipulating his message to prove a point. IMO
Beautiful as always John. Thank you.
Why reupload?
EDIT:
From John's Twitter: "The video about Zaatari was up earlier but I took it down to re-edit. But it's back! Thanks for watching and sharing"
twitter.com/johngreen/status/740300638987358208
Yes why?
idk but I wasn't able to watch the first upload cause the video said it was private so that might be why
That's what I was wondering.
He took it down to re edit
+Scarlet Goose I saw the first one, it's not any different from this one. Maybe a link didn't work?
Wow Mr. Green! You said the words I've been seeking to describe and express my feelings! From the bottom of my heart I thank you for shedding light on to this forgotten side of the crisis.
Sincerely, a random Syrian.
I'm going to zaatari in September to do a study on improving youth primary education outcomes by supplimenting lessons with recreational education programs. Hopefully it goes well, I have experience with refugees in the US but not ones who are still in the camps. If anyone would like to get behind donating some books or pencils hit me up :)
That's amazing and so admirable! Good luck :)
Cheer's Mate.....
post something in our pants, with a paypal link. maybe it'll bring a few cents
i highly recommend talking to a barnes and noble they throw away allot of books you could just get hundreds from there dumpsters
if you need a local's help or a place to stay, message me.
This is what we need more of in mainstream media! I have learnt, felt and thought much more in three and a half minutes of watching this video than I ever could in an hour of mainstream news. Thank you John (and Hank) for making these videos and helping me to better see and understand the world around me, you guys are absolute legends. :-)
Very excellent video, I hope we can see more like these. Despite the cancerous comment section
You and your brother deserve the Nobel prize. Not just because of this video but because you two have done so much to change the world, or at least what is within your grasp to do so.
Man now I have to remember my other comment! XD If I can remember it went something like: Thanks John for purposefully popping our American bubble to help us see people of different situations more complexly. DFTBA!
Wow, powerful. Thank you John for what you and Hank do.
This is quite strange to see, because this made me realize that those refugees actually are better of in a Jordan refugee camp then they are here in the Netherlands.
Here we place the refugees outside society. They can't work, don't learn the language or anything (children do go to school tho). Those people are just sitting and waiting for years doing nothing.
In this video I hear about people having jobs and I see shops; an economy! It is like they are starting a village and are building up there lives. I feel that that's actually better than sitting here for 4 years in a camp with not much to do and full of insecurities. How eye-opening.
Also: the problem that many people here have with the 'refugees' is that many of the people that came here actually weren't reefugees, but economic migrants taking advantage of the situation. I haven't heard anyone saying they don't want to help refugees over here. I DO hear people saying they don't want to help the economic migrants. Over here, many people use the word asylum seekers, instead of refugees, because not all asylum seekers are refugees and that's now more true then ever. And it frustrates people. Those economic migrants take the space and food that is supposed to go to the refugees! Every economic migrant that is here takes up a spot that was supposed to go to a refugee and therefor is 'screwing over' someone that needs our help the most.
Refugees also cannot (legally) work in Jordan. Obviously governments have to decide whether asylum seekers are refugees or economic migrants, but there are a lot of people trying to get to Europe from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria who are fleeing extreme violence. In fact, several of the people featured in this video are trying to get legal resettlement in Europe but have so far been denied. -John
the whole situation in my opinion is abhorrent and could have been handled far better at no additional cost to anyone whatsoever.
+vlogbrothers john green. why do you virtue signal so much?
what is " virtue signal" ?
havent seen a video in a long time that managed to capture the topic in such strong, to the point, concise, intensely moving, apt and beautiful words and clips - very, very well done!!!!! a message we may never stop sharing or we lose forever!
So I noticed that if I hadn't been told that was a refugee camp, I would just think it was a small bustling town. It's good to see that they're making the most of a difficult situation.
Thank you, John Green. You are a truly good person. Thank you.
I literally feel so helpless and desperate watching such videos. I want to volunteer. I want to do so, so much for them but it's just a matter of how? I'm 14 but I want to be there, I want to give them hope, I want to do something. I just feel so restless right now ugh
Check out the Effective Altruism movement if you want to make a difference. You can check out their website or read Doing Good Better by William MacAskill for example. A way for you to effectively help for example could be to really do you best in school and get a good job, which would enable you to donate a chunk of your salary to mosquito nets for example. If I remember correctly, you can literally save someones life for 3000 dollar :)
Learn a skilled trade that can make you enough money to contribute financially, or that is actually valuable to international aid. That could be business, computers, medical, law, distribution networks, etc. Feeling the desire to help is common. Being in a position to help, is hard.
Hey, your life matters too. It's okay to focus on you, because you might make yourself into a successful person who DOES have the means to help these people.
+Sentinus Deus I will! Thank you so much ❤️😌
+therealdrag0 that's so true. Thank you very much (:
i love this and the other refugee video you made, john. tolerance and empathy from both sides from whatever background one might come from never hurts
I wish that more people in America (especially in the south where I live) could see the world the way you do John. It pains me to hear people I know clamor and call for us to ban refugees from emigrating here where our standard of living is so luxurious. They don't understand who they are turning away, or what they have suffered from the very people that they are scared of letting into our country. (being the extremists)
I'm from Georgia and I feel you so hard. It's disgusting down here. The bigger trump gets, the more confident people are in being openly racist and sexist and xenophobic and just generally horrible.
+amyamyamy17 BUILD THE WALL!
They understand. As do I. It makes no difference. We cannot help them without harming ourselves as has been seen in Europe. What masquerades as kindness will only leave all in despair in the end. If you give all your money to the poor, you do not help the problem. You only give some poor people temporarily higher standards of living while adding yourself amongst the number of poor people. The end result being that you make the problem worse. Do not mistake what immediate action appears to be of kindness when it will only lead to pain in the end. Temper your emotional response to want to help with rational analysis.
+amyamyamy17
It just so happens that calling someone racist, sexist, and xenophobic doesn't actually make it true.
How about next time you actually listen to what people are saying and the reasonings behind it before you resort to nonsensical ad homs.
***** I'm afraid not. It would only bring more harm to ourselves.
We are under no obligation to help anyone. I do not understand how people can be so dense as this. You live your life without care or worry for the millions that die and suffer great agonies every single day, but for some reason this one group of people are the people we should care about? It seems hypocritical for you to demand compassion for distant others in a world where if said compassion were distributed evenly it would drive one to suicide.
Thank you for this, John. This is why I'm a Nerdfighter. Not for random fandoms and useless affiliations to fictional TV characters. This is real life and I can only respect you more and more for this.
Very thought provoking. It's messed up to see people lack empathy in situations like this
THESE ARE THE VIDEOS THAT MAKE ME PROUD TO BE A NERDFIGHTER!!!
DFTBA!!! Thank you John & Hank for all you do! x
We need to take care of Americans who need are help, before we help these people. People are sick, dying, and living in extreme poverty in streets in the United States. Including numerous veterans. Not saying we shouldn't or can't help these people, but we need to fix the problems in our country first and take care of our people.
I had goosebumps the entire time. Thank you for this, John
I think videos like this speak volumes more about the complexity of refugees than a lot of refugee charity ads.
If ever there was something to be using your platform for it'd be this. Actually it's kind of strange you guys havn't branched out into owning a humanitarian reporting channel or something that consistently goes to and reports on these places.
Wow. Thank you for documenting your journey. It amazes me that after everything that's happened to these refugees, all they want to do is learn. Puts things into perspective. Thank you for a great video.
Literally my next door neighbors (Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east - I'm here in Israel). Sobering stuff.
goddamnit john. you're human in all the ways that word is aspiritantional. humanity spills from you with such clarity it can't but help touch those around you, as some spark lights up and the fire blazes if for a brief flash.
Wow, great thinking there John maybe you should be a writer; oh wait.
Hi John,Thank you! This is what we need more of,not division and derision.People are just people and we are more alike than different.we are all human and apart of an extended family,treat them with the same love you would show your own brothers,sisters,mother's,fathers and children,because they are! Thanks
Hank said "see you on Wednesday" on the last episode! I'm Le confus!
hank explained in the comments that indeed he has made a mistake :)
+slim shady Although it would be pretty awesome to be able to punish Hank after a long punnishment-free time, I think he has enough stress with Vidcon coming up and we should just spare him this one time ;)
+slim shady But I'm sure we'll soon have another chance, fingers crossed! 🙅🏼
Such a beautiful, poetic way of putting things.
I think more people should watch this video so they know how damn good they have it. Awesome video. Short, interesting and educational :)
+DarkHaze I have no idea how that is related to my comment.
+DarkHaze bringing people that are in need isn't invading bigot
+DarkHaze no need to explain to someone what bigotry is because u define it
DarkHaze
No, I got all that, but in the comment I was not saying how I love refugees. I was just saying I liked the video, that's all. Why u hef to be mad?
+Nyski "bigot, bigot, bigot" - liberal who doesn't live in the real world or understands the longterm consequences of importing an alien culture which isn't compatible with the west. Maybe go do some research before you call people 'racists', 'islamophobes', 'bigots' who are concerned about the demograpichal and cultural changes which will happen to their countries. Also inform yourself on how ISIS is using this imigrant invasion to send their extremists into different parts of europe and are planning on doing terrorist attacks. It isn't all sun and rainbows with these people like this propaganda video is trying to make of it, and the people of Europe know first hand from experience.
wow, this is the first time I've seen a refugee camp and you were a great 'guide'. The people living there are so strong and I couldn't imagine any of it. I was so amazed when the boy was smiling because I'm so used to living like most westerners do and I couldn't imagine to ever smile again. but they've seen far worse and they can really appreciate the small things in life.
Well said John. You have a way with words sir, you should be a writer or something.
I know right? I mean he could be a best-selling author or something, may be sell a book or two to Hollywood.
He /is/ an author......
Sarcasm is apparently not a skill of the erudite?
+OurPeanutGallerie Humans are not immune to making mistakes
Erudite Sigh, I was just teasing. Another little jab at the irony...
Your thought about the definitions of "ourselves" and "them" really struck me and reminded me that I often (always) get wrapped up in defining myself by my geopolitical label and I forget to broaden my ideas of community to all humans.
How does one become a volunteer teacher?
what credentials do you need?
When this one has a lot of knowledge about something, and wants to share this knowledge with people without getting paid.
Thank you, John, for facilitating imagining others complexly.
On one hand this video was just the right length. But I also wanted it to be longer than 4 minutes. Maybe a bit more of the latter.
John,
As ever, thank you for this. Stories like this might never be told, at least not as eloquently, if you were not the one to tell them. They would be lost among thousands of others craving the much needed attention of everyone.
You are magnanimous. And, again, thank you,
Wait, how did the kids train the pigeons?
Patience!
it's actually very easy me and my cousin used to do it back in the days
it's a common thing in jordan some are really expensive they probably sell them as pets
***** Ever heard of pigeon racing? Just because you lack imagination, doesn't mean something can't be done.
daone1008 Who are you talking to? I asked a question. I did not make a statement.
I loved that final line. It was a problem I'd been dealing with and that line really struck a chord with me. Thank you.
I think hes going to write a book about refugees
Such a great commentary on empathy and the refugees. I hope their lives continue to improve!
Do you have a script , notes or just off the top of your head
Depends on the video. In a video like this, that's all voiceover, I'm reading from a script or essay or whatever I wrote after looking at all the footage I want to use. And then as I edit, I sometimes find things I want to make explicit reference to (like the pigeons in this video, for instance) and so I go back and re-record some more scripted voiceover.
In most of our videos, where I'm looking at the camera, it's a mix of writing and extemporizing. -John
+vlogbrothers When you re-record audio do you re-record all the audio or just a part then drop it in the old recording? -Cole
This was cool to know! :)
Wow. What a staggering video. As I tweeted after watching it, what a powerful and precious invitation she makes when saying "I want you to imagine yourself..." We can't really do it, not entirely successfully, as you point out. But we can certainly try. I think it's our duty to try when such a request is made. I am so moved by this video.
I know I'm focusing on a totally unimportant segment of this video, but HOW DID THAT KID TRAIN THOSE BIRDS?
Yeah I did not understand that bit. Birds flock naturally, why would a child need to train them to do this? And how could they possibly do that anyway!?
They are trainable...most commonly by training them to return home....hence the name homing pigeon.
it's traditional thing in Syria. .. like everyday I see a lot of pigeon groups flying in the sky ... even there is a square in Damascus called Al-Marja and you can always find at least 100 pigeons there ... and near the Omayad mosque (a famous mosque is Damascus ) there is a small area that is only for pigeons and you can only feed them the food that is being sold near that area ...
I got wrapped up in life, the ending of a school year and up coming summer plans, I forgot the rest of the world. I'm sorry I forgot and that really sucks! I'm happy to hear of the hope and possibilities carved out by the determines and I'm thankful that you soat it out.
Well here are the women, children and elderly of refugees.
I've only personally seen 20-40 year old men here in Europe and few photos of kids on media.
You talking about swedistan?
Well yeah, mostly. If war broke out in Europe I would totally try to get as far away as possible. If I had kids, not so much. By not doing anything we are damning a lot of the kids to stay in these camps or to go here alone in hopes of being able to take their families..
It's usually the fathers and brothers that go first cause the journey is quite harsh. After they've been granted asylum, they then try to work and earn money to get the rest of their family over in a way better and safer than through smugglers.
No. Women and children only. If they are working aged men, go fight for your country. Why are we importing basically an army of young men and leaving the vulnarubles behind? Seems like a invasion to me!
Hircine not in islam
I find videos like this so important and thank you for doing this. We treat these people as numbers; fight over where to put these numbers, and forget the faces and families behind it.
What was the reason for the re-upload? I didn't see anything wrong with the first?
I wanna know this too
He took it down for a bit to re-edit!
He removed the face of someone that had asked to not appear in the video.
More of this please! I still know so little about the situation in Syria and I am in the middle of creating a one man play that I hope will educate and illuminate what is going on as well as getting a Western audience to care and to see how Syrians are just like us. These videos have done wonders to help me realise what I should put in the play and also that I had quite a few misconceptions about refugees.
Keep up the fantastic work!
I do not understand. I grew up think a refugee was a person displace by war or natural disasters who needed a place to stay until it was safe to return home. In the case of war a person would stay in the host nation until the war was over, unless an unfriendly government won. Then that person could become a citizen of the host nation. Now people are using the word refugee and migrant interchangeably. Am I missing something?
A refugee has certain rights that migrants do not. The media/government like to call refugees migrants so they don't have to grant these rights
It's because of the recent influx of people into Europe. It was an intermixed group of refugees from Syria and economic migrants from all over Africa and the middle east. Politically left people however refer to them all as refugees because that want to justify sending aid to them all, while far right people call them all economic migrants because they want to justify not sending any aid to any of them. It's a mucked up mess of political ideologies.
Well, the main difference between a migrant and refugee is that a refugee is forced to leave the country to escape violence. Migrants are simply people who chose to move to find better work or live with family or something, but could have chosen to stay without risking their lives. Also, Emily is right about refugees having more rights. Media and political leaders do like to use the word migrant just to avoid those rights and imply that's it's not as big a deal. "Refugee" has a much more negative and extreme connotation than "migrant". Hope this helped, and is all correct. I'm not a huge expert on this subject :)
This has been almost a year ago. John, you're awesome!
John, what would it take to become a teacher in one of these camps? I'm graduating high school, & I want to be a teacher, but these past few months I've been thinking about going to college and then trying to teach in a camp, but I have no idea what that would be like, plus I don't speak the language and I don't know if I'd even be good at it or do well over there. I've had ideas, I just don't know how to make them work. I was thinking of a way to use YT to help with the thing that guy was talking about, how the rest of the world sees them as an us and them thing, and I was thinking, if I do end up teaching in a camp, I could bring my camera & computer and get a group of students to make videos of their stories, and then have those students do challenges & stuff to make people realize that they are just people like us. & I was thinking I could fit it into school by teaching them to edit and do video stuff that they could use to have a job later in the world. What do you think?
Truth be told you could probably just go there and teach, so long as you know how. You wont be making much or living well though.
If you're interested in teaching English, there are actually programs to teach English around the world. Funnily enough I was wondering the same thing as you when I was watching this video. Granted I now want to be certified in a lot more than English so I can help these kids better.
Awesome you're taking an interest in working directly with refugee populations! You can't just go and teach in a camp (at least like Za'atari) as they tend to be highly secured but there are organizations you can apply to work for that operate schools in camps. If you are interested in Syrian refugees in particular, you may want to look into studying Arabic in college along with education. It is also very possible to get certified as an English as a Second Language teacher post-college and get by in Jordan teaching English while you learn Arabic through immersion to help you be better equipped for working in a camp/living in the Middle East. Best of luck in your future!
you don't need to speak Arabic, you'd be surprised how educated the refugees are, also the Jordanian populous are mainly good at English.
I love your idea on teaching them how to edit and create videos, the problem is they can't afford any of the equipment, nor can they afford an internet subscription etc, refugees save every penny for food or educating their kids. so I'm afraid it won't work out as you expect.
and I did check, they don't need English teachers, they mainly need Physics & Math teachers. but I'm sure you can help around in the camp in other ways, hell simply spreading the word will do a world of good.
As for how well I may be living, I don't care. I don't need a nice house or nice things. I want to help people. And to the one person, yes I realize that these camps are super high security. I have nothing to hide so I'm not very worried about that. I'm not so much into teaching English as I am really bad at it, and my spelling is awful. And to the one particularly helpful person, just a second, you get your own reply.
Thank you for this John. It's so important that we use our online platform to rid the internet of the horribly untrue stereotypes and misconceptions that the media would have us believe about refugees. Hearing their individual stories reminds us that they are real people and not just statistics that we see on the TV.
Why did you private the last video then reupload it???
He took it down to re edit
From vlogbrothers comment "For those asking: This video was indeed uploaded earlier today but then I took it down to edit out a shot where you could see part of someone's face who'd asked not to have their face on film. (Many of the refugees I spoke to asked not to have their faces on film because they worry about family members in Syria being targeted.) Sorry for the reupload, but I hope you enjoy and share the video. Thanks! -John"
These are so interesting! Thank you John for putting light on this situation
how much money would it take to fix this problem? so that all these kids could get a proper education AND have enough money so they wouldn't feel the need to drop out, to earn money for their families.
UNHCR's funding gap is about $3.75 billion per year. So unfortunately it's a lot. -John
yet the US spends 675 billion each year just on national defense. I think we can shave 4 billion off the top
Unfortunately, most people are money hungry and more unfortunately it's those people who rise to the top and get power to make decisions
you clearly understand economy and empathy but politics is far more complex i think.
Imagine a shittonne of money. Now forget whatever that was, it was no where near enough. This is not a problem that can be fixed by keeping refugees in refugee camps indefinitely. They're called camps for a reason. They're supposed to be temporary.
Thank you so much for sharing these stories!
reupload?
He took it down to re edit
Being this early makes you look like you can't read. Better luck next time. c;
this was a beautifully done video, i really respect you for using your platform to educate us and the world.
Beautifully composed, as always. Thank you John.
This is Beautiful. Thank you VlogBrothers.
Thank you John for making this video.
This is very impressive, thank you for showing us their story
I'm 42yo and it never occurred to me that refugee camps had a market... I feel ashamed about not knowing this. I've taken what I do and where and how I live for granted at times... thank you for this.
The individual entrepreneurial spirit these people show to move their local economy is admirable. People need to have a real family in a place to work. I believe we should share more of these videos with our own children in America. Most of these people just need a little bit of a credit line and their family structure with traditions do the rest. In comparison we also have to realize that our society today is artificially operating in the destruction of families; restraining the access of people to physical places; we used poorly many of the public properties of the municipalities we already have and the "help" we allow in the form of "thousands of dollars in educational credit lines" will have a problem making a pay back to the State funds because it is like if someone in the society deliberately wants to put people on debt and leave them without real measurable skill that people can use to survive.
John you have a silver tongue and your words are beautiful
My housemate's family lives kinda near that camp. They are also refugees from Syria but they have the means to live outside the camp. Thanks for visiting them and giving them a voice and a face.