john green vs. anti-intellectualism

optimism in education, americanism, & my 11 AP classes

In the attention economy, it’s way too easy to abandon any schoolwork that requires brainpower. Why do an assignment when ChatGPT can do it for you? At best, you save time and energy; at worst, you fail your calc test. But this is especially dangerous in the humanities. Everyone wants to act like they’re an independent thinker, but if you have to use ChatGPT to summarize a book, I doubt there’s a lot of thinking going on up there, much less anything independent.

Obviously, reading is important. Both literature and history prompt students to recognize rhetoric and propaganda and encourage empathy by providing insight into different perspectives. And as John Green suggests, this insight is not just practically useful, but is a kind of miracle:

“The biggest problem with being alive is that you can only see the world out of your eyes. You can only live inside of your skin, your consciousness. You can’t effectively imagine what it’s like to be someone else. But the study of history allows you to empathize better, it allows you to think more complexly about others. And that’s gonna be useful to you not just on AP tests, but in every single moment of your entire life.”

Green’s quote seems especially relevant in the year 2025, when everyone jokes that dystopian novels seem biographical. American anti-intellectualism runs rampant in an attempt to appeal to the populist common man. Subsequently, many Americans have lost trust in the government and government institutions, which Trump has attempted to demolish by establishing DOGE and going after education specifically because of a perceived liberal bias (or “radical indoctrination”). He passed an executive order demanding students receive a “patriotic education” which will involve no DEI and no “critical race theory” (discussing gerrymandering, the Trail of Tears, or even aspects of the Civil War, allegedly).

One of John Green’s most successful endeavors is hosting Crash Course History, a YouTube channel I have come to know and love through my AP World and U.S. History classes. He has a sticker on his computer in every episode that reads “This Machine Kills Fascists.” I thought it was clever, but only recently learned he’s referencing Woody Guthrie, who had the same sticker on his guitar.

Guthrie penned and sang “This Land is Your Land,” a classic patriotic anthem that appeals to the populist, American, conservative, anti-intellectual everyman, which is ironic because Guthrie was often associated with the Communist Party. He was also one of the biggest inspirations of staple American musicians like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Johnny Cash. (I recognized Guthrie as the songwriter because I read an article about him on a test.)

Green and Guthrie encapsulate the idea that both education and art are necessary weapons in combating fascism, and that a large piece of America’s culture and identity lies in the values of its people rather than its government, a reminder of the democracy we so often idealize. These men also prove that Americanism does not have to be purely anti-intellectual. Education is a tool, and is not inherently anti-patriotic. In fact, most of what I’ve learned about U.S. history has made me feel like a better American. Has it made me more ambivalent about our nation’s history and ideals? Absolutely! But knowing that I’m better educated and more cognizant makes me feel more secure about my personal ideas and more eager to participate in civic, democratic processes. To me, that constitutes being a better citizen and a better American.

Furthermore, I think it’s the idea of being better that is so crucial: not in being better than anyone else, but bettering ourselves and our world through education. John Green and his brother Hank have sustained this belief on their YouTube channels and in their nonprofit work, embodying a relentless optimism and passion that prompted me to truly appreciate learning outside of GPA bumps and SAT scores. One of my favorite teachers has this John Green poster on her wall:

“Yeah, about the test...

The test will measure whether you are an informed, engaged, and productive citizen of the world, and it will take place in schools and bars and hospitals and dorm rooms and in places of worship. You will be tested on first dates, in job interviews, while watching football, and while scrolling through your Twitter feed. The test will judge your ability to think about things other than celebrity marriages, whether you’ll be easily persuaded by empty political rhetoric, and whether you’ll be able to place your life and your community in a broader context. The test will last your entire life, and it will be comprised of the millions of decisions that, when taken together, will make your life yours. And everything, everything, will be on it.

...I know, right? So pay attention.”

As I said before, we live in an attention economy. Corporations are vying for our attention, so it must be valuable. Pay attention in class. Pay attention to yourself when you’re tempted to take the easy way out. Pay attention to who benefits when you don’t take advantage of your education, because it isn’t you. Pay attention to what is happening in the government. And pay attention to the good things, pay attention to the ones you love, pay attention to what makes you passionate and excited to learn. These are all the things I am trying to remember to pay attention to.

---

Thank you for reading my essay!

This essay was super inspired by John Green obviously, and also his brother Hank and the content they make on vlogbrothers as well as everything else they do aside of that. Just wanted to reflect on the value of my almost-finished high school education in the context of my vlogbrothers obsession and Trump’s second term!

If you are interested in learning more about populism, historical patterns of populism, and how Trump connected with so many voters, I really love this video by Hank Green.

Here’s a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon I was also thinking about while writing this, but couldn’t find a good space to add it:

Bill Watterson, 3/30/1992. Could be read as a Boomer comic about the lazy generation but lowkey real.

If you liked this, consider subscribing! I want to write more like this, hoping to write more about attention soon.