Monday, December 21, 2009

DFTBA

the essay I wrote for University of Chicago on my favorite things(they asked for music, books, and other stuff like that. I added "memes")

John Green and J.K. Rowling are my favorite authors. We all know that Harry Potter has touched many lives and introduced many kids, including myself, to better books, stories, and music. Mr. Green is much less well known, even if many feel he writes just as well. He poses questions few others are willing to ask of young adults, while deeply connecting and understanding someone much younger than himself.

I love all music, even if most couldn't call it music. I feel that music, along with the other arts, allows those of us who aren't so adept to words to still express ourselves. But if I had to choose a style of music that is my favorite I would have to go with Hank Green, who happens to be the brother of John, and Kimya Dawson with their kitschy, sort of talentless, yet refreshing music. Kimya Dawson was the inspiration for the music in the highly popular movie Juno and Hank is a YouTube sensation. Neither cares that they are nowhere near what most would call "good", however, they still sing because it is fun and it means something to them. They set an example that if you love something, you can simply create it for yourself.

Incidentally, Hank and John Green are the creators of my favorite, for lack of a better word, meme, Nerdfighters. Nerdfighters are made of awesome. They fight WorldSuck, the things that make the world suck more, like hungry children or malaria. Nerdfighters are simply about making the world better by connecting thousands of people all over the world who are, put simply, a bit offbeat. As John Green sais, "A lot of life is about doing things that don't suck with people who don't suck." We even have a slogan, Don't Forget to Be Awesome.