5 Video Essays I Love

Hello and welcome back to another weekly Wednesday post, which I completely forgot I was meant to post until literally a few hours ago (for reference, it's almost 6pm on the day this post is meant to go up). After spending those first few hours panicking about what on earth I could possibly write a post about at such short notice, I finally hit upon a topic: video essays.

I watch quite a bit of YouTube (probably more than is entirely healthy), with my absolute favourite type of video to watch being video essays. These are usually long, persuasive videos that combine facts and analysis. If that definition seems a little vague, that's because video essays are a medium that has only gained popularity relatively recently, so there doesn't seem to be one single definition everyone can agree on. All that is to say that my definition is the one I'm working with here and if you think I'm wrong about my categorisation of any of the videos below, feel free to argue with me in the comments.

Now, let's move on to the videos. Here are five video essays which I have found especially excellent and memorable, in no particular order:

The Bell Curve - Shaun

I have a special place in my heart that is reserved for hating IQ tests. I hated them before watching this video, and I hated them even more afterwards. Besides IQ tests generally being eugenicist, elitist nonsense, this video specifically addresses an infamous book called The Bell Curve, which has been accused of advocating for judging people's intelligence based on race (an entirely racist and unfounded concept, just for the record), with IQ tests as their supposed evidence for the idea's validity.

The Rebranding of White Nationalism - Kat Blaque (currently unavailable)

Kat Blaque is my all-time favourite YouTuber, who I have followed for about 6 or 7 years now. During that time she has produced a range of content, varying from unscripted True Tea videos to video essays like The Rebranding of White Nationalism. I hesitated to include this video on the list, since it has seemingly been privated for the time being. However, it was such an informative and important video that I wanted to mention it anyway. If Kat Blaque reuploads the video on YouTube or elsewhere, I will edit this post to include a new link. In the meantime, I would also recommend watching the second part of her video essay series: The History of Monetization, Demonetization and How it Changed Youtube.

The Rise of the Pick Me Girl Meme - Tara Mooknee

Tara Mooknee (pronounced moo-nee) is a YouTube I've only discovered recently, but she's quickly becoming one of my favourites. Her videos are a great combination of informative, persuasive, and funny, and her Pick Me video is a great example of this. Whether you've already had the misfortune of encountering pick-me's or if you have no idea what I'm talking about, her video is worth watching. It explains what pick me girls are, the forms they take, and how we should deal with them. It's also just a very witty video.

Shame - Contrapoints

Ah, the queen of video essays herself. While Natalie Wynn, who runs the Contrapoints channel, has done so many amazing video essays that you could probably just pick one at random and it would be worth the watch, my favourite so far has been Shame. Wynn made this video partially to come out as a lesbian, but there's also a lot more to it than that. She goes into her own story of discovering her sexuality, compulsory heterosexuality, and the shame that internalised homophobia can bring to even those of us who are usually so proud of our identity. Some parts were so relatable that I had to pause the video for a second just to take in the impact of what she was saying. If you're also queer (especially a queer woman), then I think there is also a lot in this video that you might relate to. 

The Political Implications of Talking Dog Movies - Jack Saint

I know, I know. The title of this video probably makes it seem like some satire of over-analytical film studies essays, but I can assure you it's actually 100% serious. Okay, maybe not 100% because there is definitely humour in the video. Still, the topic is a genuine one! I'm always fascinated by the messages of children's movies, even more so by those that are seemingly unintentional. Jack Saint does a great job of breaking down these deliberate and accidental implications in films with talking animals, some of which take a surprisingly dark turn. 

That's all I have for you this week! If you enjoyed this post, let me know and I can see about doing something similar again in the future. I'd also love to know if you have any video essays to recommend, because I'm always looking for more - the longer and more analytical, the better. Please feel to let me know either through the comments or through contacting me directly, as always.