I know — I should ditch YouTube because it’s anathema to those fighting to preserve what’s left of free speech. I ditched Facebook for this very reason and experienced an inner peace I’d been lacking since since Skynet became self aware. But I still use YouTube all the time for two main reasons:
- Unlike Facebook, a good alternative fails to exist. Rumble just doesn’t cut it yet.
- Most of the good guys’ channels are still up and dishing it, despite YouTube’s best efforts to silence them.
I have plenty of channels I subscribe to, almost all of which have nothing to do with politics. I subscribe to several ministries (Todd White, Dutch Sheets, Flashpoint, my church), a bunch of movie and film channels, channels with nerd stuff, and a couple of NFL ones. They show up on my feed and I watch them in the quiet hour after the kids are finally in bed, or at three in the morning while trying to get the toddler back into his bed. If you’re looking for a soothing balm to mitigate the news of the latest atrocity against our country, or just want a break to kill the time in a waiting room somewhere, here are my latest favorites:
(Note: unless noted, these are not always appropriate for kids.)
He makes piano covers of classical and pop songs with a reactive visualizer and they are captivating. I watch them and gain new appreciation for the compositions and performance of them. I think I’ve watched around twenty of them. (Appropriate for all ages.)
There are hundreds of reaction videos on YouTube; most of them are boring as all get out. Why should you bother watching someone watch another movie you’ve already seen? You probably shouldn’t unless that person is hilarious with her simple, self-deprecating humor and Tennessee drawl. Ashleigh Burton started this as a way of killing time during quarantine, and has since turned it into a full-time job and a brand. Kudos to this young lady who found a niche and filled it:
Things I’ve learned from these jolly chaps:
- You can fire a .50bmg round from a shotgun or pistol made from plumbing pipe.
- You can convert a 9mm Glock to fire on full auto.
- Riot shields can stop crossbow bolts…well, some of them.
I love the accents, too. These are my people:
There are also a hundred channels that trash popular movies. Some of them are shrill, crude, and devastating in their critique. In this sense The Critical Drinker is not much different, but with one exception: The guy can write. “The Drinker” is a pseudonym for Will Jordan, a Scottish fiction writer with eleven books to his credit, and it shows. He can evaluate story composition, character development, and every other factor that goes into making a creative tale impressive (or garbage). Some of his commentaries are pure poetry, and sometimes they’re incredibly important:
I stumbled upon this guy’s channel one night and simply got hooked. From an educational standpoint I’ve learned a lot about the science of wasps and stinging insects, but really it’s just super cool to see how these little buzzing guys build away in the dark places. (Appropriate for all ages.)
Ever wonder if it was possible to fit enough explosives into an arrowhead like Rambo used? Or if a thermite grenade will blow up a limo? Well, these guys do. Just a few engineers with curiosity and plenty of time on their hands:
The Breakdown isn’t exactly a YouTube channel of its own, but rather a show on the GQ channel where industry professionals (security experts, rock climbers, pilots, jewel thieves) break down depictions of their areas of expertise as shown in the movies.
I suppose this means I’ve now inadvertently contributed to wasting some of your precious time. It’s alright, we all need an escape now and then. I’ll let you get back to work by ending this as The Critical Drinker ends all of his videos:
“That’s all I’ve got for today. Go away now.”
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