3/14 15: A Medium Message

When I first watched On Gender, I was I think in 7th grade, and watched it on my phone I think at the end of my PE period. I thought it was cool and interesting and it informed my conception of gender at the time (which was mainly mogai stuff from the undertale fandom that I then looked up on the gender wikia); not only can people be demiboys or bigender or whatever, but I guess they could opt out altogether. it took me another 3 years to realize I was trans, and now I'm 22, and have been out as trans for 6 years (which is. insane to think about) and on hrt for 3.5. You were probably one of the first to plant in me the seed that reflecting on one's own relationship to gender is a thing people do, since I think before that I assumed that the demigirls in deltarune fancomics and the nonbinary counselors at my summer camp had just, always been that way - I didn't realize that you have to actually figure it out for yourself whether or not you're queer. So, thank you, for that and for all of your videos over the years. For my last math club meeting in 8th grade when I was graduating middle school, I organized for people to bring in different burrito ingredients and we all made hexaflexamexagons :)

Vi, I get where you're coming from. It's bad enough all the garbage going on right now, and what compounds the issue is that so many people are not ambivalent about it, but actively chose it and are excited by it. I, too, am feeling like there must be something I can do but I don't know what it within my capabilities. While "Doodling in Math Class" is what brought you to my attention all those years ago, your most iconic vid to me is the Gauss Christmath special. As a high school math teacher, it's been my tradition for a decade or so to play that to all my classes (some of which have covered sequences and series) the last day before break. If I need to show it from a different hosting platform, I'll survive.

I'm nonbinary and your on gender video helped me figure myself out. I don't have the same experiences that you have with gender, but the video was a valuable stepping stone.

I'll add to the thank you. When you were first posting your iconic videos, I was a 15/16 year old that was a little too intense about the things she loved, and lonely because of it. A friend sent me one of your videos, with the caption, "This person reminds me of you." I believe it was the 12-Tone video. And she was right, it *did* remind me of me. And it taught me that it was okay to do things my way, to do things intensely, and to be a little weird about it. It was a lesson that took years to learn, but one that started with a bird bowl and candy buttons and paper instruments. It taught me that I was okay, just the way it was. Oh, and prepared me well for Theory 4. I'm now working on my doctorate in music, and I am so grateful that I get to do what I do as a professor. Especially working in the humanities, the ability to have conversations with students about the ways that we view music, the world, and other people, and recognizing the vast diversity of people is one of the most amazing things I've done. As I say to my World Music students, "You don't have to enjoy what you hear, you don't have to understand what you hear. But you need to be curious about what you hear, confront your biases, and ask good questions about it." I hope they understand that in that, I'm not actually talking about music. I am glad I still can access the videos, as sometimes I just want a flash of nostalgia, but I fully support the statement. I need it, my students need it, the world needs it. As a more humorous note, on my first date with my now husband, who is the math-minded engineer of the household, I informed him that my birthday was "the day before Tau day" and he has never forgotten it ;) - A woman who definitely feels "woman" but in a very "smash the patriarchy" way.

I've been watching your videos since I was in 3rd grade. I'm almost 22 now, and I think it's safe to say they shaped me as a person. My parents still ask about the "snakesnakesnakesnakesnake" video sometimes because I watched it so much as a kid. I'm not the best at math, but storytelling was the medium I found comfort in with your videos, and they made me appreciate how good writing can make any topic approachable. I've seen others post about the videos they miss most, and I'd like to add that I really miss Twelve Threads. That video was very important to me, and I rewatched it a lot of times when I was thinking about stuff, and I hope you have everything archived and will keep it all safe forever. Also, I think On Gender influenced my gender identity and subsequent labeling (or lack thereof) of it. So thanks for that!

Hi Vi. Thanks for the math. Thanks for taking everything but "On Gender" down; what a powerful, quiet statement. Thanks for "On Gender". Be safe.

Hi Vi, Murat from Turkey here. I discovered you sometime around September 2021. Your hexaflexagon and metachirality videos helped me make peace with my quirky, crafty, and foolishly creative side—something I had gradually left behind over the years. You made me think like a kid again, filling me with inspiration and ambition to pursue weird and nerdy things whenever possible. I hope the situation for you and those around you improves with time, to the point where you can happily create new videos without any other concerns on your mind. Thanks for all the fun, and I hope to see you as happy and weird as ever ASAP!

Thanks for making a statement Vi! I truly wish we lived in a world where you didn’t have to. You were such an inspiration to me to get into mathematics as a kid. I’m glad you’re still being an inspiration! (And thanks for letting us still watch some of your old stuff, I was struggling to explain moon spoon to my friends)

Hi Vi

Thank you.

Hi Vi! I am a sixth grade teacher and mom of a 20 yo. We have enjoyed so many of your videos, and I do show several of them to my students every year (hexaflexgon series, Soup conspiracy, Pythagoras, 2, and pi rants are common favorites of 12 year olds). I was surprised but immediately understood when I went to find a pi video on Friday. Now that I've seen your message, which strangely didn't show up for me that day, I can tell my students about your statement and we can enjoy a few more videos. I appreciate so many things about you, but I think at the center of it all is your integrity and attention to heart. I can't really express what it means that I and all of us are so loved by you. Thank you, Elise

Hi Vi, Your Pi Day video last year felt like a really satisfying conclusion to the series, so I believed at the time that it was intended to be so. Even if the cause is different from what I thought, I'm glad the series had that video as its final one (at least for now). Your early doodling videos, along with your website, were an early inspiration for the artwork I like making. I remember following your hyperbolic beading guide in high school and emailing you photos of the results. Today, I bought yarn to knit a blanket out of turtle tiles. Thanks for the part you played in that journey. Wrapping up a fan letter is hard. It's always cool to see new art from you, and I think your medium (multi-media? now that you also have this post?) message counts. I hope you continue to find ways to express yourself. -- 4∑(-1)^n÷(2n+1) 🚣🎣

I know you wouldn't do something like this lightly, and I support you, but I very much appreciate that there's still a backup available. My daughter's about to turn 10 and had recently started getting into your videos, which is something I'd been looking forward to for a long time. Your work is a point of light in our darkening world.

Hey! Thank you for the honesty in sharing your decision. And thanks for posting the links. I felt like I really wanted to watch a video of yours and then found the On Gender one, saw it and felt so seen, that I actually cried. I transitioned 5 years ago. I had never really thought I would go back to this place and listen to your experience from such a different lens, such a different way of seeing your video, but I'm so glad I did. Then I did not find the video I wanted to see which actually I don't remember right now which one was it so thank you again for posting them here but now I find myself writing to you to acknowledge that those videos, allowed me to connect with a side of myself I didn't know existed something about just being able to daydream in such a way that maybe culture and our current system of education and gender policing does not allow. In a world where radical existence feels necessary, I deeply appreciate everything you've shared, and I also appreciate silence as a radical way of saying 'I've done it, I'm in your memories, continue, I love you. At least i, in my corner of the world, a trans Latin American woman, etc., see you and feel as if I've always been seen by you to . 9 years ago and today again. Happy tau/2 day. Thank you.

I joined the patreon just so i could read this post in full, i'm glad you posted an explanation somewhere cuz when I saw your channel wiped i got really worried about you. I appreciate you archiving everything, some of your videos have really inspired me and shaped me into the person i am today. They're really important to me, especially the 12 tones one which really changed my perspective on the way I view art. As for the explanation itself, that's so valid. I hate the way things have become too, I want to fight for a better future.

Hey Vi. When I watched "on gender" all those years ago, it confused and annoyed me the first time. I was used to your fibbonaci videos and other cute and silly math videos. I began watching your videos when I was around 12 years old. I am more than double that age now. Both your math and your political videos have shaped me massively as a person. I have a permanent need to constantly learn, instilled by all those years of watching your channel, and numberphile, and minutephysics, and all those channels. what i failed to predict at the time, was how much "On Gender" would mean to me now. When I was 12, and all the way till my early 20s, I thought I was a boy. I felt I had no other choice. seeing your video on gender got me thinking about gender, but it didn't push me into all that much introspection. Looking back, even then I knew that video was speaking to me. I just didn't know why yet. I knew I was one of the people mentioned in your video who *do* care deeply about gender, but i was extremely incorrect about why. over 4 years ago, when I was 21, I began exploring my own gender, and 3 years ago settled on what I wish I had known a decade prior: I am a woman. a trans woman. I can actually transition. Now, in 2025, it's the best decision I've ever made. my life is so much richer having discovered myself. thank you so much for playing a part in this. your statement by removing your videos was shocking, but is the strongest solidarity any youtuber I've seen has shown. I'm often fearful for my life and my future when I read about politics. it is terrifying to be a scapegoat for the entire country when all I've done is be myself. I'll be fighting for the day I can become a woman in the eyes of the federal government, and fighting for the day you can re-list your videos. from the bottom of my heart, thank you so so so much. - Hannah 💜💜

"a... medium message." I saw that.

i've watched and recommended to friends the Twelve Tones video many many times. it clicks all of my interests at once and is so reflective and meditative, i love it! tiny story: after first watching "Wind and Mr. Ug", i made my own mobius strip, cut it in two...and was shocked to get two separate strips, meaning Wind and her dog never reunite, noooo! ...upon reflection i almost certainly messed up with twisting the strip :v happy vi day!

I always celebrate my birthday by coming to your channel and watching your new half tau video. This year I'm happy to be here for your not so big, but not so small message. Proud of you for doing what you can in this crazy world 🐌

Hi, Vi! I only just realized it's March 14. Thank you for making this post! I patronize you because of the unique perspectives and clever, witty, and thoughtful content you produced. I'm grateful for your art, and I imagine you have enlightened others in many uncountable ways, and still I realize everything is ephemeral. I wish you solace in this regard. Also, tape face!!! Thank you for your inspiration and a moment in time. I wish you well!

Whatever you feel is necessary. I wish you all the best this half tau day.

I have been thinking about your Fibonacci videos a lot lately. I kept meaning to rewatch, but I hadn’t gotten around to it. I am so glad to know where to find them! I have removed YouTube from my phone to reduce distractions, so this is a better format for me anyways. Thanks for sharing! I am 43 and just started college a year and a half ago. Your Fibonacci videos opened up a whole new world to me when I found them nearly 10 years ago. It has played a part in motivating me to try to learn math as an adult, even though I didn’t finish the ninth grade. And it encouraged me to combine it with my many other passions, including art and design. I am taking calculus for the second time after having to withdraw last semester. I am also taking neuroscience and a drawing class. So my brain has been racing with ideas for spirals and fractals to draw, as well as about mathematical models for biological systems. Thanks for all you do. Your perspective on the world is a delight! Happy Pi Day!

I appreciate the statement, and I've been trying to send as many confused teachers as possible that vimeo link. I appreciate you leaving it up. For my purposes as someone who is nostalgic for your videos of a decade ago, I'm satiated by what remains on vihartvihart (for example your video "as I think I am" has resonated with me all the more recently). One thing I will say is that the one video I miss dearly and cannot find for the life of me is "Feeling Sad about Tragedy", which I think is a pretty big loss. If you'd put it on archive.org or something, I'd really appreciate that, but at the end of the day it's up to you. It makes me feel good to see someone taking control of an online presence.

Hi Vi! I sneakily celebrated pi day this year by eating exactly two pies.

I was going to watch your videos today as my friends and have a pi day celebration (against your rant of pi), so I was shocked to be unable to find your videos. Your videos were very memorable during my adolescent years. I support you and your protest, and I hope that as a society we can swing the pendulum back by not stopping to fight however long it takes.

I remember first watching (and loving) your videos around 8-9 years ago as a young teen due to being a huge nerd fast forward to 2023 and i see the on gender video in my recommended, which i somehow hadn't seen before, but after watching it meant a lot to me as a transgender individual and now, all i really have to say is, hi from scotland, and thank you

I got very upset when I noticed your YouTube channel today on Pi Day. Joining your Patreon and reading this made me feel much better and not worried that something was very wrong. Just horrible Reality doing its thing as usual. Vegan Love from Sweden! <3

Hi, Vi. I just re-watched the Gender video for the first time since way back when and I had forgotten what a nice and insightful bit of work it was. Thanks for making it. I apologize if I have overlooked something obvious, but I'm not quite sure what the statement is that you are making with the removal of your videos. Is it related to the Gender video? A protest of the current general horribleness that it going on in the US? Or is it in reference to something more specific I have missed? I only ask because I assume if you are addressing it, it's important, and so I would hate to be oblivious.

Thank you for being an inspiration to me and showing me how beautiful and silly the world is.

It's always nice to hear from you. Your videos were a great source of awesome for my youngest child growing up. They will never forget the impact you had on their mind. They are now in a STEM field because of you and Dana Scully.

On Pi Day, saying thank you for "The Process By Which Repeated Opinion Becomes Fact".

I came across your videos when I was very young and they had a large impact on my academic journey as well as the way I viewed art. Growing up as a sorta mathy kid, I always felt an emphasis on the value of that part of me over my creative passions from adults around me. I was always mesmerized by your videos crossing between these lines that felt separate at the time. Have you read Zen and the Art of Motercycle Maintenance? Pirsig's Classical and Romantic divide reminded me of this feeling I had as a kid. Your 12 Tones video is one of my favorites, I've watched it many times and your rendition of the bowl and the lazer bat gets stuck in my head sometimes. I love how you discuss the creative process, and the idea of imposed constraints for the sake of trying to make 'new shapes'. It's given me so many pieces to hold on to when I think about creation. I could comment on many videos that I've enjoyed. I'll end on your On Gender video, which was also greatly impactful to me at such an important time in my life. I haven't found a better way to articulate the feeling and I still relate to it very much. Thank you for sharing your art over the years, and thank you for keeping a place for it

Thank you for the update. I apologize if this has been asked already, but is the Twelve Tones video available on Vimeo? I don't find it there.

Hi!

oh thank god you're ok (for now? for the most part? not dead?) and this was on purpose from one nb to another (maybe? who knows, not me) godspeed and thank you for the laughs and love of math and solidarity

So great to hear from you, Vi! Your videos (and the conversations that they lead to) are so very vital to my math classes. Showing kids that math is more than drills and repetition, and is connected to nature and music, and that doodling sometimes (often?) leads to great discoveries. It was a student that introduced me to your videos...maybe 13 years ago or so, and I'm so happy that they did. Just want to express my gratitude for all the amazing conversations that YOU have made possible over the years! You're the best!

Great to hear from you. Hope you are doing well. I'm glad you're still out there doing what you do. When I was got into math as a kid (many years ago), there was no "online" and no community. My only window to this world was Martin Gardner's column in Scientific America. It makes me happy to know that kids getting into this now have so much more available to them.

HPD!!!🥧

I’ve watched your “On Gender” video a number of times over the years. (And, probably most of your other videos, but the flexi-hexagons, the Wau to the Wau Wau power, and the gender video I’ve watch a half dozen times each….) I was in a similar boat growing up… AMAB, myself, but never feeling like a boy/man and not feeling like a woman, either. I do use “agender” as in “gender is not a thing I feel” but bristle when people call that “non-binary” cuz it’s not about the binary or not being the binary. To steal from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead: A: Do you think your gender is a boat? B: No, my gender is the ultimate negative. My gender isn’t. You can’t Not Be on a boat. A: I have often Not Been on boats. B: No, what you’ve Been is not on boats. Haha… maybe I should say my gender is Death? Anyhow… long tangent about me… but I also really want to say that I’ve loved your videos and Livejournal (back when). I used to think often (and still do think when I think about this kind of thing at all), that it would be the most amazing experience in the world to find myself in row X seat Y on some flight and discover that you had row X seat Y+1.

Hi, Vi!

I either had never watched On Gender or had watched & forgotten it in the intervening decade, so either way thank you for calling it to the forefront of my mind.

Thanks and respect for all the contributions you have made and continue to make. The world is a better place for having you and your art in it, in whatever form they take. Solidarity!

🌕🥄

Hi, Vi! I like what you do, you're definitely important to me, and making music and mathemusicians are important to the world, IMO. No pressure, but I still have fond hopes that there will be more music-analysis content -- the 12-tone video is still one of my favorites, for making that kind of art accessible and comprehensible to me. I have mixed feelings about YT videos being taken down. One of my old-person neuroses about These Modern Times is how things I've found and liked on the internet can go away, so I can't relive them, but also there are so many new things to see and do, so maybe I should not lean so hard on the past anyways. But the statement about the platform is important too. Edit: My other old-person feature is forgetting about the shift-return thing, even after I got it right a couple of times. Anyways, I hope you enjoy some pie today.

Hi, Vi.

Snek snek snek snek =( Snek... Snek. Snek! Snek snek <3 Snek snek snek snek snek snek snek snek. Snek. 💜

Pi isn't important. YOU are important. We love you. What does it mean for a total stranger to say that? Well, let's see... It's that when you make your videos, you put yourself out there, and the person that I think I know through those videos is a brilliant, thoughtful, introspective, respectful person who has an amusing view of the world that tickles the math and music cortex in my brain. So thanks for that! But I'm glad you're using this platform to make a statement, one that can be amplified exponentially to open more minds.

Hi Vi! Enjoy some pie today!

Thanks Vi, making me cry at 5am 🥹

Hi Vi! I just wanted to say thank you for your influence on me. I still think of you as my mathematical inspiration parent and Martin Gardner as my mathematical inspiration grandparent. I think about hexaflexagons and the two of you every October 21. ❤️

Hi Vi! I am so happy to hear about you! I never interacted, but I want you to know that your videos about maths have made me so happy! I wish you the best. Thanks!

You have long been and continue to be a hero and inspiration to me! “On Gender” was a slow-burn personal revelation to me, and was instrumental in my understanding of myself as nonbinary and helped me be a better trans ally. Thank you for your art and humanity! And happy Pi day!

Pi isn't important. But pie is. Happy pie day!

hi vi!

Thank you for the thought and care you put into everything you do. I can only assume that you didn’t make this decision lightly. 🙁

I'm glad to know your videos still exist, because my daughter loves to watch them with me. That said, I fully understand your reasoning, and wouldn't "complain" even if they weren't up somewhere. I struggle with knowing how to fight against most of what's happening, so I'd never begrudge you using your celebrity to say something. Happy pi day!

Thanks for the update - are these removed entirely from YouTube or just "unlisted"? Happy Pi Day!

Hi Vi, happy pi.

I appreciate you!

Happy Pi day - my heart goes out to you. I was so sad to think of your videos being gone from the Internet, and so happy that they'll still be found at the not so secret link. You've made so many videos that I've loved, that expressed better than I could put into words what I found so satisfying and interesting and beautiful about math (and music!) and I'm happy that I still get to experience them somewhere other than YouTube.

Hi! That’s approximately what I guessed when I saw everything else missing. It’s a very important medium message, and thank you for transmitting it.

Hi! You are important.

hi