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Politics & history (other): videos Hacker News recommends
Other political, historical and societal topics: miscellaneous commentary, local politics, public policy debates. Below: every video in this topic that at least three HN users linked with real commentary, in at least three different months (17 explainers, 4 commentarys, 2 lectures), best-scored first, with the comments on each video page.
- 15 HN recommenders 15 months 2016–2025HN treats it as the standard short summary of how power and political incentives work, applied to governments, companies and workplaces.
- 12 HN recommenders 11 months 2012–2024HN's go-to short explainer for the City of London versus London, cited in many finance and UK threads.
- 6 HN recommenders 8 months 2015–2023HN recommends it as the standard short answer whenever someone confuses Britain, the UK and England.
- 14 HN recommenders 9 months 2017–2024HN reaches for it in every identity theft and data breach thread as the clearest, most enjoyable short explainer of why SSNs make bad identifiers.
- 6 HN recommenders 7 months 2015–2023A favorite entry point to the weird history and privileges of the City of London.
- 7 HN recommenders 7 months 2015–2021HN's default link for explaining STV in any thread on voting reform, ranked choice or gerrymandering.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2015–2026W withDefiance · interviewHN recommends it as a famous, revealing clash between two thinkers, though some note they largely talk past each other.
- 6 HN recommenders 5 months 2018–2024T Together Louisiana · explainerLinked in threads on corporate tax incentives and subsidies as a detailed example of how they can trap a state.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2012–2026It is the go-to short explainer HN links when voting system alternatives, MMP or German-style elections come up.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2011–2016HN commenters recommend it as a quick animated introduction to Harvey's and Marx's critique of capitalism.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2013–2017L Larken Rose · commentaryLibertarian-minded commenters post it in surveillance, government and constitution threads as a red-pill argument that political authority is illusory.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2023HN recommends it as a 101-level crash course on the keys to power, and says it changed how some viewers see political discourse.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2018–2020Offered as the quick, clear explainer on US federal land ownership whenever land use in the West comes up.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2019–2022HN commenters point to it as a quick factual primer on EU institutions when threads get into EU politics and policy.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2015–2022HN recommends it as a short, clear illustration of how first-past-the-post misrepresents voters.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2016–2022Pointed to in debates over stadium subsidies as a persuasive case that cities should not pay for stadiums.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2023–2025T Timothy Snyder · lectureLinked in political threads as a short, accessible companion to Snyder's book and as a reminder not to obey in advance.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2024J Jonas Čeika - CCK Philosophy · commentaryHN commenters recommend it as a deeper philosophical look at human rights from a critical Marxist angle.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2021HN points to it as an accessible explanation of why the USPS struggles financially, especially in threads on mail delays and international rates.
- 1 HN recommenders 2 months 2015–2020P pxi · explainerHN users share it as a brief, good introduction whenever liquid or delegative democracy comes up.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2013–2022HN commenters cite it in monarchy debates as the explainer claiming the royals make money for the UK, with some disputing it.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2008–2018HN commenters point to it as an easy-to-grasp introduction to Chomsky's ideas on universal grammar and the language faculty.
- cited 3× 0 months 2017–2022P peoplefor · news clipHN cites it as a primary-source quote in discussions of voter suppression.
- cited 5× 0 months 2018–2025J Jack Larkin · news clipHN cites it as a joke and shorthand when governments try to legislate against encryption or math.
- cited 12× 0 months 2015–2017R Riccardo · lectureMostly appears in lists of links on manufacturing consent rather than with individual recommendations.
- cited 3× 0 months 2014–2022Cited as a fast, entertaining explanation of EU membership tiers when EU politics comes up.
- cited 3× 0 months 2017–2025J Jung & Naiv · comedy videoUsed as a joke or reference whenever politicians' 'cyber' buzzword comes up.
- cited 3× 0 months 2016–2026HN uses it as the go-to link whenever someone conflates Holland and the Netherlands.
- cited 4× 0 months 2016–2023E Excelsior10000 · videoCommenters link it as a shorthand for an argument about inequality, absolute versus relative prosperity, quoting her line in threads about taxes and wealth.
Questions
What is the most recommended politics & history (other) video on Hacker News?
Try to Rule Fairly and You'll Be Overthrown by CGP Grey: HN treats it as the standard short summary of how power and political incentives work, applied to governments, companies and workplaces.
How is this politics & history (other) list ranked?
By HackerTube's score: the number of distinct months in which an HN comment recommended the video, plus half a point for every month with a strong recommendation. One viral thread counts less than steady recommendations over years.
Where do the videos come from?
From every Hacker News comment between 2007 and 2026 that linked a YouTube video, labeled by an AI model as a recommendation, a citation, a joke or a criticism. The list is published by HackerTube under ODC-By 1.0; this edition adds indexable pages and the comment context.
Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.