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DFTBA, NERDFIGHTERS ♥!

John Green’s favorite Olympic moment wasn’t about winning. It was about the mantra he and his brother Hank have passed on to fans around the globe: DFTBA (don’t forget to be awesome).

When British gymnast Jennifer Pinches finished her routine during the women’s all-around team finals, she flashed the Nerdfighter sign, proving that what might seem like a malformed Vulcan greeting to the uninitiated is actually becoming an international call to arms to Decrease World Suck.

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The size of the Nerdfighter movement is boggling. Over the five years since the Vlogbrothers’ creation, the fanbase has grown at a kudzu vine-like rate, encompassing everything from social activism to Olympic competition and beyond. From the original YouTube vlog, which has nearly 250 million views, there’s an official forum and Nerdfighters directory with over 1600 local meetup groups worldwide. Nerdfighteria—the global span of Nerdfighters—includes chat rooms, a Reddit board, a Minecraft server, and an unofficial holiday, Esther Day. On the official Nerdfighters website, the list of social projects spearheaded by Nerdfighters around the globe is eight pages long and counting.

They’ve even had a plane named after the movement: the SS DFTBA.

Read more at the Daily Dot, including an interview with a Nerdfighter whose actual name is MEMPHIS VINNY!

We’re mentioned in this article! Awww yeah!