It’s a fact that judgments are often made based on how someone looks or acts, and since we (Raphael, Preston, and Kyle), as video hosts, have put ourselves in the public eye on our YouTube channel, we know that many assumptions can be made about us and our outward appearances! Today, we’ll react to these viewer assumptions and say whether they’re true or not.
*Note: Be sure to watch today’s video to understand all the nuances of our reactions!
Video Transcript [Lightly Edited for Clarity]:
Sven Raphael Schneider: Secretly, we all judge based on signals and things we’ve learned throughout our lifetime. If someone lives in a big house, maybe we’ll think “Wow! they have money” or when someone is well dressed, people automatically assume that they’re better educated, they’re more competent, they earn more, and so forth.
Now, we’ve been making videos on YouTube since like 2014 or 2015. And I can totally get it, right, you watch us, you watch me, you maybe see a video and think, “What a d*ck!” Or, maybe you’re like “Wow! He’s competent” or “Wow, is this guy boring,” and so on.
So, in today’s video, we wanted to take a more casual approach and we asked you on YouTube and we went through our comments just to see what kind of assumptions people have about us. We’ll just go through those. I have not seen them. No one else has. So, let’s take a closer look at what people think whether it’s true or not.
Raphael Reacts to Assumptions About Him
From Eric Osagie: “Raphael is a German sleeper agent.”
Sven Raphael Schneider: Well, there are multiple elements to it. Am I German? Yes. Am I a sleeper agent? No, but even if I was one, obviously I wouldn’t tell you, or I’d have to kill you. [Laughs]
From Marcus Durante: “Like others, I thought Raphael was a snob or pretentious.”
Sven Raphael Schneider: Am I a snob? Maybe to a certain extent where I’m like “Hey, I’m not going to eat this because it’s not worth the calories” or “I’m not going to wear this because I don’t have to”. Typically when people say “Oh, this is a snobbish guy,” I don’t see myself in that. Am I pretentious? Well, I maybe sometimes say things that people interpret as such. I wouldn’t characterize myself as pretentious. So, false.
From Njenga Gachanja: “When I first saw Raphael, I could have sworn that he was a member of the German aristocracy, possibly an heir to a lavish title of Earl or Duke by the way he carried himself with a gait that suggested that he had really old surname and lived in one of the many ancient castles in Bavaria.”
Sven Raphael Schneider: Funny. Well, actually, you know, my last name is Schneider, which means “tailor” in German. It’s, I think, the fourth most common last name in Germany and it’s anything but noble, right? Tailors, I mean, they had a guild. But, they used to be craftsmen.
My mom’s dad, my grandpa, he was a farmer. My father’s dad, also my grandpa, did plumbing and he had a little shoe repair shop and did all sorts of stuff. So, no, I don’t have any noble background. Castles, I’ve seen, you know, just as a tourist. But, yeah, false.
From DavieRayzz: “Raphael still secretly tells himself through his inner monologue that people dress like ‘peasants‘ because he can’t use that word in spoken language anymore without backlash.”
Sven Raphael Schneider: Yes, I think “peasant” really became “popular” through this one video – 19 Things Men Should Never Wear. And if you haven’t already watched it, I did a reaction video to it. We filmed that at a time when we realized the idea of saying, “Let’s attract people who think like us and let’s detract others.”
I think ever since we’ve really realized that “Hey, you know, ultimately style has many folds.” You can do whatever you want and we’re an opt-in culture, right? If you like what we do, if you’re interested in this, then we are for you. If you’re not interested, well, that’s okay, right, you don’t have to be here. There’s other stuff for you and that doesn’t mean that you have to feel insulted or I have to insult you because what’s the point, right?
From Faran Ahmad: “You all secretly want to have days where you do not care about your attire and just relax at home in your pants!”
Sven Raphael Schneider: There’s nothing secretive about it! When we film all these videos, you know, people recognize me and it’s often in like, you know, people or places you don’t expect it in a way. I’ll pick up some takeout food you know from the Chinese restaurant or a Jamaican restaurant, you know, with my bike helmet on and my bike shorts and someone is like “Hey Sven, I love your videos!”
You know, dropping off a package at UPS or yeah, the most random places people will recognize me. And, you know, I’ll wear what I wear. Sometimes it’s, you know, really a nice three-piece suit and sometimes it’s just a pair of shorts, my boat shoes. Sometimes, it’s no hair gel and, sometimes, it’s like in my original natural state, and that’s just the way it is.
From Samuel Schwager: “Raphael has more clothes and shoes than his wife.”
Sven Raphael Schneider: True!
From Igbo Kwenu: “Raphael is a cartel boss.”
Sven Raphael Schneider: False!
From Floro: “When is Raphael going to give instructions for the wearing of lederhosen?”
Well, it’s not really an assumption that I can say is true or false. I probably won’t ever. I’m not from Bavaria and lederhosen are a very Bavarian thing. People wear it when they go to the Wiesen, which is the Oktoberfest, which I typically don’t go to because I’m not there at the time. My sister lives in Munich. So, maybe I will visit her someday during the Oktoberfest, and maybe at that point, I’ll make a video about how to wear lederhosen.
From Sensei Ron: “Raphael’s house is immaculately clean.”
Sven Raphael Schneider: False. I’m not a clean freak at all. In fact, I sometimes can just, you know, just not look at it, and don’t notice it. My wife definitely does. We, you know, have cleaners, who come regularly, which is great. But, we’re not squeaky clean people at all times.
Is it all like, you know, piled up and dirty? Well, sometimes stuff stays – you know, a pile of magazines and stuff. But, eventually, we’ll get around.
From Timo Acker: “Raphael eats potatoes with just salt on them (I’m also German so I know this is true).”
Sven Raphael Schneider: False. I eat potatoes with sauce. I add pepper to them or a béchamel sauce or maybe, you know, ketchup and mayonnaise. Sriracha mayo. Whatever it is, I like sauces, I like condiments.
From Adrian Clements: “I think Raphael is the one who always snipes my bid at the last second on eBay when I’m sport coat shopping.”
Sven Raphael Schneider: Well, I don’t know to be honest. I don’t shop at eBay that much these days, so chances are it’s false. Unless you wear the exact same sizes as I do, probably I’m not going to snipe eBay bids away! In terms of sport coats, lately, probably.
If I buy some then, I found that the Isaia size like 54 with the right sleeve length works for me. It’s quite comfortable off the rack, it’s a pretty good fit. So, that’s something I might snatch, otherwise, no, false.
From Aceman: “Raphael looks like a man with a midlife crisis, about to spend half his savings on a Corvette.”
Sven Raphael Schneider: That’s funny. Well, it’s false! [Laughs]
If I would spend half my savings, then definitely not on a Corvette. I have to say the new Corvette is really nice. It looks much better than the old ones, you know, with the engine, the weight distribution, all that stuff. I think they’ve come a long way.
But, even if I wanted to buy one right now, I think everything is insanely expensive due to the car prices, right, and at this stage in my life, I’m not into sports car buying. If I could buy one, then I would buy it for track racing. But, then, I figured out, “You know what? You can go to all these great track days.” You know, BMW has them, Porsche has them, I think Ferrari has them.
So, if I want to do that, I will do just that, right? I’ll go for two days, have fun, and then, that’s it. And then, I’ll just do it again. I know there is a Brainerd International Raceway here in Minnesota, where people go and drive with their cars. I don’t know. It’s a lot of time investment. I have a daughter and have a business to run and stuff. It’s just not in the cards these days.
From Phillip Swiftly Moves: “Sven hates flip-flops with a fiery passion.”
Sven Raphael Schneider: Actually, I don’t. My dad’s Brazilian and, you know, people there wear flip-flops a lot, especially on the beach. I have a few pairs and that’s where I wear them – at the beach or by the pool, that’s about it.
From Vincent: “Raphael benutzt zu viel Sonnencreme.”
Sven Raphael Schneider: That means “Raphael uses too much sunscreen.”
Actually, my wife bought this really nice sunscreen and it was so expensive that I was like “Wow, this is so pricey.” You have to be very, kind of, stingy with it, and then, of course, you know, I got a sunburn, like maybe here because I didn’t, use it all the way. So, now, I use enough, but I’m not like just all white on my skin. And, yeah. I do use it because you know you still tan and it’s just better for your skin.
From David Prem Kumar: “I always thought Raphael was in his 40s just because of the way he was so knowledgeable about history and style.”
Sven Raphael Schneider: Well, I’m not. I’m 37. But, you know, a lot of people always thought I was older even when I was younger, and I always thought of that as a good thing, right? Now, the art will be that as I’m you know aging people will still think I’m in my 40s, even though I’m older. But, I mean, you can see losing hair here, getting gray.
I’m a firm believer, you know, you are the age you are, and it’s all about how you are in your mind. Are you young there, are you snappy, are you interesting and funny? That’s what matters.
From King Krusher: “My first impression of Sven Raphael quite some years ago now, was “typischer BWLer” possibly from a posh background – you know the drill.”
Sven Raphael Schneider: “BWL.” That means “betriebswirtschaftslehre” and it’s like, here, if someone would go to business school, for example. So, they thought of me as the typical guy who goes to business school and wears the same stuff. Posh background, which I don’t have. And I think my style is quite different from the “typical” business school student, but that’s for you to judge.
Alright. Now, it’s time for me to hand it off to Preston and see what people assume about him.
Preston Reacts to Assumptions About Him
From Eric Osagie: “Preston listens to Nickelback as a guilty pleasure.”
Preston Schlueter: Well, I haven’t listened to too much of Nickelback’s catalog. I’ve probably heard a few of their bigger hits that got radio airplay back in the day. But, I can safely say that I am not among Nickelback’s super fans. Nothing against them, but just not my particular favorite genre.
From DaveyRayzz: “Preston is biding his time until he can commit a coup and take over the Gentleman’s Gazette.”
Preston Schlueter: To that, I will just say I can neither confirm nor deny anything. [Laughs]
From Emmett M McAdams: “Preston at first came across as too animatronic, yet now, quintessential rat pack cool of my favorite bygone era.”
Preston Schlueter: Well, I certainly got a lot of robot or Android comments at first. That was well addressed in my Robot or Elf? FAQ video. But, I’m glad that I seem to have found my voice a little bit more, gotten more comfortable on camera as time has gone on, and, hopefully, that’s coming through to you, the viewers.
From The Modern Dandy: “I also assume that Preston wears a hat every day and everywhere just like men did in the Golden Age.”
Preston Schlueter: That one’s pretty spot-on, actually. I frequently tell people that if I am outside and I can feel the wind in my hair, I’ve done something wrong. I’m pretty much wearing a hat whenever I am out of doors or in public spaces and try to follow the traditional rules of hat etiquette pretty judiciously.
From Jimmy Day: “Sorry… Preston got picked on in school.”
Preston Schlueter: You might have that assumption based upon my background. I know that I am, you know, a pretty stereotypical “nerd,” I guess you might say in a lot of respects. But, fortunately, I am happy to report that I really experienced next to no bullying, in all of my schooling. So, I was very happy about that. I was in a very, friendly and supporting, supportive community when I was in my school days. So, yeah, no real issues there.
From Dave’s House: “Preston probably likes his hot pockets frozen or cold in the middle.”
Preston Schlueter: Unless I am misremembering, I think I can make the claim that I have never had a Hot Pocket. So, I guess I’d be curious to see what they’re like. But, even if I were to try one, I probably wouldn’t have it frozen in the middle. Of course, now I’m just thinking about Jim Gaffigan’s excellent routine on Hot Pockets, but that’s a topic for another day.
From Bendak Starkiller: “Preston is tempted to teach patrons table manners every time he’s in McDonald’s.”
Preston Schlueter: I can safely say that that is not true. [Laughs] I also don’t find myself in McDonald’s terribly often. But, I, you know, try to keep to myself. Restaurant etiquette still extends to those environments, regardless of whether you’re in a McDonald’s or elsewhere.
And if you were to intrude on the time of other diners and try to teach them table manners, I think it’s safe to say they would not be “lovin’ it,” so not something I’ve done.
From Scott Tennet: “Preston has a doctorate.”
Preston Schlueter: Unfortunately, I do not. I have a bachelor’s degree in History from Gustavus Adolphus College. Would I ever go back and pursue a higher degree, a master’s degree, or a doctorate? Perhaps, if I had the time and resources. But, not something I’ve done up to this point.
From Jacob Baxter: “Preston is secretly a fan of the vintage farmer aesthetic but knows the limits of the Gentleman’s Gazette scope.”
Preston Schlueter: How should I answer that? Well, I do have farmers in my lineage, both here in the United States and ancestrally in Germany. Some of my family, as opposed to living here in the Twin Cities where Gentleman’s Gazette HQ is located, lived in more rural parts of the state of Minnesota.
One of my grandfathers was a die-hard John Deere fan when it came to tractors and things. So, I guess I’ve got a little bit of that in me, but, not something I would partake in sartorially every day.
From BUTTER: “Preston wears an ascot without thinking twice.”
Preston Schlueter: I don’t wear ascots often. I have certainly worn them in some videos. But, I would say, even though I once might have thought that it was a bit too flashy or a bit too out there for my own personal style, I think I’ve gotten more comfortable with it these days. I would consider wearing ascots more in my own wardrobe.
From Josh Other: “If anyone can become The Riddler, it’s Preston.”
Preston Schlueter: I’ll take that as a compliment. As I have mentioned in other videos, I have been a huge Batman fan for many, many, years. I particularly love Batman: The Animated Series, and The Riddler was always one of my favorite villains in that show and elsewhere. I love his sort of, analytical approach to crimes and, particularly in the animated series, he was a snappy dresser as well. So, I’ll certainly take that.
From Principal Skinner: “Preston never felt accepted by peers his age so got into classic menswear to impress and mingle with the older crowd.”
Preston Schlueter: I would say there might be a kernel of truth to that. Not necessarily that I didn’t feel accepted by my peers, but more so, once I got into classic menswear, I realized that one of its many benefits is that people, older than you will take you seriously (or more seriously, anyway) if you are young and, following the tenets of classic menswear. So, I think that was an extra perk. But, yeah, thanks for, thanks for that comment, Principal Skinner. Love you on The Simpsons! [Laughs]
From Tommy Parton: “Preston uses gold leaf toilet paper.”
Preston Schlueter: I think that would just make a terrible mess and would probably get everywhere and be fairly uncomfortable. Not to mention, kind of a waste of gold leaf. So, not something I have partaken in.
From Jono Lukins: “Preston is an 84-year-old man in spirit, manifested in a young lad found in a comic book store.”
Preston Schlueter: Yep, think you pretty much hit the nail on the head with that one, Jono. I would say that is an excellent way to describe me. I’m not going to disagree with that at all!
From 424dsfdsfdsfsfs: “Preston looks like a typical vice president at Pierce & Pierce.”
Preston Schlueter: Excellent username, there. Yes, we’ve got the requisite American Psycho comment. I’m even wearing sort of a corporate-raider white and blue striped shirt today. [Laughs]
I’ve frequently been compared to the characters from American Psycho. So, perhaps a future installment of our Menswear Reacts series, maybe? We’ll see what happens.
From PanDroid: “Woah, it’s Niles Crane!”
Preston Schlueter: Yes, this is also some commentary that I’ve gotten frequently. And also, I would take that as a compliment, yeah. As I have mentioned elsewhere, “Frasier” is one of my favorite television shows of all time. I have watched the entire series multiple times at this point and shared it with many people.
And much as I do recognize his neurotic tendencies and various other things, I do also see many similarities between myself and Niles Crane. So, I will definitely take that, too.
From Striking Discord: “My assumption about Preston was ‘holy sh*t, time travel exists and this guy literally just crossed over from 1935. Voice, mannerisms, countenance. He isn’t from this time.'”
Preston Schlueter: Well, I guess we’re ending on another compliment here. I would, I would certainly take that as well. As I’ve mentioned in many other videos, I am particularly partial to the menswear styles of the 1930s right in the heart of the golden age of menswear.
And, of course, I am a student of American history and pop culture from that era. The music, the movies, what have you. So, I guess there is probably a good amount of 1930s in me. So, I will take that as a compliment as well.
So, thank you for all of your various assumptions whether flattering or less so. Always interesting to see what our commenters come up with.
And now, I will throw it over to Kyle for his assumptions.
Kyle Reacts to Assumptions About Him
From Eric Osagie: “Kyle puts milk before cereal.”
Kyle Thibodeaux: Actually, you are wrong. I like to put my cereal in first, it doesn’t splash on me. But, yeah, no, I don’t do that, sorry.
From Samuel Schweiger: “Kyle has a side job as a bodyguard for a billionaire.”
Kyle Thibodeaux: How’d you know? How do you know? Yes, I’ve got a very large paycheck coming from that job as well too. I love it. Don’t upset me. I might have to inflict some harm. I don’t know. No, I’m just kidding. [Laughs]
From Timothy Bourgeois: “Raphael and Kyle disagree the most when it comes to style.”
Kyle Thibodeaux: I don’t know if we disagree completely. I mean, I certainly think he can appreciate the more classic, aspect of style and I think he can understand you know why I like to do some of the things that I like to do. But, we don’t necessarily always dress like each other, so we certainly come from different ends of the spectrum. But, I wouldn’t say we’re fighting about it or anything like that.
From Silverstreak: “Kyle is the Winston Zeddemore of the group, the everyman who grounds these eccentric weirdos he is involved with.”
Kyle Thibodeaux: What can I say? That’s what I do, that’s what I do. I’m the peacemaker. I keep everybody in line. No, I’m just kidding. [Laughs]
From DaveyRayzz: “Kyle seems like he would be a big sports fan. Maybe basketball or American football.”
Kyle Thibodeaux: I do enjoy watching sports. I don’t necessarily play them too often. I did play basketball when I was in school for about five minutes, a very short-lived career. I wasn’t that great. So, I leave that for people who know what they’re doing.
From Kyle: “HUGE fan of “The Great British Baking Show.”
Kyle Thibodeaux: I do enjoy cake. I do enjoy all kinds of desserts. So, watching them actually on that show has been interesting. I don’t know how you know that I do watch that show from time to time. It’s a pretty interesting show.
From Cheese Boy: “Kyle has seven cats.”
Kyle Thibodeaux: Kyle has zero cats. I have no cats right now. Don’t plan on getting seven cats, no.
From James Graydon: “Kyle is super passive-aggressive.”
Kyle Thibodeaux: I can be passive-aggressive. Maybe that’s a result of being in the Midwest. I don’t know if we all do that from time to time, but I can be passive-aggressive sometimes.
From various commenters: “Kyle looks like a well-trained bodyguard, a well-dressed secret service agent, a movie star bodyguard, or Preston’s bodyguard.”
I am Preston’s bodyguard. He calls me all the time to fight his battles. I’m always on call fighting for Preston. No, I am not a bodyguard. [Laughs]
That’s actually been something someone has said to me in person before. It’s funny how people will see something you don’t see. I don’t necessarily see myself as a bodyguard, but I guess some people find me intimidating. So, go figure.
I think, overall, I mean these are pretty funny and interesting assumptions. It’s always funny to see what people might think of you from time to time and some of these things are, you know, certainly a little accurate.
I do like watching cooking shows, I like cooking. I’m not a bodyguard and I don’t play professional sports. So, I mean, some people are correct, some people aren’t. But, that’s it for me today.
Conclusion
Sven Raphael Schneider: Now, that wraps things up for today. Honestly, your comments always amaze me. Sometimes they’re funny, they’re knowledgeable, they’re insightful, and sometimes they’re just plain stupid! [Laughs]
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