ContraPoints

[Barry Admin]

I'm been watching these videos pretty obsessively over the last few days, and think it's by far and away one of the best channels on YouTube. I see a few past references on here, but thought a dedicated thread might be good to raise more awareness for slowcoaches like me. Particularly if you have a similar attitude of "gee, I wish the left had some entertaining and insightful people."

Hmbomberguy put up a video about speedrunning, it was great, I realised I was subbed to him, and through that watched an excellent video about "soyboys" and such, and then from there on to ContraPoints. She's definitely made me think about some stuff in greater depth, eg related to free speech, and each video is brilliantly made, funny, insightful and very creative.

Anyone else a fan?

[Barry Admin]

I should put some links here.

The Left - https://youtube.com/watch?v=QuN6GfUix7c
Incels - includes some great commentary on "digital self-harm" which I've observed to be a growing phenomenon - https://youtube.com/watch?v=fD2briZ6fB0
Decrypting the Alt-Right - https://youtube.com/watch?v=Sx4BVGPkdzk
Gender Dysphoria - https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ayuqizp4fyY
Debating the Alt-Right - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zPa1wikTd5c

Main channel - https://youtube.com/user/ContraPoints/

[Johnny Yesno]

She is wise. And funny.

And hot.

_{Tone lowered by the third post.}

[Johnny Yesno]

Incels | ContraPoints: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD2briZ6fB0

is right on the money.

[Barry Admin]

Incels | ContraPoints: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD2briZ6fB0

is right on the money.

It is, I just linked that myself. After "sluthate" was linked here years ago I lurked it a bit in fascination and horror, and she nails so much of their sad and frustrating attitude. What I also love is the conclusion talking about "digital selfharm", where people repeatedly seek out content that'd going to reinforce their own worst fears.

[Johnny Yesno]

It is, I just linked that myself. After "sluthate" was linked here years ago I lurked it a bit in fascination and horror, and she nails so much of their sad and frustrating attitude. What I also love is the conclusion talking about "digital selfharm", where people repeatedly seek out content that'd going to reinforce their own worst fears.

I also like that she discusses the harm that dating sites can cause with their focus on looks, and her experience of having used them as both a man and a woman is interesting.

[Kelvin]

I can't really get past the flat acting, but the reveal of the leftist dressed as a cat made me laugh out loud, and I admire the showmanship and effort of it all.

[Zetetic]

Excellent subtitling. (That's not a joke. I really appreciate it from YouTube videos.)

(And I wouldn't care if I wasn't enjoying the thing itself.)

[Sebastian Cobb]

Vice are wanking themselves silly over incels at the minute; it's ostensibly lifting the lid on some depressing views but quite obviously done as an exercise for woke people to point and laugh and pat each other on the back about.

[José]

her vids on the alt right are a godsend when you find yourself lacking the mental energy to explain their batshittery to bissfully ignorant yet curious accquaintace #99063

[canadagoose]

I'm been watching these videos pretty obsessively over the last few days, and think it's by far and away one of the best channels on YouTube. I see a few past references on here, but thought a dedicated thread might be good to raise more awareness for slowcoaches like me. Particularly if you have a similar attitude of "gee, I wish the left had some entertaining and insightful people."

Hmbomberguy put up a video about speedrunning, it was great, I realised I was subbed to him, and through that watched an excellent video about "soyboys" and such, and then from there on to ContraPoints. She's definitely made me think about some stuff in greater depth, eg related to free speech, and each video is brilliantly made, funny, insightful and very creative.

Anyone else a fan?

Oh yes, I'm very much a fan. Thanks for promoting her work - I love Contra and her videos in general. She changed my opinion on quite a few things, and her videos are generally really informative and amusing at the same time.

[Dr Rock]

Big fan, have watched all her stuff, sometimes more than once.

Vice are wanking themselves silly over incels at the minute; it's ostensibly lifting the lid on some depressing views but quite obviously done as an exercise for woke people to point and laugh and pat each other on the back about.

Yes, exactly. Contrapoints' video had some genuine empathy. Which is tough considering. And a lot more insight.

Definitely one of the best YouTube channels considering the amount of work that goes into it.

[Zetetic]

What I also love is the conclusion talking about "digital selfharm", where people repeatedly seek out content that'd going to reinforce their own worst fears.

That is interesting.

I don't think that the analogy with physical selfharm is that compelling - perhaps control over emotional state and painful stimuli is a commonality though. But the way you put it might be revealing - that this behaviour is still largely about information/evidence seeking, but that this process ends up mangled, in the context of misery, towards avoiding any sort of actually novel info.

[pancreas]

I'm finding it a bit slow and low brow, I'm afraid. I'm not sure I'm the target audience. Not to say that there aren't interesting things in it, but I can't hack through the frippery to get there.

[Johnny Yesno]

I can't hack through the frippery to get there.

The frippery in the Jordan Peterson one is great.

[Schnapple]

I'm not really into Youtubers, but these are really great and interesting. Even the comments underneath are 'fair and balanced'. The incels one is great; severe but unusually empathetic. And yeah, she's cute AF, lads.

[græskar]

I've also discovered her a few days ago and she's great. The incel video and the one with Tiffany Tumbles are masterful.

[Blumf]

Yep, enjoyed a fair few of her vids, well produced and she does make the effort to engage in the ideas rather than just sneering.

Does anyone want to talk about 'mouth-feel'?

[Schnapple]

Good interview with her here: https://www.theverge.com/tech/2018/8/24/17689090/contrapoints-youtube-natalie-wynn

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Yeah I've seen a few of these videos shared. I think I would prefer to praise the balanced tone and the occasional 'ah yep didn't think of that' moment than claim it's ground breaking. Decent work being done in a non self-congratulatory way.

[biniput]

Been watching for about a year or since she was mentioned in a thread a while back about the possibility of left wing (generally) Youtubers. Watching the transformation over the last year or so from male to female has been as fascinating as the subjects themselvs. The commentaries on older videos will show this out and I think she has a better and cuter fem voice at his stage. Always like it when a new one comes out and keep upto date on her Twitter channel. She has always had this thing about "saving" or "changing" people rather than battering them into submission which is where the thing of empathy comes from. The thing of not really taking the left side and just going at subjects academically has helped change a lot of peoples minds about things and that seems to be where she wants to be.

[bgmnts]

Does she play Contra?

[Z]

Didn't really dig the humour at all and that always put me off but a recent video (incels, I think?) got some really good points across so I started binging a bit from there.

She's very good at getting to the crux of a matter and definitely helped explain a few things to me that I never really got before.

[biniput]

Does she play Contra?

She has said on twitter/interviews/skypes etc that, yes, she plays Contra but in RL she herself is quite different.

[Barry Admin]

:-) he's talking about the old video game, biniput.

Thanks for posting that article/interview Schnapple, just finished reading it and it's great stuff.

[Barry Admin]

Yep, enjoyed a fair few of her vids, well produced and she does make the effort to engage in the ideas rather than just sneering.

Does anyone want to talk about 'mouth-feel'?

I just watched that one! And I totally agree; she has a broadly sympathetic approach to a lot of her characters, which is particularly obvious in the Tiffany Tumbles video. I don't really know Blaine White, but the article above clued me in, and I just understood her as an archetype anyway.

These are just stunning as short films too. I like playing YouTube videos on the background while I play video games, but find I really have to - want to - give my full attention to ContraPoints' output. The more you watch the better they get too, in terms of becoming familiar with her roster of characters, and understanding some of the reference points that are at times not explicitly explained.

[madhair60]

I love H.Bomberguy, even though he's wrong about speedrunning, which is AIDS. Also I could do without the fake laughter and pretend "mistakes" but that's basically everyone on Youtube

[Clownbaby]

Thanks for the recommendation, enjoying this channel so far

[Barry Admin]

Glad to hear it! I was up late watching them all from the beginning, and there's so much gold there, particularly if you're familiar with the usual YouTube commentary scene. Her earliest videos tackle some of the sacred, skeptic cows of YouTube, but in a way that also ridicules the idea that counter arguments are all about people getting REKT and PWNED, rather than ideas being exchanged. She brings a far more nuanced and informed critique to bear in general, but often specifically to leftist issues, where she makes fair criticism that strikes me as a much more effective way of changing minds. 

I think she's fucking genius, I love these videos.

An early one that's very funny and rewatchable is the Alphamales video https://youtube.com/watch?v=k6jYB74UQmI

The development in creativity and form over just two years is staggering, but she's never been scared to take risks and arse about on screen, and that video is a prime example.

[bushwick]

Yeah, she's one of the best things on the internet for sure. Funny and well informed.