Travis Brown
Movies • Politics • Culture
This is a community for those concerned about the leftist political religions taking over society and inhibiting our ability to engage in free speech and open dialogue.
Here you'll find ongoing video series that will help you understand the origins of leftist ideology, why it has spread so rapidly, and what you can do to push back.
The video content features people like Helen Joyce, Peter Boghossian, James Lindsay, Douglas Murray, Ayan Hirsi Ali and more.
Interested? Want to learn more about the community?
FAIR

FAIR stands for Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism

Two things:
Check out this video for FAIR by Corey Drayton, whose story is featured in my series in some depth.

And check out the good work FAIR is doing and sign up for their newsletter. https://www.fairforall.org/join-us/
They have an amazing board of directors, including Daryl Davis. I'm proud to say I had a small part in getting Daryl on the board.

Interested? Want to learn more about the community?
What else you may like…
Videos
Posts
Articles
Stella and Travis discuss the gender critical problem

While I was in London, I invited Stella O'Malley to discuss the issues that she's had with some of the gender critical movement and how poorly they've treated her over the years. The puritanical and dogmatic nature of some gender critical people has come to my attention recently because a number of these people have recently turned on me for having Stella and Buck Angel in my docuseries and have been harassing me.
These are the types to deplatform people, police people's language and cause general havoc and chaos around an otherwise very positive and much-needed movement to stop child transition and keep men out of women's spaces.
Stella has done much more than most people in this space to help kids, families and detransitioners, and I hope people can be more reflective about their approach after listening to her story.

01:12:08
Should 'trans' hormones and surgeries be illegal until 25?

I tested out another hypothesis with Peter with more spectrum street epistemology. My thought was that we'd have fewer people who regret their hormones and surgeries if they were forced to wait it out until their prefrontal cortices were fully developed (at about age 25-26). I'm also not convinced 18 is a good age to consider someone a legal adult, in general, and Pete strongly disagrees with me. So we had another interesting discussion.
What do you think?

00:14:51
Will Wokeness End in 6 Months?

I was in LA with Peter Boghossian recently, and I asked him to do some spectrum street epistemology with me about the idea that Wokeness will disappear in six months. I heard him say something like that on a podcast a while ago, so I thought I'd challenge it. What unfolded was an interesting conversation.
What do you think?

00:10:06

Unless you're manspreading while committing cultural appropriation, you're doing it wrong.
The Taiwanese love me.

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Traveling in Taiwan

Hello everyone,
I've been very busy traveling and filming with Peter Boghossian and Reid Nicewonder over in Taiwan for the last month. I've also been editing episode two of Uncomfortable Truths, which will tell some powerful stories of parents who've had to navigate gender identity with their children.

In Taiwan, we've filmed SSE at a university and several conversations about Taiwan's independence and what it's like to have the complicated relationship with China that they have. It's been incredibly fascinating to learn about the history of this country and their dedication to freedom of speech. There is very little Wokeness in Taiwan, which is refreshing.
The streets in Taipei (the capital city) are very clean, there's no graffiti or trash, and everyone is very kind. It has one of the lowest crime rates, and I've come to really love this country. I can't wait to come back!

How's everyone's year been so far? I'm not looking forward to the upcoming presidential election, but I'm sure we'll...

February 22, 2024

I had not realized Kubrick was ahead of his time!

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Content Guide
Guide for watching The Woke Reformation, Uncomfortable Truths and Other Videos

**UPDATED 11/12/23**

This is a guide for new members and old members just looking for certain content. It will serve as a quick display of each episode of The Woke Reformation and Uncomfortable Truths in chronological order and the interviews and other content in this community.

I'll do my best to maintain this as new content is released.

The Woke Reformation Episodes:
Watch episodes 1-7 combined here. Or watch each episode individually below.

  1. Origins of Woke Ideology - Part I - An explanation of where Woke ideology came from.
  2. Origins of Woke Ideology - Part II - A further exploration of the Marxist roots of Wokeness and its corrosive nature.
  3. A Fatal Disease - Corey Drayton survives stage four cancer and explains the cancerous effects that Wokeness had in his life and has in society as a whole.
  4. Speaking Up - Corey uses tools from How to Have Impossible Conversations to navigate a conversation with a Woke friend.
  5. The Religion of Wokeness - Travis tells his story of growing up with religious fundamentalists and explores the religious nature of Wokeness.
  6. History and Solutions - A look at the historical comparison between the Woke Reformation and the original Reformation and lay out solutions to the problems of the new reformation.
  7. Uniting in Opposition - An explanation of how to unite in opposition against Wokeness and what can be done in about it in a variety of circumstances.
  8. Challenging Critical Race Theory - Asra Nomani and others help us better understand Critical Race Theory and how to challenge it.
  9. How Wokeness Ruins Cities - How Woke or progressive policies cause the destruction of cities and an exploration of the case example of Portland, Oregon.
  10. The Necessity of Narrative - Travis and others explain the importance of meaning and narrative and why Woke ideology fills a certain void for some.
  11. Capitalism Reimagined - This one is all about how Wokeness has spread via corporations, why CEOs adopt Woke ideology and how to defend free markets.

Uncomfortable Truths Episodes and Promos:
Here is a playlist with everything, but it's also listed out below.

  1. Helen Joyce Promo - Helen Joyce talks about the caustic nature of gender ideology, what it's doing to kids and society as a whole.
  2. Buck Angel Promo - Buck Angel talks about the fact that gender identity ideology is used to indoctrinate and confuse kids and how this has negatively affected trans-identified people.
  3. Mr. Menno Promo - Mr. Menno talks about how we should drop the newspeak that trans activists use and how men claiming to be women take over women's spaces.
  4. Helen Reads 'The Transgender Child' - Helen Joyce reads from one of the books I was researching called 'The Transgender Child.'
  5. Buck Angel Reads Kid's Book -  Buck reads a child-indoctrinating book called "It Feels Good to be Yourself" and reacts to it. 
  6. Episode one: Down the Rabbit Hole - Episode one lays out the basic tenets of gender identity ideology and explains how it contradicts basic facts about reality. 

Interviews:
Here is a link to all the interviews I've done. Below they are all listed out.

  • Peter Boghossian 1 - My first interview with author and public intellectual Peter Boghossian on the origins of Woke ideology and how it spread from universities.
  • Douglas Murray Part 1 - I interviewed the author and journalist Douglas Murray on the problems of Woken ideology and the madness of crowds.
  • Douglas Murray Part 2 - We talked about the solutions of Woke ideology.
  • Nancy Rommelmann Part 1 - I interviewed the journalist and author Nancy Rommelmann as she covered the Portland protests, and we discuss cancel culture among other things.
  • Nancy Rommelmann Part 2 - Nancy proposes suggestions on how to deal with the problems of Woke ideology.
  • Ayaan Hirsi Ali - The incredible author and women's rights advocate Ayaan Hirsi Ali and I talk about the similarities of Islamic extremists and the Woke and many other things.
  • Michael Shermer - I interviewed the author and founder of Skeptic magazine, Michael Shermer, about the illiberal nature of Wokeness.
  • Niall Ferguson - The historian and author, Niall Ferguson, talks with me about the history of bad ideas from the far left.
  • Asra Nomani - I discuss critical race theory with the journalist Asra Nomani.
  • Lyell Asher - I interviewed professor Lyell Asher on the indoctrination centers that higher education schools have become.
  • Gabe Johnson - Local Portland resident and founder of Coalition to Save Portland, Gabe Johnson and I discuss the riots in Portland, his personal story and what happens when progressive policies are enacted.
  • Ben Edtl - Human rights activist, Ben Edtl, and I discuss the issues surrounding Portland and more.
  • Peter Boghossian 2 - In this second interview, Pete and I go into more depth discussing the effects of Woke ideology and focus on what can be done about the ideology.
  • Corey Drayton - I interviewed with Corey Drayton on navigating Wokeness in the film industry in Portland, his survival of stage four cancer and how corrosive Woke ideology has become.
  • Susan Griffin - I interviewed local Portland resident, Susan Griffin, on living downtown during the riots and about what Portland has become.
  • John Wood Jr. - I interviewed podcast host and the national leader of Braver Angels, John Wood Jr. on Wokeness and on how to communicate across divides.
  • Benjamin Boyce - Podcast host Benjamin Boyce and I discuss his time at Evergreen State College, the meltdown there, the importance of meaning and more. 
  • Vivek Ramaswamy - Vivek is an entrepeneur and currently running for president. We discussed Woke capitalism, ESG, what free markets should look like, antiracism, and more.
  • Mark Pellegrino - Mark is an actor and teacher in Hollywood who has a unique stance on a lot of issues. He's involved with a new political party called The American Capitalist Party and advocates for liberty and against the erosion of our values.

Combating Woke Myths:
These videos are designed to help walk people through how to talk to others about various Woke assertions or myths. I also hope this series will encourage people to speak up when they hear Woke lies.
Here is a link to all the Combating Woke Myths videos, and below they are listed in order.

Douglas Murray and Peter Boghossian Conversations
Douglas and Peter discuss the problems of Woke ideology, where the ideas came from and what can be done about it.

General tips on dealing with Woke ideology

Featured:
These are various interviews and conversations I've had on YouTube.

Work I've done with and for Peter Boghossian:

  • Revers Q&A:  Hungary and Romania - Spectrum Street Epistemology thought experiment game in Hungary and Romania.
  • All Things Re-Considered - Peter Boghossian and Matt Thornton sit down to discuss what happened to NPR, give commentary on NPR clips and they respond to former NPR listeners. There is also commentary from a former journalist at NPR, Gina Gambony.
  • Social Justice Agenda:  Reverse Q & A - We went around the country interviewing students and playing the Spectrum Street Epistemology thought experiment game to help people think about Social Justice claims.
  • Lyell Asher:  Why Colleges are Becoming Cults - Lyell walks us through how colleges became corrupted and offers solutions for this problem.
  • Woke in Plain English - A series by Dr. Peter Boghossian translating what the Woke mean by the words they use.
  • Nancy Rommelmann - This is a series with Nancy Rommelmann reporting on Antifa and the Woke.
  • Jodi Shaw - Jodi Shaw discusses speaking out at Smith College and how it feels to take a stand against Woke ideology.
  • Bruce Gilley - Bruce Gilley discusses decolonization.
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The Importance of Speaking Up
Live Not by Lies

“We have so hopelessly ceded our humanity that for the modest handouts of today we are ready to surrender up all principles, our soul, all the labors of our ancestors, all the prospects of our descendants—anything to avoid disrupting our meager existence.” -Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in Live Not by Lies

Whenever someone encourages others to speak up and push back against the left’s Woke agenda, many will complain that it’s all well and good for people with certain secure jobs or those in ‘privileged’ positions to do so but for the everyday person, that’s just too much to ask. I think that’s an excuse to avoid confrontation and take the easy route.

I hate confrontation. It always makes me uncomfortable, and yet I seem to find myself in the middle of one confrontation or another, especially when I see freedoms being eroded and Woke ideology causing so much harm. I’ve documented this extensively in my docuseries The Woke Reformation. And when I set out to make the series and criticize Woke politics, I wasn’t in some remote, privileged position where my job was secure. I was not somehow isolated from potential repercussions.

In fact, when I started the series, I was living the Woke capital of the world, also known as Portland, Oregon. I spent 90% of my time in bed due to a back pain condition that plagued me every moment of every day. I worked a part time IT job and did film editing on the side. I knew full well that I could be harassed, lose my job or even be physically attacked for making my series. I was in a very vulnerable position, but I decided to make the series anyways because I was convinced that I needed to do whatever I could to help people push back against this new Woke cult that I was encountering everywhere in Portland and seeing all over the news.

Once I started editing the footage that my film crew had shot in late 2020, I began to wake up in the middle of the night unable to go back to sleep. I was sure that if I released this series while living in the heart of Portland, someone might find and attack me, or at the very least, a group of crazy Woke leftists would do whatever they could to cancel me. I decided I needed to move out of Portland for my own safety.

Thankfully, I had a number of friends and family members offer to help me move. So, even though I couldn't do much and had to lie in my bed while my belongings were moved, I was happy to have the help and to get out of Portland.

Despite moving, I still feared for my safety and reputation. I know people who had been harassed and physically attacked by antifa, and I was sure that once my series dropped that I would become something of a target. I stopped sleeping much at all, but I pressed on. I decided it was too important to not make this series and that people needed to wake up to the reality of what was going on. So, while suffering from chronic and debilitating pain and panic attacks and barely being able to sleep, I launched my series with the help of Dave Rubin. He invited me on to his show along with Peter Boghossian and Douglas Murray, who are in the series. After recording that show, I had a severe panic attack and wasn't sure if I could even keep going. Was I the type of person who could have something of a public profile, especially one like this - in opposition to many of the popular moral trends of the day?

I reached out to a therapist I had been speaking to and to some supportive friends to express my frustrations and fears. Many encouraged me to keep going and sympathized with the position I was in. I was also put in touch with a counselor at Helen Pluckrose’s Counterweight, Jen Friend, and she offered advice and guidance as I dealt with the fear of retaliation and of my own safety.

Once we had nearly completed the first episode of The Woke Reformation, I announced a launch date. My anxiety grew, and my sleep worsened. I was sure something bad would happen. To my surprise, after my appearance on the Rubin Report went live, I began to see overwhelming support. I started to receive private messages and emails from people asking if they could help me in some way. I was blown away. Despite my ever-present fears of cancellation and even physical harm, I was starting to experience the opposite. People all over the country and even in other countries were reaching out in support. I was even sent gifts, and the private messages and positive comments kept rolling in.

Of course I was called a white supremacist online and many other negative things. I was also accused of pushing far-right propaganda. And now I'm thought of as a bigot by certain 'friends' in Portland, and some places won't let me rent their film studios. Some refuse to work with me. That has all been upsetting, but it didn’t stop me from continuing my series and continuing to speak the truth as best as I could. One of my therapists suggested finding my ten favorite comments or messages and to read those every time I had doubts about what I was doing. So that’s what I did. For a while, I read them every day, and anytime I found someone saying something nasty to or about me online, I would go back to those positive statements. I slowly started to realize my fears were overblown, but my fear of antifa was the most difficult to overcome. I started using an exposure technique, which meant spending about 15-20 minutes imagining the worst case scenario – antifa finding where I lived, harassing me, kicking in my door and physically attacking me and killing my little dog, Nora. It was horrible to imagine, but then I’d spend the next 15-20 minutes imagining how I’d cope with it if I survived. I did this for weeks. I dreaded doing it but eventually found that some of my fears reduced, and my overall level of anxiety went down. I started to generally sleep a little better.

I write all this because I’m hoping to encourage more people to speak out about the Woke lies that are being pushed on them and believed by those around them. I wanted to give a full account of what I had gone through so as to not sugarcoat anything. In hindsight, I had much less to be afraid of than I realized at the time, and I think that’s generally true for most of us. Now, obviously there are people who can lose their jobs for speaking out. There are people who get canceled and harassed for saying things like “men aren’t women” or for using innocuous terms that someone deems as racially insensitive or harmful when they’re clearly not. That does and can happen, but most of the time it doesn’t. Besides, is it better to live in silence and be surrounded by lies and allow everyday people, corporations and politicians to do harm in the name of the new moral order and let this all go by while knowing it’s wrong? Or is it better to speak the truth and push for what we know most people believe in? The reality is that activists help steer the narrative, and they speak the loudest, but they are the smallest in number. When you decide to speak up and say the truth at your company, at your school, or in your social group, people you may not expect will support you, even if it’s privately. The more who speak out and push back against Wokeness and its ills, the more others have a chance to see that they’re not crazy and the more likely we are to encourage others to do the same.

This is how things begin to change.

We have to determine if not speaking up and allowing the encroachment of terrible ideas and behaviors is worthwhile in order to keep in good standing with certain people, to not out ourselves as nonbelievers or to potentially lose a job. We have to ask:  is that job worth it if you can’t be yourself? Are your friends really your friends if they turn on you for disagreeing with them? And would you rather go along with lies just to be seen as virtuous (which is inevitably temporary)? That decision can only be made at the personal level. I’d just encourage people to think about how they’ll feel about themselves and how their loved ones would see them if they knowingly went along with lies and didn’t speak up when they could have.

My upcoming series is called “Combating Woke Myths” and is designed to encourage people to speak the truth and to know what to say when Woke assertions are made. Despite whatever repercussions I might get for making the series, I’m going to keep doing what I can to help others push back against a caustic ideology that leaves everyone worse off.

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