History WebVideo / ContraPoints

** The trope is discussed in the "Autogynephilia" video, in which she points to J. Michael Bailey's "The Man Who Would Be Queen" as popularizing the trope for modern audiences. In the book Bailey and his assistants refer to trans women as unnaturally attractive (to the point of UncannyValley[[invoked]]), and with a natural affinity toward sex work.

Her videos provide left-wing counterarguments (hence the channel name) to stances upheld by conservatives, classical liberals, fascists, and the alt-right, and their lengths range anywhere from "average meal time, give or take" (20-40 minutes) to "feature film by any other name" (80-110 minutes). They are well known for [[SignatureStyle the stylistic techniques]] Natalie uses in them, which include [[BlackComedy dark]], sarcastic and [[SurrealHumor surreal humor]] alongside elaborate setups with intricate set design, colorful lighting, and [[DragQueen flamboyant costumes]]. However, the foundation of her content is her sharp, oft-empathetic approach to arguing complex sociopolitical topics, with great influence from philosophy and sociology[[note]]the former of which she actually studied academically, eventually dropping out of a [=PhD=] program[[/note]]. Journalists have called her the "Creator/OscarWilde of [=YouTube=]" as well as a modern Socrates. She has gone on record stating that she handles nearly all aspects of video production -- writing, research, camerawork, editing -- herself.

She also began her channel (by her own admission) as something of a political centrist, gradually moving further and further to the left due to the same 2016 events that inspired the start of the channel. Her channel has since criticised centrist liberals for, she claims, [[UnwittingPawn providing indirect support]] to the far-right by [[TheHorseshoeEffect lumping fascists and anti-fascists together]], and by taking white supremacists' excuses about just wanting "free speech" at face value.

She has [[http://contrapoints.com a website]] and accounts on [[https://twitter.com/ContraPoints Twitter]], [[https://instagram.com/ContraPoints Instagram]] and [[https://www.facebook.com/ContraPoints Facebook]]. She also has donations available through [[https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=HDNO9KJMUAMf0P-XrVxQ11dqR3c7tVg-fq-qLaiNT-lplibc7jRuRh3qKD0NKXyXjb6Ezdy_UFNsm_qe&locale.x=US PayPal]]. Her channel is financed through [[https://www.patreon.com/contrapoints Patreon]], where she has over 11,600 patrons and was at one point among the site's top 20 creators. (As such, her videos do not contain sponsorships or promo deals.) She states on her page that her upload rate is roughly once every six weeks; [[ScheduleSlip take it with a grain of salt]].

While [[OlderThanTheyThink Natalie began posting videos as early as 2008]], she began [=ContraPoints=] in 2016 as a direct response to the Gamergate controversy, the ascendancy of UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump, and by proxy the increasing prevalence of both right-wing voices on [=YouTube=] and the alt-right on the Internet as a whole. What started as an attempt to deliver information on social issues eventually grew into a more individualized long-form style that incorporates high production value, a full musical score, and ''[[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters many]]'' cartoonish characters ([[ActingForTwo most of them played by Natalie]]) and plotlines, with her videos at one point often structured as debates between several characters.

Compare to friend and fellow [=YouTuber=] [[WebVideo/HBomberguy [=H.Bomberguy=]]], who also uses humor and theatricality to talk about similar issues, and ''WebVideo/PhilosophyTube'', a fellow leftist philosopher and occasional voice-over in her videos whose style has been influenced by Contra's. Contrast with WebVideo/{{Shaun}}, another (if less aesthetically pleasing) leftist with a very British sense of humor.

She has [[http://contrapoints.com a website]] and accounts on [[https://twitter.com/ContraPoints Twitter]], [[https://instagram.com/ContraPoints Instagram]] and [[https://www.facebook.com/ContraPoints Facebook]]. She also has donations available through [[https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=HDNO9KJMUAMf0P-XrVxQ11dqR3c7tVg-fq-qLaiNT-lplibc7jRuRh3qKD0NKXyXjb6Ezdy_UFNsm_qe&locale.x=US PayPal]]. Her channel is financed through [[https://www.patreon.com/contrapoints Patreon]], where she has well over 13,000 patrons and was at one point among the site's top 20 creators. (As such, her videos do not contain sponsorships or promo deals.) She states on her page that her upload rate is roughly once every six weeks; [[ScheduleSlip take it with a grain of salt]].

Her videos provide left-wing counterarguments (hence the channel name) to stances upheld by conservatives, classical liberals, fascists, and the alt-right, and their lengths range anywhere from "average meal time, give or take" (20-40 minutes) to "feature film by any other name" (80-110 minutes). They are well known for [[SignatureStyle the stylistic techniques]] Natalie uses in them, which include [[BlackComedy dark]], sarcastic and [[SurrealHumor surreal humor]] alongside elaborate setups with intricate set design, colorful lighting, and [[DragQueen flamboyant costumes]]. However, the foundation of her content is her sharp, oft-empathetic approach to arguing complex sociopolitical topics, with great influence from philosophy and sociology[[note]]the former of which she actually studied academically, eventually dropping out of a [=PhD=] program[[/note]]. Journalists have called her the "Creator/OscarWilde of Youtube" as well as a modern Socrates. She has gone on record stating that she handles nearly all aspects of production -- writing, research, camerawork, editing -- herself.

Natalie Wynn[[note]]with the nickname "Contra" occasionally assigned to her and/or her [[AlterEgoActing on-screen persona]], especially in her earlier days[[/note]] (born October 21, 1988) is a [=YouTuber=] and political commentator who makes videos about social justice issues including gender, sexuality, anti-fascism, anti-capitalism, social justice and feminism on her channel [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNvsIonJdJ5E4EXMa65VYpA ContraPoints]].

Her videos provide left-wing counterarguments (hence the channel name) to stances upheld by conservatives, classical liberals, fascists, and the alt-right, and their lengths range anywhere from "average meal time, give or take" (20-40 minutes) to "feature film by any other name" (80-110 minutes). They are well known for [[SignatureStyle the stylistic techniques]] Natalie uses, in them which include [[BlackComedy dark]], sarcastic and [[SurrealHumor surreal humor]] alongside elaborate setups with intricate set design, colorful lighting, and [[DragQueen flamboyant costumes]]. However, the foundation of her content is her sharp, oft-empathetic approach to arguing complex sociopolitical topics, with great influence from philosophy and sociology[[note]]the former of which she actually studied academically, eventually dropping out of a [=PhD=] program[[/note]]. Journalists have called her the "Creator/OscarWilde of Youtube" as well as a modern Socrates. She has gone on record stating that she handles nearly all aspects of production -- writing, research, camerawork, editing -- herself.

[[caption-width-right:350:Hey, how are ''you?'']]

Her videos often provide left-wing counterarguments (hence the channel name) to right-wing stances, and their lengths range anywhere from "average meal time, give or take" (20-40 minutes) to "feature film by any other name" (80-110 minutes). They are known for their dark and sexual humor, intricate set design, colorful lighting, and Natalie's [[DragQueen flamboyant costumes]], but above all are prided most for the sharp manner in which Natalie goes about complex political topics, with great influence from philosophy and sociology[[note]]the former of which she actually studied academically, eventually dropping out of a [=PhD=] program[[/note]]. Journalists have called her the "Creator/OscarWilde of Youtube" as well as a modern Socrates.

* MoodSwinger: Peter Coffin's voice over work in "Autogynephilia" takes it the extreme, where they fluctuate between a highly sexual tone and a cold monotone, often within the same sentence.

** "J.K. Rowling" has a few to "Jordan Peterson" -- fitting, considering the two are named after and centers around controversial public figures. For example, Natalie pours milk onto a mannequin with Creator/DanielRadcliffe's face this time, and the "Dr. Peterson. Professor. Daddy." joke is returns in the form of "Joanne. Jo. Mother."

* AnAesop: In "Cringe", Natalie points out that cringing at your past self is not necessarily a bad thing. This kind of embarassment teaches you how to better interact with others, but there is a kind of cringe that is based on contempt for people, which might demand some self-search to understand.

* GreenEyedMonster: "Envy", unsurprisingly, [[DiscussedTrope discusses]] envy and the various forms it can take in life.

* StrawmanPolitical: {{Subverted}} and critiqued. She's good at presenting multiple points of view, although she's clear where her political compass points. Tabby as the straw Antifa communist is a good example of this.

** Well before this, she had called it the "Trigglypuff argument" (referring to another example), where a StrawmanPolitical was used to silence real arguments from reasonable people and force them to defend others from "their side" who they often didn't agree with in the first place, and who certainly had no relation with them anyway.

* WorthyOpponent: Natalie believes that The Golden One is a genuinely funny and adorable guy who just unfortunately happened to get involved into various neo-Nazi stuff. Curiously, The Golden One himself has some nice things to say about Natalie as well.

Natalie Wynn[[note]]with the nickname "Contra" occasionally assigned to her and/or her [[AlterEgoActing louder on-screen persona]][[/note]] (born October 21, 1988) is a [=YouTuber=] and political commentator who makes videos about social justice issues including gender, sexuality, anti-fascism, anti-capitalism, social justice and feminism on her channel [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNvsIonJdJ5E4EXMa65VYpA ContraPoints]].

Her videos often provide left-wing counterarguments (hence the channel name) to right-wing stances, and their lengths range anywhere from "average meal time, give or take" (20-40 minutes) to "feature film by any other name" (80-110 minutes). They are known for their dark and sexual humor, intricate set design, colorful lighting, and the [[DragQueen flamboyant costumes]] she wears, but above all are prided most for the sharp, intellectual manner in which Natalie goes about complex political topics, with great influence from philosophy and sociology[[note]]the former of which she actually studied academically, eventually dropping out of a [=PhD=] program[[/note]]. Journalists have called her the "Creator/OscarWilde of Youtube" and a modern Socrates.

* NotSoDifferent: {{Discussed}} in "Incels", in which she notes that despite apparently being on diametrically opposed sides of the political and cultural spectrum, large segments of Incel culture share uncomfortable similarities with several of the pre-transition trans groups she used to frequent. In particular, both are rather insular communities with their own specialized language populated by those who feel shunned and excluded by a hostile world. However, despite supposedly being spaces to bring lonely, vulnerable and insecure people together for help, support, and defense against abuse from outsiders, both end up becoming self-reinforcing echo chambers for the most toxic, harmful, and self-loathing impulses of their members.

** Variations on the phrase "speaking as a biological woman..." said in full SarcasmMode. Similarly, when her identity as a trans woman comes up (generally [[OnceAnEpisode once a video]]), she pulls out the coming-out routine, acting like it's "super hard" "a really vulnerable moment for her" and she's "opening up" about something that she "never talks about on her channel," even though her videos have always been open about her trans identity and have used it as a frequent theme and angle for insight across her content.

** “Hey, how are you?”

Natalie Wynn (born October 21, 1988) is a [=YouTuber=] and political commentator who makes videos about social justice issues including gender, sexuality, anti-fascism, anti-capitalism, social justice and feminism on her channel [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNvsIonJdJ5E4EXMa65VYpA ContraPoints]].

Her videos often provide left-wing counterarguments (hence the channel name) to right-wing stances, and their lengths range anywhere from "average meal time, give or take" (20-40 minutes) to "feature film by any other name" (80-110 minutes). They are known for their dark and sexual humor, intricate set design, colorful lighting, and the [[DragQueen flamboyant costumes]] she wears, but above all are prided most for the sharp, intellectual manner in which Wynn goes about complex political topics, with great influence from philosophy and sociology[[note]]the former of which she actually studied academically, eventually dropping out of a [=PhD=] program[[/note]]. Journalists have called her the "Creator/OscarWilde of Youtube" and a modern Socrates.

While [[OlderThanTheyThink Wynn began posting videos as early as 2008]], she began [=ContraPoints=] in 2016 as a direct response to the Gamergate controversy, the ascendancy of UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump, and by proxy the increasing prevalence of both right-wing voices on [=YouTube=] and the alt-right on the Internet as a whole. What started as an attempt to deliver information on social issues eventually grew into a more individualized long-form style that incorporates high production value, a full musical score, and ''[[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters many]]'' cartoonish characters ([[ActingForTwo most of them played by Wynn]]) and plotlines, with her videos at one point often structured as debates between several characters.

Her videos often provide left-wing counterarguments (hence the name) to right-wing stances, and their lengths range anywhere from "average meal time, give or take" (20-40 minutes) to "feature film by another name" (80-110 minutes). They are known for their dark and sexual humor, intricate set design, colorful lighting, and the [[DragQueen flamboyant costumes]] she wears, but above all are prided most for the sharp, intellectual manner in which Wynn goes about complex political topics, with great influence from philosophy and sociology[[note]]the former of which she actually studied academically, eventually dropping out of a [=PhD=] program[[/note]]. Journalists have called her the "Creator/OscarWilde of Youtube" and a modern Socrates.

Probably the most common theme on Wynn's channel is topics related to transgender identity. In early videos, Natalie identified as a crossdressing man, before coming out as genderqueer (nonbinary) in 2017, and then finally as a transgender woman six months later. As of early 2020, she has removed her old pre-transition videos (up to "Decrypting The Alt-Right"), explaining that watching them is very painful for her as it triggers intense dysphoria, and those videos being available on the Internet for everyone to see eventually became too much for her to feel comfortable with. That hasn't stopped them from [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes being shared in some capacity]], however, and to watch her earlier videos is not only to watch her evolve in technique and style, but to watch a woman coming to terms with her own gender identity.

She has [[http://contrapoints.com a website]] and accounts on [[https://twitter.com/ContraPoints Twitter]], [[https://instagram.com/ContraPoints Instagram]] and [[https://www.facebook.com/ContraPoints Facebook]]. She also has donations available through [[https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=HDNO9KJMUAMf0P-XrVxQ11dqR3c7tVg-fq-qLaiNT-lplibc7jRuRh3qKD0NKXyXjb6Ezdy_UFNsm_qe&locale.x=US PayPal]]. Her channel is financed through [[https://www.patreon.com/contrapoints Patreon]], where she has well over 13,000 patrons and was at one point among the site's top 20 creators. As such, her videos do not contain sponsorships or promo deals.

* AlterEgoActing: The "Contra" that hosts the show is basically Natalie Wynn putting on a much louder personality than she has in real life.

Natalie Wynn (born October 21, 1988) is a [=YouTuber=] and political commentator who makes videos about social justice issues including gender, sexuality, anti-fascism, anti-capitalism, social justice and feminism on her channel [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNvsIonJdJ5E4EXMa65VYpA ContraPoints]]. Her videos often provide left-wing counterarguments (hence the name) to right-wing stances, and their lengths range anywhere from "average meal time, give or take" (20-40 minutes) to "feature film by another name" (80-110 minutes).

Her videos are known for their dark and sexual humor, intricate set design, colorful lighting, and the [[DragQueen flamboyant costumes]] she wears, but above all are prided most for the sharp, intellectual manner in which Wynn goes about complex political topics, with great influence from philosophy and sociology[[note]]the former of which she actually studied academically, eventually dropping out of a [=PhD=] program[[/note]]. Journalists have called her the "Creator/OscarWilde of Youtube" and a modern Socrates.

Natalie Wynn (born October 21, 1988) is a [=YouTuber=] and political commentator who makes videos about social justice issues including gender, sexuality, anti-fascism, anti-capitalism, social justice and feminism on her channel [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNvsIonJdJ5E4EXMa65VYpA [=ContraPoints=]]]. Her videos often provide left-wing counterarguments (hence the name) to right-wing stances.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dxdyadyx4aiy6kz.jpg]]

Natalie Wynn is an ex-academic philosopher and leftist [=YouTuber=] who makes videos about social justice issues like gender, sexuality, anti-fascism, anti-capitalism, social justice and feminism on her channel [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNvsIonJdJ5E4EXMa65VYpA [=ContraPoints=]]].

Her videos are known for their combination of dark and sexual humor, intricate set design, colorful lighting, and [[DragQueen flamboyant costumes and makeup]]. What started as an attempt to deliver information on social issues eventually grew into a more long form monthly format that incorporates many cartoonish characters and plot lines, high production value, and a full musical score. Journalists have called her the "Oscar Wilde of Youtube" and a modern Socrates.

She also began her channel (by her own admission) as something of a political centrist, gradually moving further and further to the left due to the events of 2016 – the ascendancy of Trump and the growth of the alt-right. Her channel has since criticised centrist liberals for, she claims, [[UnwittingPawn providing indirect support]] to the far-right by [[TheHorseshoeEffect lumping fascists and anti-fascists together]], and by taking white supremacists' excuses about just wanting "free speech" at face value.

Probably the most common theme on her channel is topics related to transgender identity. In early videos, Natalie identified as a crossdressing man, before coming out as genderqueer (nonbinary) in 2017, and then finally as a transgender woman six months later. To watch her earlier videos is to watch a woman coming to terms with her own gender identity. Following her transition progress as well as her evolution in technique and style makes for an interesting watch.

As of early 2020, she has removed her old, pre-transition videos (up to "Decrypting The Alt-Right"). She's explained that watching her old content is very painful for her as it triggers intense dysphoria, and those videos being available on the internet for everyone to see eventually became too much for her to feel comfortable with.

* {{Retraux}}: Contra uses a lot of 80's aesthetic, from the neon lights to VHS film filters.