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Trae Crowder

Back Porches, Comedy, & Liberal Rednecks

Trae Crowder, like many public intellectuals, utilizes social media as a platform to get his messages across. Trae had been a comedian for several years before happening upon fame for his back porch rants on Facebook. He had seen a viral video where a pastor, who was offended at the transgender bathroom issue, was ranting in front of a pickup truck. "If that right there is what I'm trying to parody," Trae said, "I don't need any of that [high-end production equipment]. I can do exactly what he's doing ... only make it funny." And that is exactly what he did. Trae’s first back porch rant (below) got over 20 million views, and thus began The Liberal Redneck.

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"I made those videos to take a stand for people who don’t get many words of support with a drawl drippin’ from ‘em. But as the support swelled, and the comments got, uh, colorful, I realized those videos also were a chance to defy the bigots who make those stereotypes seem true and to show as many people as I possibly could: You think you know us? You think you got us all figured out down here? Well y’all don’t get it. But that’s okay. I’ll show ya."

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Since posting his first back porch rant, Trae has uploaded several more videos that have gone viral. They mainly focus on his liberal southern view of current topics. Trae has been a guest on Real Time with Bill Maher, The View, and is currently in works to star in a sitcom with ABC. He is also currently on a nationwide comedy tour (wellredcomedy.com) with his two liberal southern buddies Drew Morgan and Corey Forrester where they sell out shows across the country. The trio also recently wrote a best selling book and they post a 5 star rated podcast every week (wellredpodcast.libsyn.com). To quote Trae, he has "been busier than Donald Trump at a fuck shit up conference."

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"You think you got us all figured out down here? Well y’all don’t get it. But that’s okay. I’ll show ya."

"I intend to use my position to plead with people on the right to please, please, take it from someone who lived it: you’re wrong about poor people. You are. And your wrongness is dangerous."

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Trae gives a voice to the once voiceless liberal southerners. He uses his platform to educate, commiserate, and entertain. Whether he is ranting on the porch, or doing an interview with Bill Maher, he is always authentic and speaks his truth.

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Trae made it a point (far before the election) to tell his viewers to not underestimate Donald Trump because many people from the south felt forgotten and like politicians (among others) did not care about them. Turns out, he was right.

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The Mission

"I'm not some redneck unicorn. I’m not special. There are plenty of liberal-thinking, intelligent country folk out here, and we’re tired of people either not knowing or not caring that we’re down here, trying to fight against the ignorance and hate and doing it from the front lines, by God. It’s time we made our presence known. That’s why I made the videos, and that’s why we’re writing this book."

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Trae, Drew, and Corey wrote this book, and it is very insightful into the ways of the south, as well as being liberal in the conservative place that is the south. The fact that people are reading this book is indicative that the public intellectual does still exist. Trae became Facebook famous after a back porch rant video, we the people decided we wanted him to have a voice, and now he's written a book that people are really enjoying.

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Trae addresses rednecks about the #BlackLivesMatter movement.

The Liberal Redneck Manifesto: Draggin' Dixie Outta the Dark
More from the Back Porch

Obviously not everyone can be heard or have a voice, the world is too big. Are public intellectuals the ones whom we (the people) give the power to speak for us? In Trae’s case, giving a voice to the (until now) voiceless liberal southerners?

 

Do people control who becomes a public intellectual by who we listen to?

Questions for Discussion:

"I’m a white-trash-piece-of-shit poor-boy redneck with a pillhead momma from Celina, Tennessee. I’m also a highly educated, nonreligious, open-minded lover of all people. And if anyone can’t reconcile those things in order to fit their own narrative, well then, that’s his problem, not mine."

War on drugs, or a war on poor people?

"A lot of people do not appreciate my pro-gay statements. Because assholes never die. (For the record, didn’t care then, don’t care now. Bring it on, dipshits.)"
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