London Real: Zuby – Wokeism Is Collapsing: Masculinity, Censorship & The New Global Awakening

Host: Brian Rose
Guest: Zuby (musician, author, entrepreneur)
Date: March 12, 2025

Overview

This episode features a wide-ranging, unfiltered conversation between Brian Rose and Zuby that explores the collapse of 'wokeism', the state of masculinity, the dangers of censorship, media and corporate narratives, the effects of major cultural movements (such as BLM and COVID), and where Western societies might be headed. Zuby shares his personal journey from musician to viral commentator, discusses the importance of critical thinking and open conversation, and explains why he’s optimistic about the future.

Key Themes and Discussion Points

1. Zuby’s Viral Deadlift and Critique of Gender Ideology

[05:38–18:53]

• Genesis of Zuby’s Public Persona:
  Zuby recounts his 2019 viral moment, "I keep hearing about how biological men have no strength advantage over women in 2019. So watch me destroy the British women deadlift record without trying. P.S. I identified as a woman while lifting the weight. Don't be a bigot."
  — Zuby, 05:38

• Cultural Context:
  The comment was a satirical response to the rise of gender ideology in sports and broader society. Zuby explains that at the time, mainstream discussion of these topics was taboo—unlike 2025, where common sense has largely prevailed:
  "Now, in 2025, you can now say that it's goofy to have pronouns in your bio. ... Most people won't give you that much pushback."
  — Zuby, 29:12

• Media Explosion:
  The deadlift post led to a whirlwind of media, podcast, and TV appearances, propelling him from musician to a prominent global commentator.

2. Censorship, Cancel Culture & Social Pressure

[20:05–27:31]

• Industry/Community Reaction:
  Zuby describes initial overwhelming support and private gratitude (especially from women), with limited organic backlash.
  "When the cameras were off...women in particular were like, thank you. Really, thank you so much for what you're saying...but again, in the background, they're looking at these issues and they're just like, this is absurd."
  — Zuby, 20:51

• Fear of "Canceling":
  Brian and Zuby discuss how compassion is hijacked by those seeking to silence dissent. The threat of being labeled (racist, transphobe, anti-vaxxer) stifled even legitimate questions:
  "Most people don't want to be called names. It's not pleasant...That's why it's effective."
  — Zuby, 30:10

3. The Mechanisms of Social/Political Manipulation

[27:31–33:27; 38:08–49:03]

• Framing as Compassion:
  Zuby details how movements like BLM and COVID restrictions wrap themselves in empathy to demand conformity—making it difficult to oppose without seeming callous.
  "Everything that's under the banner of the WOKE movement...is all wrapped up under the idea of protecting other people and being kind and being compassionate and being empathetic."
  — Zuby, 28:02

• Black Lives Matter Insights:
  Zuby’s criticism of BLM was the most controversial position he took, more than covid skepticism or comments on gender. He underscores the Marxist underpinnings, the financial scandals, and the manipulation of public emotion:
  "You are using tragedy to line your own pockets...Again, having their compassion and empathy hijacked by bad actors who are then lining their pockets with millions..."
  — Zuby, 35:52; 39:00

• Media Narratives & Astroturfing:
  The conversation explains astroturfing—artificially manufactured support and agitation via paid online and offline actors.
  "There are organizations and groups that fund protest movements...it happens online as well...I don't know what percentage of online users are bots, but it's something percent. Yeah, 30 plus."
  — Zuby, 59:12

4. Censorship and the Importance of Free Speech

[58:35–65:26]

• Musk, Twitter, and Information Control:
  Both praise Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, which forced other platforms to "become less censorious":
  "The only people who want to censor...are those who are hiding something...If you are someone who seeks the truth...you don't feel the need to censor."
  — Zuby, 59:55

• The Value of Open Debate:
  Zuby expresses staunch support for the free flow of information and robust debate, even when it’s uncomfortable.

5. Masculinity, Role Models, and Social Turmoil

[82:12–107:00]

• Andrew Tate/Jordan Peterson Phenomenon:
  The rise of online influencers like Tate and Peterson is symptomatic of young men’s hunger for guidance and "commonsense" masculinity after years of demonization:
  "Men have been emasculated in many ways...A lot of traditional masculine values...have been labeled as negative or toxic...It's always worth trying to comprehend...what happened prior to that, what led up to it, what is the appeal here?"
  — Zuby, 85:37–87:00

• Zuby’s Philosophy:
  He argues the West, more than anywhere, suffers from gender role confusion, which has downstream consequences for relationships, family formation, and even national birth rates:
  "If men and women are not attracted to each other and coming together and bonding and creating babies...that's actually a civilizational level problem."
  — Zuby, 100:30

6. The Trump Era and the Global Pendulum Shift

[107:00–115:25]

• 2025 as a New Beginning:
  Zuby and Brian see the 2015–2024 period as an era of progressive overreach and societal confusion (gender, censorship, identity politics) that is now ending with the Trump victory and a return to "common sense":
  "Now where that chapter closes, I think there was a massive pushback against it towards the end of last year. I think the Trump victory...the American people really spoke up and said, no, we don't want to continue down this way. We want to take a different path."
  — Zuby, 109:27

• Ideal Government Role:
  Zuby argues for minimal, competent governance that "runs in the background." The less you notice it, the better:
  "Politics and the government are working well when you don't need to think about it that much...It just runs in the background. I think that's what government is meant to do."
  — Zuby, 111:45

7. The Future: Personal, Societal, and Inspirational

[119:47–124:19]

• Zuby's Next Five Years:
  He plans to keep scaling his influence—"doing everything that I'm already doing, and I'm just doing it bigger and better and on a larger scale"—and start a family, unlocking a new dimension of life and impact.
  — Zuby, 119:47

• Optimism & Encouragement:
  Zuby closes with a message of hope and human potential:
  "If human beings knew how much capacity and capability and potential they had, man, that's when we take the world and our species to a whole new level."
  — Zuby, 119:47

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Censorship:
  "The only people who want to censor and want to ban, want to deplatform people are those who are hiding something." — Zuby, 00:00

• On New Norms:
  "You can now say that it's goofy to have pronouns in your bio. You can now say that there's only two genders..." — Zuby, 29:12

• On BLM:
  "BLM was a scam. You are using tragedy to line your own pocket. It's all wrapped up under the idea of protecting other people and being empathetic. It's the same narrative that they used with COVID..." — Zuby, 00:57

• On Free Speech:
  "If you are someone who seeks the truth and stands by the truth...you don't feel the need to censor other people..." — Zuby, 59:55

• On Young Men:
  "There are not a lot of unapologetic masculine role models. And it seems like in the absence of that, people would prefer...an obviously imperfect manifestation of it than just like a limp wristed, weak, like nothing." — Zuby, 93:40

• On Potential:
  "If human beings knew how much capacity and capability and potential they had, man, that's when we take the world and our species to a whole new level." — Zuby, 119:47

Timeline of Major Segments

| Timestamp | Topic | |-------------|--------------------------------------------------| | 00:00–05:38 | Introduction – Zuby’s censorship comments, bio | | 05:38–18:53 | Deadlift tweet, rise to cultural commentary | | 20:05–32:13 | Pushback, cancel culture, insidious compassion | | 32:13–49:03 | BLM, emotional manipulation, media narratives | | 58:35–65:26 | Censorship, Elon Musk, free speech | | 82:12–107:00| Masculinity, Andrew Tate, gender confusion | | 107:00–115:25 | Trump, pendulum swing, new era | | 119:47–124:19 | Zuby’s future, message of hope and optimism |

Tone and Style

The conversation is candid, unfiltered, and wide-ranging—often delivered with a combination of dry humor, frankness, and encouragement. Both speakers emphasize the importance of common sense, personal responsibility, compassion for individuals, and skepticism of manipulative narratives. Zuby in particular maintains a relentlessly positive outlook, despite discussing weighty cultural topics.

Final Takeaway

Zuby believes society is emerging from a period of confusion, division, and enforced narrative conformity. The future, he argues, belongs to those willing to think critically, embrace open dialogue, rediscover common sense, and realize their individual potential.