From PJMedia.com
With his wildly flamboyant suits, over-the-top style, and bizarrely themed attire, Jordan Peterson lends himself well to parody. By his own conduct, he’s made it easy for his (many) critics to dismiss him as an unhinged loon.
Advertisement
But that would be a mistake.
The man is a genius. His mind is capable of taking audiences on an extraordinary journey through time, space, and human consciousness. He’s a psychologist, an educator, a lecturer, an author, a Daily Wire host, and a fierce defender of Free Speech.
But yeah, he’s also a little bit of a loon.
Peterson’s critics often place him in the conservative camp, but he considers himself a classic British liberal. A native of Alberta, Canada, his academic bona fides are beyond repute: He’s researched, taught, and lectured at Harvard, and is a world-renowned expert in psychology, religion, literature, sociology, and philosophy. The New York Times(!) has dubbed him “the most influential public intellectual in the Western world right now.” His 2018 self-help book, “12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos,” has sold over 10 million copies.
You could make a compelling argument that “12 Rules” was the single most important book of the past decade. It’s difficult to think of any other book — fiction or nonfiction — that penetrated the cultural ethos more significantly or impacted the lives of more people.
And by people, I mostly mean men. He’s given different figures at different times, but up to 91% of the people who view his videos are male.
He’s smart and savvy enough to communicate with anyone, but young white men — teens through Millennials — are his bread and butter. It’s where most of his messaging is directed. By accident or design, you’re not going to find lots of older black women at his lectures. That’s not his demo. His audience are young white men.
Advertisement
And this is exactly what terrified his critics.
Being a boy in 2024 isn’t easy. Before you’re even old enough to play tee-ball, you’re being indoctrinated in schools and society that masculinity itself is problematic. It’s gross! Femininity — however it’s defined (insert plug for Matt Walsh’s documentary here) — is magical and wonderful, of course… but masculinity? Eww. Sounds like you’re in league with the evil Patriarchy and their #MeToo gender crimes.
So many young men are lost today. The biggest killer of men under the age of 50 is suicide. Men commit 80.4% of violent crimes in America, even though 51.1% of the population is female.
And Jordan Peterson, for whatever reason, has an uncanny knack for reaching them.
However, his critics don’t approve of his message. In fact, they hate it.
Peterson is teaching self-improvement, the importance of character, morality, and embracing your male identity. He’s not advising men to forego their masculinity and accept subservience to their female superiors… and for that, his critics will never forgive him.
So much of what he says is insightful, poignant, and deeply moving. His opinions on gender and the trans debate might generate most of the headlines, but his core message is focused on helping men cope with the day-to-day challenges of modern life. There are nuggets of immense wisdom in his lectures — moments when Peterson articulates a profound principle so succinctly that it’s etched into your mind like a tribal tattoo. It’s impossible to overstate the extent of his insights.
Advertisement
Consider:
“Don’t compare yourself with other people; compare yourself with who you were yesterday.”
“No one gets away with anything, ever, so take responsibility for your own life.”
“Power is competence.”
“It is more difficult to rule yourself than to rule a city.”
“It’s not just human nature to associate in tribes. It’s deeper than that.”
Then, sometimes, he says or does something that’s bats**t crazy. Something like picking a random Twitter beef with a muppet. Just oddball behavior for an academic of his credentials.
To his supporters, he’s like Batman: A superhero looking out for the less fortunate. To his critics, it’s awfully telling that he dresses like a Batman villain. His origin story even sounds like it’s torn from the pages of the Gotham Gazette: “He was once a respected psychologist! But then, his unorthodox methods outraged the establishment. ‘Mr. Peterson, we must cancel you!’ ‘Cancel me?! Hahaha! Nooo, I will cancel YOU. I will be doing the canceling around here.’”
Jordan Peterson is the ultimate mixed bag. When he’s good, he’s remarkably good: a level of genius that exists in great scarcity. But when he’s bad… well, it’s not exactly evil; it’s more head-scratching and kind of perplexing. It seems that this is simply who he is: An eccentric genius with staggering strengths, a few wacky traits, and a surplus of genuine compassion. Even his critics must concede the sincerity of his beliefs — and the genuineness of his convictions.
Advertisement
He’s absolutely worth listening to. He’s already helped millions of people. But yes, it’s best to listen to him with a filter.
GRADE: A
Prior commentators in this series:
All articles possibly rephrased by InfoArmed.com