....Yeah, I'm not going to die on this hill. Thank you Skarjo, Moggy and Cora you for the thoughtful replies. Like I say, I'm interested in the self-help / clinical psychologist side and his message has resonated with me. I feel somewhat indebted to him because his works have helped me through career obstacles, relationship problems, bereavement and mental health issues - but I'm not going to defend political views I disagree with (though my disagreeing does not necessarily mean I currently believe said views come from a place of malice, but you have given me food for thought).
RetroCora wrote:Qikz wrote:RetroCora wrote:He is not willfully misunderstood, he's a charlatan and people are starting to cotton on to that. His academic credentials don't stand up either - even his own faculty members at the University of Toronto can't stand him(one called him "the professor of piffle" a couple of years ago). I'm glad he's helped your mental health a little, but please do a bit of further research into who he is, what his opinions are and how dangerous he has the potential to be as a cultural "intellectual."
Couldn't reply any better than this.
Thx bbz.
One thing I'd add is that I am also a "depressed and anxious" and deeply insecure person, something that's in the process of costing me my marriage and many other things that I care immensely about. Peterson is dangerous *because* he attracts people like us - the message is targeted at people who are susceptible to it. He's not just a charlatan, he's predatory in the way that he dresses up misogyny and hate in pseudoscientific, "intellectual" language. Barnsy said himself that there are two sides to him, including one that "owns the feminists," but surely this recognition that someone has the capacity to spread hatred in such a manner a) precludes them from being a "nice guy," deep down inside, and b) openly reveals the essential duality and nastiness of the con that's being pulled?
I'm very sorry to learn of your struggles, I sincerely hope things improve for you. Not being a psychologist myself, its possible that he only has an undergrad psychology rudimentary understanding of the human condition, that he can pass off to the layperson as being deeply inciteful that maybe complete emperors new robes to academics in the field. But his methods are effective and motivating for me as someone that isn't going to go to therapy. Dunno.
Also I don't think that him highlighting problematic areas of feminism ideology (as opposed to egalitarianism) makes him hateful or misogynistic.
I haven't listened to them yet, but thank you for the links. I find the pettiness, self assuredness, bullying and smug meanness towards trans people repellent. Hypothetically, if he did truly turn out to be transphobic this would be a deal breaker and I couldn't in good conscience continue to support him (though I'm sure he'll do fine without me
).
I'm aware he's criticised the amendment of the Canadian Human Rights Act (Bill C-16) prohibiting "gender identity and expression" as discrimination. I understand he takes issue with 'compelled speech' mandatorily applied neutral nouns as an imposition on freedom of speech....I'm not sure what to that think of that! But, I believe he's said he would address an individual trans person however they wanted to be. I will look into it.