tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939915290794973654.post2470986840956366400..comments2024-03-08T14:23:31.503-05:00Comments on A Puff of Absurdity: On Peterson, Political Correctness, and PostmodernismMarie Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13872774009526266579noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939915290794973654.post-86008996687753725162018-11-04T18:25:51.018-05:002018-11-04T18:25:51.018-05:00I feel the same way, anon, in that some of Peterso...I feel the same way, anon, in that some of Peterson's stuff is ilucid and well developed, but then he goes down the rabbit hole for most everything else. Marie Snyderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13872774009526266579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939915290794973654.post-58642137380423752512018-11-04T14:39:44.478-05:002018-11-04T14:39:44.478-05:00So Peterson's gift is to succinctly in soundbi...So Peterson's gift is to succinctly in soundbite fashion point out for these men on the fences what is toxic at the core of the liberation movements they have born witness to and what those movements have in store for them. What is is totally ineffectual at is proposing any innovative social game or program to resolve this tension. He does talk about economic inequality as being insanely dangerous and acknowledges that it drives much of this problem, but, again, offers little solution other than individual responsibility. He's a more broad-minded version of Ayn Rand, an Ayn Rand who has the capacity for real human emotion and some empathy, at least for people he identifies with. I almost respect Rand more who seems to have had only an empathy for humanity as an abstract concept and little or none for any actual concrete person. Anyways you didn't sound jealous to me, and it was a good attempt to summarize come of the critique of Peterson and helped me think more deeply about both why he resonates with me maybe 30% of the time (love his critique of political correctness as the "moral posturing of sensitivity over truth", and he seems to appreciate the need for sensitivity and civility and I think he is sincere there), but I find myself disappointed 70% in that I wish he could talk more about a path forward that doesn't involve fetishizing paranoia of "cultural marxist" and universities.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07746828389438480177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939915290794973654.post-45225858767092434912018-11-04T14:37:27.984-05:002018-11-04T14:37:27.984-05:00I really enjoyed running across this. What is chal...I really enjoyed running across this. What is challenging about Peterson is his setting up of grand dualities, and that he is not utterly pathological or corrupt in his thinking and way of being. Peterson believes passionately what he is saying, he is not cynical. When he talks about the greatest gift of Christianity is the idea of power instantiated in the person who speaks the truth rather then he who wields the club, it is grand, poetic and inspiring, if not utter bullshit. He is a romantic, which is odd given his critique of the postmodern. That's what I like about him, and I liked about Nietzche, and what people liked bout Hitler. He is willing to think big and bold and to address the logos concerns of a large swath of people. Peterson is not the worst thing happening in the Western world, he is a cliched thing happening. He is the Oprah Winfrey for reasonably intelligent, non-radicalized, but yearning and without moral or existential purpose men in the European west. They are there for the taking for the reasons he outlines - the civil rights movements writ large's inability (understandable inability) to carve a space and a meaning system for such men. If the boys Peterson is speaking to were in the midst of badass careers in finance, business and industry they woudn't need Jordan Peterson. White boys doing great aren't listening to him, or maybe they are but they he is merely another citation in the rationalization for the moral disengagement they so regularly display. No, the boys and men listening to Peterson are the ones left on the fence of the revolution with no hero's journey, no script and are the ones left in the social space to receive the brunt of leftist dialogue on white and male privilege. These are the boys not smart enough, dominant enough or wealthy enough to not give a shit about the critique of the leftist coalition of aggrieved groups. They are stuck down in the muck with everyone else, but paying for the sins of the white men in real power positions who have most propogated the patriarchy. Peterson has become who he has become because the progressive movement forgot to bring along these white boys, granted doing so would have alienated most of the women, minorities, gays/lesbians/transgendered individuals, immigrants etc. who were fighting so hard for their seat at the table. Peterson is absolutely at his best when he critiques identity politics and warns of where it has always and will always take us. Identity politics is an inherently zero-sum game regardless of which side plays. There will be winners and losers. Peterson, however, isn't very interested in or focused on arguing for a social game or program that would lead to an ethic or care or a win-win-win or at least a Nash equilibrium of some sort. Rather his solution is as cliched as most of the rest of his thought - individual responsibility. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07746828389438480177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939915290794973654.post-5085049924008852872018-09-15T19:40:01.531-04:002018-09-15T19:40:01.531-04:00So are you in agreement with his position that it ...So are you in agreement with his position that it IS useful and important to invite white nationalists to speak at events? Or are you in agreement with his curious use of the term "postmodernism" despite the many criticisms he's garnered from many philosophy professors. Those are the specific issues I took to task in this post. If you didn't find my critique useful, try any of the links I included in the post. They might be more compelling.Marie Snyderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13872774009526266579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939915290794973654.post-30652148957709330052018-09-15T16:34:43.872-04:002018-09-15T16:34:43.872-04:00I’m a middle aged white, female, Democrat. Jordan ...I’m a middle aged white, female, Democrat. Jordan Peterson puts together a compelling argument for me. I generally find myself agreeing with most opinions he is sharing. I find your commentary to be not as well thought out, and it sounds jealous, i’m sorry to say. I would love to find someone to balance out Peterson, not good to listen to one viewpoint, but your not it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com