Last year this Canadian clinical psychologist and university professor rode the high road to stardom and became a bonafide celebrity. He was the “father I never had” in the eyes of a young male audience. I appreciate his book and discussed it on my blog. (see 12 Rules for Life Book Review).
I consider 12 Rules the best self-improvement book of 2018 and Dr Peterson a dynamic, influential and eloquent speaker that offers a healthy perspective to our indoctrinated, immature society.
However, I noticed a “redpill” male audience (not his usual detractors) have distanced themselves from him and “unfriended” him to the extent he’s felled out of favor. From patriarch to pariah ? What’s going on ? They loved him and then they didn’t ?
What happened to Dr. J.B. Peterson and some of his fans
- In my opinion, Peterson is guilty of the same sin the vast majority of self-help gurus are, which is putting all the blame on the subject. It’s your fault, it’s your thinking, you’re not working hard enough, you’re not hustling 20 hours a day seven days a week, etc. I don’t slime people like that, it’s not how this world operates.
- Instead, in my 2018 book I give some clear guidelines of people’s schemes and agendas, so you are not being fooled by other people. Am I being clear: you are either being fooled or you are not. No two ways about it. No sideways. People’s entire posture-making is an act. If you don’t know their act…you’ll buy into it. Simple logic: that’s the reason you’re not the boss. (and for that same reason, you might be the boss).
- Peterson’s background is way too far removed from the realities of our days. His views on marriage, or God, are outdated. Frankly, it’s not surprising you see backlash to his teachings. The marriage institution was invented hundreds (thousands ?) of years ago, when the average lifespan was 30-40 years for a healthy individual. Men and women are NOT build to live together for decades at a time. Following some very simple logic, perhaps the longest a couple could be together is the age of acquiring maturity for their offspring -18 years the most. That’s the longest. Dr. Peterson (and 200 million others) will disagree with me, but we’re just not meant to stay together for a long time.
- I can go on and on, but I’ve already covered that ground…monogamy is a myth: not going to tread old waters today. Making a marriage work should not be a goal of a man, but his (long-term) happiness should. People fall out-of-love all the time, it is the natural progression of falling in love.
- While I respect Peterson’s contributions on many subjects, he is way too traditional. The fans who’ve rejected him…they see he belongs in another era. Peterson doesn’t address the issue of divorce rape of men, and his [male] fans see through it.
- Dr. Peterson falls through the cracks on so many issues, it’s daunting. The issue of income inequality for example. He is clueless on that one.
- Hierarchies. His basic message that hierarchies are inherent and are also present in the animal world is OK, but is also defeatist. He doesn’t understand the fan base is not window-shopping for the latest mascaras, but is getting beaten every day. With that, Dr. Peterson is light and angelical towards the elites, which he wouldn’t touch even with the feather of his pen. That’s not how life works, Dr. Peterson.
- I’ve been in the trenches. I’ve seen the fight. I have been wronged. I don’t have any illusions about people. I echo what the discontented and disenfranchised audience of Peterson has. And I understand why they’ve distanced themselves from him. Those fans don’t want more sugar-coating and success porn from him.
- There’s only so much a psychology professor can do. And that’s understandable. Professorship is a pretty comfortable place in life, even if you have a few disagreements with your fellow professors and board.
- On the far end of self-helpers like Dr. Peterson there a few prescription people, people who give their prescriptions for everything and every situation. These are even worse than self-helpers. These will tell you what to do in your 20s, in your 30s, in your so-in-so position, when to marry and what to carry.