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

1. 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.
2. 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).
3. 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 His views on marriage, or God, are outdated.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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.

More Cowbell is not the solution

Dr. Peterson dodges #metoo movement question…by asking a question. Fools some of the audience… but not all.

In episode 10 of the Spartacus series: Blood and Sand: “Party Favors”, young Numerius, son of the Magistrate Calavius, gets an overview of gladiators training on the ludus (gladiator school) grounds from Spartacus.

“Spartacus walks Numerius through the training grounds. They witness an intense sparring match between Crixus and Duro. Throughout the match, Crixus taunts Spartacus and tries to persuade Spartacus to fight him. However, Duro insists that the fight is only between himself and Crixus, as he relentlessly attempts to overpower Crixus. Crixus easily bests Duro again before leaving. As Duro sits in defeat, the gladiators unexpectedly applaud him for his courage. Agron, too, is proud of his brother for his display of bravery.” (Spartacus Wikia)

The youngster is dumbfounded.
Numerius: “The man is defeated yet treated as a victor. Why ?”
Spartacus: “A sign of respect.” **There’s a lesson right there. The man who rises and fights, although he may have lost, is deserved the respect for doing it.**

The Party Favors episode doesn’t end well. Spartacus ends up forced to kill his friend Varo when commanded so by Numerius at the B-day party. Numerius himself being puppet mastered by Ilythia who lays with Numerius in order to manipulate him into giving that order. (If you haven’t watched it, the entire episode is narrated at Spartacus.Wikia -link)

Today I’ll give you some thoughts on Jordan B. Peterson. This is the post my youngest readers have anxiously been waiting for. If you are over the age of 70, we understand, you can skip this post. I may be doing a Part 2/3 on this, since I’m not covering enough here.

I’ve watched a few videos and interviews with JBP. He is an erudite and eloquent orator. His speaking skills are remarkable.   The 12 “Rules” are all relevant. They’re not “new”, however. For example, “clean up your room (Rule 6)” is a banality, yet few people do it.

Quote of the day: “There is no justice in this world.” -Spartacus (in agreement with **billionaire** Marcus Crassus)

Rule 1. Stand up straight with your shoulders back. 

Rule 2. Treat yourself like you would someone you are responsible for helping. 

Rule 3. Make friends with people who want the best for you. 

Rule 4. Compare yourself with who you were yesterday, not with who someone else is today. 

Rule 5. Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them. 

Rule 6. Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world. 

Rule 7. Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient). We are so often pushed around by “I need to do this…and that. To-do lists. Emergencies (very few of what we characterize are so)

Rule 8. Tell the truth – or, at least, don’t lie.  Aha, but ““In Paradise, everyone speaks the truth. That is what makes it Paradise.” Max Cantor question: **How often has your boss lied to you ?**

Rule 9. Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t.  This is a call to attentive, purposeful listening, which I advocate for on this site.

Rule 10. Be precise in your speech. Don’t ramble.

Rule 11. Do not bother children when they are skate-boarding. Trial-and-error starts early.

Rule 12. Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street. If cats get seven lives, they may have something to teach. (Source: 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote for Chaos )

From JBP’s site: “He’s a Quora Most Viewed Writer, with 200,000 Twitter followers and 90000 Facebook likes. His YouTube channel’s 225 videos have 460,000 subscribers, 1,000,000 views a month, and 30,000,000 views in total. Malcolm Gladwell discussed psychology with him while researching his books, Norman Doidge is a good friend and collaborator, thriller writer Gregg Hurwitz employed several of his ‘valuable things’ as a plot feature in his #1 international bestseller, Orphan X, and he worked with Jim Balsillie, former RIM CEO, on a project for the UN Secretary General.”-JBP

There were 42 (?) Rules originally and the Professor eventually cut them to 12, he explained. Do not allow yourself to become arrogant or resentful. The hungry one doesn’t have the luxury of being arrogant. As far as “resentful”, I teach how to use that to your advantage.

Jordan B Peterson’s recommended reading list

12 Rules for Life: An Antidote for Chaos, book review in the Financial Times

Professor Peterson,

Who do I wanna be, you ask ? I am Spartacus. But you already knew that.

Life is a battle. The time for reckoning is now.
What did you expect ?  Did you expect the Caesars and the Marcus Crassuss of the world to just hand over your birthday cake to you ?  “Hello, Spartacus. Can we cook your dinner tonight ?” Yes, right. 

My life is earned. In battle. 

Your Man,

Max Cantor