Reflections on Paul VanderKlay’s video, “Has Jordan Peterson become Fat Thor?” But, really, it is on more than this. For example, Peterson’s discussion with Joe Rogan about cancelling certain guests, his co-authoring a paper attacking those who proclaim “Christ is King,” things like that (this last one has opened a bit of a rift with Peterson for Jonathan Pageau).
In other words, Peterson is just another free speech advocate who no longer supports free speech – a move that basically defines the Daily Wire, for whom Peterson happens to work.
Apparently, in Peterson’s recent appearance on Joe Rogan, Rogan began by asking something about picturing a Hollywood man in a marriage to a difficult woman, and how through this the marriage destroyed the man’s career and, eventually, the man. I say “apparently,” because I almost never watch anymore anything involving Peterson – this was per VanderKLay.
Now, when I heard of this open, I thought this is why Rogan makes a lot of money; it was a brilliant open for a discussion with Peterson – not because Peterson is a psychologist, but because Peterson is the man about whom Rogan is asking.
Peterson changed the subject – of course he would. In no way does he want to deal with this subject. He is the Hollywood man married to the Daily Wire, and this marriage is destroying Peterson’s career and will soon enough destroy Peterson. What is tearing him apart is the same thing that is tearing the (political / republican / Trumpian) right apart.
You lose all credibility when you are one who has been advocating for free speech and against cancel culture and then, on a dime, call for cancel culture and come out against free speech. Peterson isn’t the only one. We saw this with Douglas Murray on Rogan with Dave Smith, and we see it with other high-status individuals on the political right.
The only way to salvage this for Peterson – his career and maybe his sanity – is to leave the Daily Wire and not worry about being cancelled or losing status.
Others have done it successfully.