If you've missed out on this phenomenon, here's a primer:
Come for the sideshow, stay for the main event. That's probably the best way to explain how this all started.
Jordan Peterson is a Canadian clinical psychologist and professor at the University of Toronto who first came to fame thanks to his taking a stand against "forced speech" - or an Ontario provincial dictat that said that he would be required to use pronouns such as "ze" and "zir" to address trans individuals.
One side thought that was "transphobic," but another side thought that being compelled to use "made-up words" was too authoritarian. (I'm on that side: compelled speech is a dangerous precedent, but more on that another time.)
The resulting sideshow meant that people started Googling Professor Peterson and finding out that he had uploaded hours upon hours of his lectures on YouTube. And he didn't meet an interview he didn't like, sitting down for long conversations with folks that can now be described as the "Intellectual Dark Web," spotlighting his thinking on gender differences, reasons for being, the Bible, evolution, philosophy, work, and a heck of a lot more.
The Book
His "12 Rules for Life" is now a best-seller.![12-rules-for-life-2.jpg] (
) It took me a week to finish it and it's not an easy read - mostly because it makes you challenge a whole host of assumptions.
The Interview
It's gotten to the point that it is known, simply, as "The Interview." Peterson sat down with the UK Channel 4's Cathy Newman and the result was a 30-minute fireworks show. (I've spent most of my career in public relations and I'm convinced this will be studied, for years to come, in media training and message training sessions. It's that bloody good.)
Here's the YouTube video. I invite you to watch it, check out Dr. Peterson's work, and maybe challenge a couple of assumptions.
Dave