17 thoughts on “Jordan Peterson”

  1. Publishing is a dying industry. So it probably is hard to find replacements.

    It used to offer a job for life. Now it’s debatable whether it can even offer a job for a decade.

  2. It does make you wonder how much of this is a coping mechanism for problems and weakness in their own lives. Blaming others for your faults has to be one of the most ancient human foibles.

  4. Should have added this:

    > Another employee said “people were crying in the meeting about how Jordan Peterson has affected their lives.” They said one co-worker discussed how Peterson had radicalized their father and another, who is talked about how publishing the book will negatively affect their non-binary friend.

    Yeah, sometimes I’ve had tears in my eyes reading and listening to Peterson, mainly because someone is finally saying that being responsible for your own life, and others, is important and meaningful.

    Also, note the drone that is worried for someone on their behalf. Did they ask them I wonder?

    1. I love that bit about how Peterson radicalized their father. I wonder if Peterson just gave their father context and language with which to articulate things he already believed, or even took for granted. Freaky radical stuff like Two Sex Theory.

    1. I would never have made that comparison, so now I am intrigued. I see McGraw as an uneducated populist buffoon, whereas I see Peterson as an educated and highly logical educator. Nobody is perfect, Peterson certainly is fallible, but I am genuinely interested in how you chose to compare them so equitably

      1. Both of them are from the “get ahold of yourself instead of blaming everyone else for your problems” school of counseling psychology.

        Peterson uses more 10-dollar words, but why do you regard McGraw that way?

        1. My bias against Dr. Phil most likely stems from my perception that he sensationalizes things for ratings. Yes, Peterson sells books, but he does not regularly delve publicly into a guest’s situation and humiliate them. Dr. Phil also is not a licensed psychologist. He does have a PhD in clinical psychology, but he is no longer licensed anywhere. Dr. Phil also has been formally reprimanded by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists. Certainly his pursuit of actress Shelley Duvall for one of his television episodes when she was suffering from deteriorating mental health was absolutely awful. Not aware of any similar behavior from Dr. Peterson.

          Essentially, I see Dr. Phil as something of a predator, whereas I see Dr. Peterson as a far more moral individual.

    1. One of the problems publishing has is that much of the new blood entering the market is self-publishing, particularly in genres like SF (writers tend to know about tech) and Romance (writers write a lot of books and publishers have had a reputation for ripping them off in the past).

      But I’m not sure it would work in this case, because it typically cuts you off from all the marketing that a publisher can do for a book that it wants to make a big hit. Non-fiction generally still does better through a publisher if you can find one.

      1. JP has a huge presence. PR is a nonfactor. There is a long list of influential podcasters that will have him on as a guest and all of the usual venues for his speaking engagements. He probably already has a publicist that handles bookings.

        Self publishing is a little daunting and it requires the author do slightly different work than they are used to. But he could ask Jocko how he did it or maybe even have Jocko publish the book for him.

        Traditional publishing offers convenience to the author and JP is a busy person. However, whether it is self publishing or finding another publisher, he has a lot of options open to him. IMO, self publishing would be the most rewarding for him both financially and personally.

Comments are closed.