A brief explanation of anti-feminist alt-right?
June 28, 2024 1:48 PM Subscribe
A friend's husband has discovered Jordan Peterson. This comes after the husband has expressed increasingly anti-feminist opinions. She'd like a comprehensive but readable (no video or podcasts) survey of Peterson and his ilk. What can you suggest?
She was so happy that he's reading, yay! Then I told her a little bit about why this author might be worrying. She did not get my references (manosphere, red-pilled, MRA, PUA, alt-right, trad wives, white supremacy, etc.) and needs something to read that lays it all out. A kind of map? An essay that makes connections among these areas? Her husband is a good guy, but he is slowly being persuaded into some stuff that she (a feminist!) finds offensive and she is worried. I can talk with her about the pieces, but I'd like essays/articles that pull it all together at a higher level. (Refutations of JP welcome too.)
She was so happy that he's reading, yay! Then I told her a little bit about why this author might be worrying. She did not get my references (manosphere, red-pilled, MRA, PUA, alt-right, trad wives, white supremacy, etc.) and needs something to read that lays it all out. A kind of map? An essay that makes connections among these areas? Her husband is a good guy, but he is slowly being persuaded into some stuff that she (a feminist!) finds offensive and she is worried. I can talk with her about the pieces, but I'd like essays/articles that pull it all together at a higher level. (Refutations of JP welcome too.)
A few years old now, but this Vox article takes a look at the bizarro philosophical points JP makes to justify the antifeminist worldview.
posted by pantarei70 at 2:39 PM on June 28 [4 favorites]
posted by pantarei70 at 2:39 PM on June 28 [4 favorites]
I'm trying to find a good recent round-up; in the meantime: The New Yorker's primer, Jordan Peterson's Gospel of Masculinity (March 5, 2018), was published a couple of years after his high-profile protest of Bill C-16 began, and five years before "Ontario court rules against Jordan Peterson" (Oct. 2023; professional censure, after The College of Psychologists of Ontario investigation).
posted by Iris Gambol at 3:03 PM on June 28 [2 favorites]
posted by Iris Gambol at 3:03 PM on June 28 [2 favorites]
The On Canada Project's "Here's Why Jordan Peterson is the F*cking Worst: The Man and His Myths" from Dec. 19, 2022, points out: His solution to incel violence is "enforced monogamy"; Peterson is aggressively against Bill C-16 (on adding gender expression & identity); Jordan Peterson is disgustingly transphobic; Jordan Peterson believes that society discriminates against straight, white men.
"His content is deliberately and carefully constructed, covertly hiding his bigotry in his beliefs by grounding his claims in supposed psychological and scientific discourse (and leveraging his Ph.D.). But that's the thing; he's claiming science when at best, it's pseudoscience being catered towards a moral panic to spread his hate and division further. If someone you know is a big-time Peterson defender, it can be hard to challenge some of their talking points without deep-diving into this guy's problematic history. So, here are some examples of the indefensible and outrageous things Jordan has said, believes in, and supports."
Jordan Peterson is the worst: Rapid Fire Edition
-- Called Trudeau banning conversion therapy "moral grandstanding."
-- Believes that if women wear makeup in the workplace and complain about sexual harassment, they're hypocritical and at fault.
-- Straight up doesn't believe in climate science and said: "there is no such thing as climate."
-- Believes "that it's necessary for kids to have models [ie. parents] of both sexes."
-- Stated that Islamophobia is "a word created by fascists and used... to manipulate morons."
-- Believes white privilege is "a Marxist lie."
"What Peterson is doing is deciding that he is the expert on everyone. He refuses to accept that other people have different lived experiences, especially people who aren't cis-het white men. He blatantly denies systemic inequities because how could they exist if he has never faced any?
"Whenever we mention Jordan Peterson, we always get comments about how "some of his points make sense," but here's the thing: JP deliberately uses his history in academia to give his hateful and inaccurate beliefs credibility. [...] Ask yourself this: If someone is perpetrating harm, even if they are good at other things, should they continue to have a position of influence that allows them to harm people? And if the answer is yes - aren't we saying that we deem the occasional good idea from this person as more important than the community they are harming? Doesn't that make us part of the problem too?"
posted by Iris Gambol at 3:15 PM on June 28 [12 favorites]
"His content is deliberately and carefully constructed, covertly hiding his bigotry in his beliefs by grounding his claims in supposed psychological and scientific discourse (and leveraging his Ph.D.). But that's the thing; he's claiming science when at best, it's pseudoscience being catered towards a moral panic to spread his hate and division further. If someone you know is a big-time Peterson defender, it can be hard to challenge some of their talking points without deep-diving into this guy's problematic history. So, here are some examples of the indefensible and outrageous things Jordan has said, believes in, and supports."
Jordan Peterson is the worst: Rapid Fire Edition
-- Called Trudeau banning conversion therapy "moral grandstanding."
-- Believes that if women wear makeup in the workplace and complain about sexual harassment, they're hypocritical and at fault.
-- Straight up doesn't believe in climate science and said: "there is no such thing as climate."
-- Believes "that it's necessary for kids to have models [ie. parents] of both sexes."
-- Stated that Islamophobia is "a word created by fascists and used... to manipulate morons."
-- Believes white privilege is "a Marxist lie."
"What Peterson is doing is deciding that he is the expert on everyone. He refuses to accept that other people have different lived experiences, especially people who aren't cis-het white men. He blatantly denies systemic inequities because how could they exist if he has never faced any?
"Whenever we mention Jordan Peterson, we always get comments about how "some of his points make sense," but here's the thing: JP deliberately uses his history in academia to give his hateful and inaccurate beliefs credibility. [...] Ask yourself this: If someone is perpetrating harm, even if they are good at other things, should they continue to have a position of influence that allows them to harm people? And if the answer is yes - aren't we saying that we deem the occasional good idea from this person as more important than the community they are harming? Doesn't that make us part of the problem too?"
posted by Iris Gambol at 3:15 PM on June 28 [12 favorites]
Decoding the Gurus podcast has a number of good episodes on Peterson that are worth a listen - this one maybe the best - for anyone interested in podcasts (which doesn't sound like your friend - but maybe some other folks).
To answer your actual question, those podcasters recommend a couple of good articles about Peterson:
* The Intellectual We Deserve (Current Affairs)
* Peterson's former mentor takes him down (Toronto Star/archive.today) - original
Also, this more recent podcast episode, The Descent of Jordan B. Peterson has a long list of links to good resources on Peterson.
posted by flug at 3:44 PM on June 28 [1 favorite]
To answer your actual question, those podcasters recommend a couple of good articles about Peterson:
* The Intellectual We Deserve (Current Affairs)
* Peterson's former mentor takes him down (Toronto Star/archive.today) - original
Also, this more recent podcast episode, The Descent of Jordan B. Peterson has a long list of links to good resources on Peterson.
posted by flug at 3:44 PM on June 28 [1 favorite]
from Vox: Jordan Peterson, the obscure Canadian psychologist turned right-wing celebrity, explained
posted by O9scar at 3:49 PM on June 28 [2 favorites]
posted by O9scar at 3:49 PM on June 28 [2 favorites]
Mod note: several comments removed, as the OP asked for no videos or podcasts.
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 7:31 PM on June 28 [3 favorites]
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 7:31 PM on June 28 [3 favorites]
Here are the search results for stuff on Peterson from Jacobin Magazine. Story titles are pretty literal, so just scroll and pick what looks helpful.
posted by toodleydoodley at 8:01 PM on June 28
posted by toodleydoodley at 8:01 PM on June 28
Best answer: The manosphere promises to fix young men’s lives. Instead, it’s making them miserable (Mother Jones, August 9, 2023), briefly summarizes the movement's antecedents in American culture, sketches its current iteration, and defines some terms unfamiliar to your friend.
By the same author (Eamon Whalen), at the same outlet, on June 15, 2023:"A guide to a few of the bold-face names in the manosphere influencer galaxy": After MeToo, a regressive vision of masculinity became increasingly popular [...] One of the consequences of the revelations that many prominent men behaved poorly in private was a very public effort to grapple with the whole concept of masculinity. Boys have long been mired in a well-publicized and seemingly endless “crisis.” But MeToo raised another question: Who would speak to these men?
posted by Iris Gambol at 8:08 PM on June 28 [1 favorite]
By the same author (Eamon Whalen), at the same outlet, on June 15, 2023:"A guide to a few of the bold-face names in the manosphere influencer galaxy": After MeToo, a regressive vision of masculinity became increasingly popular [...] One of the consequences of the revelations that many prominent men behaved poorly in private was a very public effort to grapple with the whole concept of masculinity. Boys have long been mired in a well-publicized and seemingly endless “crisis.” But MeToo raised another question: Who would speak to these men?
posted by Iris Gambol at 8:08 PM on June 28 [1 favorite]
Steven Pinker and Jordan Peterson: the missing link between neoliberalism and the radical right
James A. Smith OpenDemocracy 2018
It’s longish rather than shortish, but gets a lot of the stuff lined up usefully.
posted by Joeruckus at 2:39 AM on June 29 [1 favorite]
James A. Smith OpenDemocracy 2018
It’s longish rather than shortish, but gets a lot of the stuff lined up usefully.
posted by Joeruckus at 2:39 AM on June 29 [1 favorite]
Here are two better recommendations which are shorter, punchier, livelier, and getting-to-the-feminist-critique-quicker than that piece I linked in the previous comment:
A Brief History of Jordan Peterson by Hannah Proctor in Tribune Magazine, 2019
Peterson's Complaint by Laurie Penny in Longreads, 2018.
posted by Joeruckus at 3:30 AM on June 29 [2 favorites]
A Brief History of Jordan Peterson by Hannah Proctor in Tribune Magazine, 2019
Peterson's Complaint by Laurie Penny in Longreads, 2018.
posted by Joeruckus at 3:30 AM on June 29 [2 favorites]
A kind of map? An essay that makes connections among these areas?
Stiffed: the Roots of Modern Male Rage by Susan Faludi
posted by HearHere at 5:45 AM on June 29 [1 favorite]
Stiffed: the Roots of Modern Male Rage by Susan Faludi
posted by HearHere at 5:45 AM on June 29 [1 favorite]
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Apologies they're not more concise, but he's a famous bloviator and his odious ideas (beyond "women bad, men good") are pretty sprawling. I would suggest a number of video essays but if they're off the table, I don't think that you can get a better start than RW.
posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 2:19 PM on June 28 [3 favorites]