Need SFW video to rebut Jordan Peterson toxicity at work

March 18, 2019 6:31 PM

I'm looking for a safe for work video that I can integrate into a presentation explaining why Jordan Peterson's rhetoric is harmful. Hope me.

One of my coworkers is a big fan of Jordan Peterson, social darwinism, and gender essentialism. He showed this video at a multicultural affairs team meeting to make a point of how ridiculous/wrongheaded/whatever SJWs and feminism are. He was also trying to plant his flag on the rigteousness of not using people's correct gender pronouns, as being "forced" to do so is part of how free speech and "the West" are being destroyed. This week, I'm tasked with a rebuttal. My first go to would be Contrapoints, but she's hella NSFW. Is there a video she has out that I'm not aware of that would fly in a work space? If not, is there a work safe video that the hive mind knows of that talks about how treating trans folks with respect is not an impingement on one's free speech and personal civil liberties?

posted by anonymous to Media & Arts (9 answers total)

This video is very short (3 min), SFW, is presented by a non-binary individual, and is from Canada, much like the loathsome Peterson himself. The video makes three points: 1) misgendering is illegal in Canada; 2) misgendering causes transphobia; and 3) misgendering shows a lack of respect. I see from your profile that you’re in the US, so the first point wouldn’t have the same resonance, although you could say something like “in Jordan Peterson’s own country, this issue has been deemed important enough to be written into law”. However, a cis person myself, the second and third points resonate with me most strongly.

Using the correct pronouns costs me nothing, and is a matter of courtesy and respect. The free-speech argument that your colleague is using is nonsensical, and would be equivalent to you being introduced to him and then refusing to call him by his name, but instead choosing to call him from then on, say, “Jordan”. Or “Homer Simpson”. You have a free-speech right to do it, but it would be considered disrespectful, rude and would normally read as aggressive.

The same for pronouns. If your male, Peterson-idolising colleague would be uncomfortable with his colleagues exercising their free-speech rights to identify him using female pronouns, he should reflect on that. And that links back to point two - while he would have the privilege to find that merely uncomfortable and irritating in the context of the society in which we live, he is unlikely to suffer violence because the rest of you want to identify him as female and he would prefer to be identified as male. Trans and non-binary people correctly see this same misidentification as the thin end of a wedge that results in their death.
posted by chappell, ambrose at 6:56 PM on March 18, 2019 [26 favorites]

This seems really problematic in a workplace - being tasked to come up with a response reduces it to the level of just an intellectual debate. Surely the company can have a fairly clear policy that colleagues should be preferred to using their chosen names and pronouns? I can't imagine a scenario where someone is repeatedly deliberately misgendering someone else and it wouldn't be a disciplinary offence. Can you get HR to clarify and leave it at that?

Engaging in debate makes it seem like both sides have valid positions, and especially problematic at work where the JP video also tries to deny and justify the gender pay gap. Also, it was reported at the time of the James Damore memo that Google fired other employees too - those that argued against him as well - companies just want to avoid controversy.
posted by JonB at 12:25 AM on March 19, 2019 [37 favorites]

Peter Coffin on JBP
Cuck Philosophy on JBP (disregard the channel name, it is mostly focused on actual philosophy and mainly works like the Contra video without the fun Contra stuff)
And for a related theme, Three Arrows on why JBP does not understand Nazis (Three Arrows is a German antifa guy who doesn't like much the alt-right misuse of German history)
posted by sukeban at 1:14 AM on March 19, 2019 [1 favorite]

Wow, do not send or discuss a video with 'cuck' in the title around at work (Google from a non work Internet connection / pc if unsure what it means) !
posted by JonB at 1:28 AM on March 19, 2019 [5 favorites]

I know, but it's a Shaun-style voiceover video about why JBP talks nonsense when he speaks about postmodernism and how postmodernism is different from actual marxist theory. Shame about the edgy channel name.
posted by sukeban at 1:44 AM on March 19, 2019

(I guess you could download the video to your computer or something, if that's a problem)
posted by sukeban at 1:59 AM on March 19, 2019

Mod note: A couple deleted. Folks, OP has contacted us and is aware that the situation is not okay, but what they need right now is what they have asked for — so please help with actual resources. Thanks.
posted by taz (staff) at 5:08 AM on March 19, 2019 [3 favorites]

I think I saw the Alt-Right Playbook video series linked in one of the politics catch-alls on the blue, but I can't find the link right now. It's not specifically about Jordan Peterson, but might be useful in dealing with the particular person who showed his video and the ways that his arguments and Peterson's are formed.
posted by msbrauer at 8:57 AM on March 19, 2019

I know it's not a video, but I think that reading Lawrie Penny's article on Peterson is good prep for your presentation. If nothing else, to be prepared for your co-worker's reaction - from what you have said about him, he is an angry, resentful man, and that means he's dangerous.
posted by Vortisaur at 11:45 AM on March 19, 2019