Latest news with #JordanPeterson
New York Times
29-05-2025
- Health
- New York Times
The Democrats' 20-Million-Dollar-Man Problem
It's not every day that a stranger cries right in front of you. But that's what happened to me in 2018. I had been invited to speak at Grove City College, a small Christian college outside Pittsburgh, and a young man picked me up at the airport for the 90-minute drive to the school. During our conversation, he asked me, 'Do you know who Jordan Peterson is?' I said yes. Peterson's self-help book, '12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos,' which had been released earlier that year, was an enormous best seller. It has sold 10 million copies worldwide. I'd read the book and liked it. It's not a political tome. It's written to provide meaning and purpose for a generation of young men who too often don't know what to believe or whom to trust. The book's 'rules' — such as 'make friends with people who want the best for you' and 'compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not who someone else is today' — provide a kind of common-sense road map to living a life of greater meaning and purpose. At its core, it's a self-help book. Think of something like Stephen Covey's 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,' but with far more biblical references. Peterson 'saved my life,' the man said. He choked up. After he'd finished his enlistment with the Marines, he left the Corps with no job, very few friends and no plan. He descended into depression. But Peterson taught him to find meaning in small accomplishments, in making the next day better than the last, and now he was on his way — he had a job, he was finishing a degree and he was making something of his life. That young man is not alone. If you dive into the Jordan Peterson universe, especially in the days before the pandemic — before his politics (and manner) became more bizarre and conspiratorial — you'll hear countless stories like that. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Guardian
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Lost Boys by James Bloodworth review – journey into the manosphere
When his editor suggested he write a book about the manosphere, James Bloodworth replied, 'Why would I want to do that?' You can see his point. Who would intentionally spend their days immersed in the toxic online subculture where men go to blame women for everything and plot their revenge? Who would choose to listen to endless Jordan Peterson podcasts or watch interminable Andrew Tate videos? Well, the answer is quite a lot of men, even though Bloodworth doesn't really seem to know why. His book begins with an excellent chapter in which he describes how, as a callow 23-year-old, he forked out a couple of grand to take a course in seduction. This was the era of Neil Strauss's 2005 bestseller The Game, which taught geeky men how to pull hapless women. A bundle of nerves, the author ended up chanting a mantra of 'Right here, right now!' on a night out in the West End. As he prepared to approach a 'target', his coach informed him encouragingly, 'Your organ is a spear.' Unfortunately, for a book subtitled 'a personal journey', this reminiscence is as personal as it gets. The author has interviewed some leading lights of the manosphere, including former pickup artist Anthony 'Dream' Johnson. He has gone to several conferences where participants wear baseball caps printed with the slogan 'Make Women Great Again'. He has even worked as a coach on a course in how to design social media profiles to attract women. (The signature Instagram pic of the tutor, Michael Sartain, has him surrounded by scantily clad women with a grin on his face.) Yet we never again get the same level of detail. We get little idea of how Bloodworth landed that job, or how he felt doing it. Was he nervous, for instance, that he might be unmasked as a left-leaning investigative reporter? This leaves us with more generic material, which is sobering all the same. According to Lost Boys' broadly chronological account, noughties pickup culture gave rise to the manosphere proper as men who absorbed the lessons of Strauss's book found they still weren't having any luck, and got angry about it. Those who were successful posted clips online of themselves chatting up women, and worked out that the ones where they insulted their targets were the most popular. So they posted more clips like that. We learn about the Red Pill brigade, who believe that the world is secretly run by women and most men don't stand a chance. And so on. Strangely, there's zero consideration here of the explosion of online pornography, which encourages hyper-sexualisation while arguably exacerbating the sense of inadequacy felt by the viewer. I would have liked to have read more, too, on the accelerating effects of social media algorithms, as a result of which, Bloodworth notes, a boy showing interest in the relatively cerebral musings of Peterson will, within the hour, be exposed to Tate's more extreme messaging. At its best, Lost Boys itself acts as a kind of red pill, exposing the fact that the manosphere is really run by an assortment of more or less sleazy grifters. When I followed Sartain on Instagram to learn more about the kind of course to which Bloodworth contributed, within minutes I received a DM from Sartain himself: 'You here for the girls & lifestyle or the recent social circle vid I just did?' 'Girls & lifestyle,' I replied after a pause, keen to see how far the racket would go. I've since had five more messages steering me towards his 21 Day Social Circle programme, which costs about $7,000. Meanwhile, as Bloodworth points out towards the end of the book, the White House has enthusiastically embraced the slang and stylings of these hucksters. Trump dismisses his enemies as 'beta'. His vice-president, JD Vance, describes himself as 'red-pilled'. The manosphere may be a tawdry subculture. Is there a danger it becomes the culture at large? Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion Lost Boys: A Personal Journey Through the Manosphere by James Bloodworth is published by Atlantic Books (£17.99). To support the Guardian buy a copy at Delivery charges may apply.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jordan Peterson stuns atheist debaters by refusing to identify as Christian in viral exchange
Famed Canadian psychologist and speaker Jordan Peterson debated twenty atheists in a video posted Sunday that quickly went viral after Peterson shocked the group by refusing to clarify whether he's a Christian. The academic appeared on the YouTube channel Jubilee in a video currently titled, "Jordan Peterson vs 20 Atheists" on Sunday. The video was originally titled, "1 Christian vs 20 atheists," according to Newsweek. The popular YouTube channel frequently publishes videos where one person debates 20-25 other people who hold a contrary view on politics, religion or other polarizing issues. In the roughly-90-minute video, Peterson debated several atheists on claims about belief in God, Christianity and atheism. About halfway through the video, one debater who said his name was "Danny," pressed Peterson on his understanding of Catholicism, as Peterson reportedly attends a Catholic Church with his wife, who converted to Catholicism last year. Joe Rogan Starts Going To Church As Faith Resurgence Gains Momentum, Christian Apologist Claims When Peterson asked Danny why he was asking him about this, Danny responded, "Because you're a Christian." Read On The Fox News App "You say that. I haven't claimed that," Peterson replied. His answer drew laughs from the atheists. Danny retorted, "Oh, what is this? Christians versus atheists?" referring to the title of the debate. "I don't know," Peterson responded. "You don't know where you are right now?" Danny mocked, with Peterson chiding his debater to "not be a smart—." "Either you're a Christian or you're not," Danny said. "Which one is it?" Peterson refused to answer his question, replying, "I could be either of them, but I don't have to tell you. It's private." Country Music Singer John Rich Confronts Jordan Peterson On His Faith Crisis: 'What Terrifies You?' Danny told Peterson he was invited to debate a Christian and that Peterson must be in "the wrong YouTube video." "You're really quite something, aren't you?" Peterson retorted. "Aren't I? But you're really quite nothing, right? You're not a Christian?" Danny scoffed. Peterson ended the debate with Danny at this point. Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture A clip of the exchange has since attracted over 7 million views. The person who posted the clip wrote in the caption, "During a debate titled 'One Christian vs. Twenty Atheists,' Jordan Peterson was pressed to identify himself as a Christian but awkwardly refused.." Peterson did not immediately return Fox News Digital's request for comment. Peterson, who wrote a book last year titled, "We Who Wrestle with God: Perceptions of the Divine," has faced questions about his faith journey over the years. During an interview with country music singer John Rich in 2024, Peterson admitted he "loathed" talking about his personal faith beliefs in public because he didn't want it to be a article source: Jordan Peterson stuns atheist debaters by refusing to identify as Christian in viral exchange
News.com.au
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘You're really nothing': Jordan Peterson roasted in debate against 20 atheists
Controversial psychologist Jordan Peterson has been mocked for bizarre performance in a debate against 20 atheists. The Canadian author and commentator, 62, appeared on popular YouTube channel Jubilee's Surrounded series on Monday, which pits one person against 20 audience members who take turns grilling the guest in a rapid-fire debate format. Dr Peterson — who rose to prominence on the right speaking out on issues including free speech, transgendersim, feminism, religion and Covid — sat down to field questions on topics including Christian morality and Biblical teaching. But the once-famed debater raised eyebrows online for a number of awkward exchanges during the 90-minute video — including at one point refusing to answer whether he was a Christian. The Jubilee episode was initially billed as '1 Christian vs 20 Atheists', before the title was changed to 'Jordan Peterson vs 20 Atheists' several hours after it was published. 'You're a Christian,' one debater named Danny stated, after questioning Dr Peterson on Catholic teaching. 'You say that, I haven't claimed that,' Dr Peterson said. 'What is this, is this Christians versus atheists?' Danny said. 'I don't know,' Dr Peterson replied. 'You don't know where you are right now,' Danny said. 'Don't be a smartass,' Dr Peterson warned. 'Either you're a Christian or you're not, which one is it?' Danny asked. 'I could be either of them but I don't have to tell you,' Dr Peterson said. Danny said he was 'under the impression I was invited to talk to a Christian'. 'Am I not talking to a Christian?' he asked. 'I think everyone should look at the title of the YouTube channel. You're probably in the wrong YouTube channel.' Dr Peterson replied, 'You're really quite something, you are.' Prompting Danny to hit back, 'Aren't I? But you're really quite nothing.' 'OK I'm done with him,' Dr Peterson said. In other exchanges, a scowling Dr Peterson appeared to get bogged down sparring with audience members on basic definitions of words. 'Do you believe in the all knowing, all powerful, all good notion of God?' Parker asked. 'What do you mean by believe?' Dr Peterson said. 'You think it to be true,' the questioner said. 'That's the circular definition … if you believe something you stake your life on it.' Dr Peterson then refused to answer the hypothetical question of whether he would lie to save his life or someone else's. 'If you were in Nazi Germany and there's Jewish people in your attic, would you lie to the Nazis?' Parker asked. 'I would have done everything I bloody well could so I wouldn't be in that situation to begin with,' Dr Peterson said. 'It's a hypothetical. I can't answer a hypothetical like that. Don't play games.' Clips from the debate quickly went viral on social media, with critics on the left and right roundly mocking Dr Peterson's performance. 'Jordan Peterson, apparently, is very bad at debating,' one wrote. 'One reason Jordan Peterson is so poor at reasoning is he's surrounded by sycophants who don't give him feedback on his extremely flawed arguments,' another said. 'Here's what happens when he tests his ideas against someone who isn't in his close circle of salad brained pseudointellectuals.' YouTuber David Pakman said, 'Jordan Peterson's completely humiliating and failed attempt to debate 30 random atheists is a great reminder that he's really not worth paying attention to. Posited nothing of interest or meaning and simply played semantics games every time he was outmatched, which was often.' One conservative Christian account wrote, 'An atheist keeps on asking Jordan Peterson what makes someone a Christian, repeatedly, and he has no idea. It's not enough that he's managed to unite Christians and atheists in being extremely frustrated by his refusal to answer simple and straightforward questions, but he can't even accurately represent the Christian side, even if he disagrees with it.' Another said Dr Peterson 'can't even debate children anymore'. 'Never seen someone fall off this hard,' he wrote. Dr Peterson has in the past described himself as a Christian but at other times has declined to discuss his faith in detail. His wife, Tammy Peterson, converted to Catholicism in 2024 following a cancer battle. After a rapid rise to fame in 2016 and the worldwide success of his 2018 book 12 Rules for Life, the Canadian psychology professor abruptly disappeared from public life. His daughter, Mikhaila Peterson, revealed in 2019 that her father had been checked into rehab after struggling with benzodiazepine addiction, which saw him spend eight days in a medically induced coma in a Russian treatment centre. Dr Peterson joined conservative US media outlet The Daily Wire in 2022. Late last year he announced that he had fled Canada for the US, claiming that impending hate speech legislation, bill C-63, threatened to turn the country into a 'totalitarian hellhole'. Speaking on his daughter's podcast, Dr Peterson said an ongoing feud with the College of Psychologists of Ontario had also prompted the move. 'The issue with the College of Psychologists is very annoying, to say the least, and the new legislation that the liberals are attempting to push through, Bill C-63, we'd all be living in a totalitarian hellhole if it passes,' Dr Peterson said. Bill C-63, known as the Online Harms Act, was aimed at targeting hate speech and holding social media services accountable for reducing the amount of harmful content on their platforms. The bill garnered backlash among several free speech groups who claimed it would lead to online speech suppression and surveillance. The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association claimed the bill had the potential to lead to wrongful convictions, while other opponents claimed a complaint could be filed over just the 'fear' that someone may commit a hate crime. The Canadian government announced in December that it was splitting the bill into two separate pieces of legislation to leave out the free speech implications while also ensuring the child protection aspects of the bill. Meanwhile, Dr Peterson remains in contention with the College of Psychologists of Ontario, which threatened to pull his practising license if he doesn't complete a social media re-education training course. Dr Peterson had challenged the order, but Canada's Supreme Court dismissed his appeal against the college's decision in August. After starting his career at Harvard University, Dr Peterson returned to his native Canada to take up a position as a professor at the University of Toronto in 1998. In addition to teaching students, conducting academic research and maintaining a clinical practice seeing patients, Dr Peterson first began to make media appearances in the early 2000s as an expert guest on TV shows. He started a YouTube channel in 2013 to upload lectures and interview appearances — but it wasn't until late 2016 that he shot to global fame after posting a series of videos criticising a proposed Canadian law, Bill C-16 — which made it illegal to refuse to refer to a transgender person by their preferred 'gender pronoun'. His videos quickly went viral, coming just months before the 2016 US election of Donald Trump at a time when the global culture wars were going into overdrive. Dr Peterson, who describes himself as a 'classic British liberal' rather than a conservative, argued that it was an issue of free speech and that the mandatory pronoun law amounted to 'compelled speech'. Rapidly gaining notoriety and amassing fans, he began posting more prolifically on YouTube and social media. To date, his YouTube lectures and videos have amassed hundreds of millions of views, while his appearances on popular podcasts like The Joe Rogan Experience have drawn huge audiences.
Fox News
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Jordan Peterson stuns atheist debaters by refusing to identify as Christian in viral exchange
Famed Canadian psychologist and speaker Jordan Peterson debated twenty atheists in a video posted Sunday that quickly went viral after Peterson shocked the group by refusing to clarify whether he's a Christian. The academic appeared on the YouTube channel Jubilee in a video currently titled, "Jordan Peterson vs 20 Atheists" on Sunday. The video was originally titled, "1 Christian vs 20 atheists," according to Newsweek. The popular YouTube channel frequently publishes videos where one person debates 20-25 other people who hold a contrary view on politics, religion or other polarizing issues. In the roughly-90-minute video, Peterson debated several atheists on claims about belief in God, Christianity and atheism. About halfway through the video, one debater who said his name was "Danny," pressed Peterson on his understanding of Catholicism, as Peterson reportedly attends a Catholic Church with his wife, who converted to Catholicism last year. When Peterson asked Danny why he was asking him about this, Danny responded, "Because you're a Christian." "You say that. I haven't claimed that," Peterson replied. His answer drew laughs from the atheists. Danny retorted, "Oh, what is this? Christians versus atheists?" referring to the title of the debate. "I don't know," Peterson responded. "You don't know where you are right now?" Danny mocked, with Peterson chiding his debater to "not be a smart—." "Either you're a Christian or you're not," Danny said. "Which one is it?" Peterson refused to answer his question, replying, "I could be either of them, but I don't have to tell you. It's private." Danny told Peterson he was invited to debate a Christian and that Peterson must be in "the wrong YouTube video." "You're really quite something, aren't you?" Peterson retorted. "Aren't I? But you're really quite nothing, right? You're not a Christian?" Danny scoffed. Peterson ended the debate with Danny at this point. A clip of the exchange has since attracted over 7 million views. The person who posted the clip wrote in the caption, "During a debate titled 'One Christian vs. Twenty Atheists,' Jordan Peterson was pressed to identify himself as a Christian but awkwardly refused.." Peterson did not immediately return Fox News Digital's request for comment. Peterson, who wrote a book last year titled, "We Who Wrestle with God: Perceptions of the Divine," has faced questions about his faith journey over the years. During an interview with country music singer John Rich in 2024, Peterson admitted he "loathed" talking about his personal faith beliefs in public because he didn't want it to be a spectacle.
