Jordan B. Peterson is a name that’s well-known on the internet. He’s become quite prominent in some circles thanks to his stand against cancel culture and the woke. However, his outspoken nature often gets him in trouble with the very same individuals he seeks to stand up against. Let’s see why he’s likely to always be a victim of the woke.
Recommended For Remedial Social Media Training
Thanks to Peterson’s position on things such as climate change hysteria and gender pronouns, the College of Psychologists of Ontario ruled that he needed to undergo “remedial social media training.”
While it’s unclear what this training entails, it has a sinister undertone. The condemnation seems to bear out something that Peterson has been telling many people for at least a year.
Living in an Orwellian Dystopia
The “re-education” that Peterson is supposed to attend seems a lot like the re-education camp that the protagonist of Orwell’s “1984” was subjected to. In the novel, the protagonist is sent to an unnamed room in one of the government’s ministries to teach him how to behave.
While the world today is not nearly as bleak as Orwell’s imaginings, it still seems like those Peterson has pissed off are trying to silence him. Peterson is convinced this is an effort by the authorities to punish him.
Facing Two Bad Choices
Peterson mentioned on Twitter that he was faced with one of the worst choices he has ever made. It’s either capitulating to the woke mob and the petty bureaucrats or losing his license to practice psychology in Ontario.
Peterson notes that Ontario’s internal politics is usually not something of international concern. However, the waves he’s made online have made the “woke mob” take notice of his presence and call for him to be censored.
Peterson’s Situation May Point To a Problem
A few experts examining what the courts called for point out some serious issues. Canada’s constitution guarantees freedom of “conscience, religion, thought, belief, opinion, expression, and the right to equal protection and benefit of the law without discrimination based on religion.”
By forcing Peterson to conform, the courts are potentially eroding the rights of the individual to have their own opinions. By forcing Peterson to attend a “re-education” session, the courts deny his right to say and think the way he wants to. It’s a reflection of the Orwellian dystopia mentioned earlier.
A Scholar of Traditions
Peterson is well-known in and outside of his circles for his understanding of religion and its role in society. He contends that Western enlightenment values are based on a religious foundation.
Some critics claim that his conclusions are a stretch, but his beliefs and statements are also what seems to have gotten him in the sights of the “woke mob.” Their anti-religious sentiments are among the core beliefs of the people who identify as woke.
A Decline in Religious Tolerance
Aid to the Church in Need, a Catholic-Church-affiliated organization, has noted that there has recently been a decline in religious tolerance in Canada. They acknowledge it’s not as bad as in some regions and countries, but Canada is not nearly as tolerant as it used to be a few years ago.
The organization points to pandemic restrictions and anti-church activities, including the burning of places of worship, as evidence of the increasing intolerance. Recent activities seem to support this point of view.
Banned From Quoting Religious Texts
Last year, Canada adopted a new law aptly entitled C-4 (named after the plastic explosive). In it, the law states that Canadian citizens cannot quote bible scripture about marriage and sexuality, underlining the lack of religious freedom the country now suffers from.
In any free society that guarantees religious freedom, banning the open quoting of a religious text is the start of curtailing those freedoms. When the state can police what people say and how they act, who’s to say it won’t punish those who don’t conform?
Wokeness and Cancel Culture
The crux of the matter centers on wokeness and cancel culture. The term “woke” has been used to describe current trends of political correctness. In its most natural form, it accepts that there is a societal divide between economic and social classes. However, how it responds to that is alarming.
Cancel culture is how the “woke mob” reacts to people who question their motivations and their dictates on behavior. If someone doesn’t agree with their position or their politics, they come together in a concentrated campaign to make that person’s life hell. Peterson’s recent struggles are a good example of this tactic in action.
A New Kind of Religion
Peterson claims post-modernism and neo-Marxism, along with other ideologies focusing on political correctness, are to blame for the way he’s being treated. Based on the evidence, he isn’t entirely wrong about that. However, there are parallels to religion in the way the “woke mob” attacks others.
Many modern-day scholars have compared cancel culture to medieval witch-burning. In both cases, an individual whom the “religion” dislikes is removed from its presence. In the original case, that resulted in the death of the “witch.” Today, it creates a social pariah like Peterson.
Repeating Bad Behavior Is Not Acceptable
Many of the proponents of “wokeness” believe they are justified in censoring ideas they find unpalatable. They claim that in the past, religions, especially the Catholic Church, have done something similar.
Unfortunately, as history tells us, repeating the same mistake over and over is not acceptable. Just because it was done in the past doesn’t make it acceptable for the same thing to be done now that society knows better. Censorship in any form can lead to negative fallout in society.
Political Correctness Can Be Dangerous
Jordan Peterson’s struggle against political correctness and woke culture underscores how dangerous a section of society that believes it’s morally right can be. They can even cause an otherwise free society to capitulate with the right motivation and funding.
Whether Peterson will be banned from practicing psychology in Ontario or not remains to be seen. However, if he is, he’ll be another professional who has fallen victim to the demands of the “woke mob.”
