Conservative hero, fake philosopher, and skeezy self-help author Jordan Peterson condones sexual harassment:
Whatever you want to make about his statement about hypocrisy, I don’t hear him say what you hear him say.
He says that women who don’t want to be sexually harassed but wear make-up to work are hypocrites. I consider that to be, at least in part, condoning sexual harassment. Imagine if I said, “Well, that person got raped, but really they shouldn’t complain about it because they wore perfume and makeup.” I bet, and hope, you’d at least think of that as rape-apologetics.
Other than this clip, I’ve only seen that one famous interview with him but I recognize his view to be very formalistic. So he can say on the one hand a woman is hypocritical to wear makeup when she doesn’t want sexual harassment in the workplace, and on the other that sexual harassment is not condoned. Those things are not mutually exclusive.
They’re not mutually exclusive in the same sense that saying someone was asking for rape isn’t condoning rape in a totally literal sense of the word. But they’re close enough.
Whether we call it literal or logical, I appreciate that you can see the distinction, even while disagreeing with it.
That said, I disagree with his formalistic view and with his particular point here about a woman being hypocritical for wearing make-up. But they’re close enough.
You “disagree” with it? That’s not enough for me. I question anyone who doesn’t find that stance to be repugnant.
As you know, we’re all different in how we consider and react. If you recognize the literal distinction he is making and that he is not condoning sexual harassment (though you think it close), then you can see how a different person might be willing to look at it in that kind of more logical way.
Me saying, ‘I don’t see what you see in that video’ and ‘I disagree with it’ don’t merit criticisms of me. I’m someone willing to consider views, even repugnant ones, in a logical way. And I don’t do a lot of emotional reactions, offline either. There are so many reasons to not jump to conclusions about why I (or you) react certain ways.
Something tells me that if I went up and pinched Jordan Peterson’s ass because his suit and tie are just so sexy, he’d probably not appreciate being told that he’s a hypocrite for finding that behavior objectionable. Why else would he wear such sexy clothes if he didn’t want me to tell him that he’s “a sexy-ass motherfuckin’ sex-hound beast” and that I want to stick my hand down his underwear? Obviously he wants me to do that, or he wouldn’t be wearing that suit. He’s totally asking for it and if he isn’t, then he’s a hypocrite. Obviously!
See, this is a great point. This came to my mind, in less lurid detail. Better than a couple of comments engaged in moral preening about some guy that nobody here cares much about.