I recommend anyone reading articles about Peterson actually read or listen to Peterson instead. I don’t agree with everything he says (like a lot of the religious-based theory), but is that a reason to discount him completely? The biggest issue with discourse today is that we throw away entire people because we don’t agree with one or two things they say.
He’s been portrayed as an anti-Semite (despite lecturing extensively about the dangers of fascism as it relates to the Holocaust and the lessons to be learned from it), a misogynist (despite presenting some of his most touching points while talking about how much he treasures his wife and daughter), a fascist (despite his entire platform being free speech and vehemently anti-fascist), and a host of other things that don’t align with what he says.
The Vibe interview, which was heavily edited for broadcast, made Peterson look crazy. At least watch the unedited version (available on YouTube) before coming to any conclusions. I don’t agree that he was saying women are hypocrites for wearing makeup; he simply acknowledged what makeup is at its core (something that enhances attractiveness by simulating good health through clear skin and replicating aspects of sexual response, like rosy cheeks) and why that might confuse some men. He often answers with “I don’t know” when presented with baiting questions, which apparently is a crime based on the ways interviewers react.
There’s a huge gap between what Peterson says and what others say he says. Disagree with his ideas all you want, but don’t form your opinions about people based entirely on what other people say about them, especially with so much material freely available.
I recommend his more recent interviews with Dave Rubin. They’re relatively relaxed discussions. I watched one just yesterday where Peterson admits his acerbic style hasn’t benefited him in many cases, so he’s working on his delivery. He’s had a tendency to go after his interviewers pretty hard in the past, though frankly I think most of them deserved it for asking terrible questions.
I used to be fairly hard left, but after seeing the massive discrepancies between mainstream reporting about some of these supposedly “alt-right” personalities and what the subjects of their articles actually say and do, I’ve started to wonder what other things we’re being told that are complete horseshit, or at least are being run through a left-leaning political filter. It seems like anything to the right of socialism is being cast as alt-right in an attempt to lump it all together.
I’m not a Trump supporter by any means, but holy hell have liberals lost their minds since he was elected.