By David Futrelle
I wrote a quick post on Jordan Peterson earlier this week — just some brief commentary on a couple of videos Sam Seder did on the Canadian crackpot. It must have gotten linked someplace Peterson fanboys gather, because a small army of them invaded my comments section.
“The misinterpreted information in this article is not only stupid is very calculated stupid,” charged someone called Bren, which is almost a compliment, suggesting that my stupidity is something I do on purpose instead of something I can’t help.
Another took issue with my choice of words.
Wow. The amount of hate Peterson gets is really high. I mean, the man speaks about passionate subjects but I don’t think he deserves to be called a “cornball weirdo”.
Au contraire, mon frère! A cornball weirdo is what he is.
There were the inevitable claims that Sam and my critiques of Peterson were invalid because we focused on, you know, specific arguments he has made rather than EVERYTHING HE HAS EVER WRITTEN IN ITS ENTIRETY. Some suggested in unison that we were all a bunch of NPCs in an echo chamber — or, as one of them put it, an
ECHO…..Echo…..echo…..CHAMBER…..Chamber…..chamber…..you Neo-Marxists are hilarious. And extinct (Just like the Mammoth!) in about 5 years as the population turns on your tiresome bullshit.
Bu my favorite of the bunch was a fellow called Jason D, who showed up with this impressively sententious opening statement:
A warning from a wiser one indeed! Unlike most of the Lobster invaders, who dropped their indignant comments and immediately fled, Jason stuck around for awhile, posting one long screed after another, making grandiose pronouncements, lashing out with insults, linking to studies he clearly hadn’t read. He posted more than 1100 words in all in response to a post of only 350 words. (He also claimed he wasn’t really a big Peterson fan, but whatev.)
He repeatedly suggested that the commenters were, yes, a bunch of “Neo-Marxists” and NPCs who needed to scurry “back to your gender studies course before you miss out on another patriarchal conspiracy.” He praised his own writing as “quite erudite.”
Alternately defensive and indignant, he responded to those who pointed out his assorted logical and grammatical whoppers were “horribly pedantic people” engaged in “some sort of denigration exercise.” Doing his best to affect a blithe unconcern, he mocked those who
apparently have time to write grammatically correct novellas in response to my casual little quips.
Quips? His comments were in total three times the length of my original post,
He demanded that we respond to his specific arguments about the wage gap, and read the small pile of studies he linked to — introducing one link by declaring “[w]ow your world view is going to be rocked.” But when assorted commenters — led by the redoubtable Scildfreja Unnyðnes — tore these arguments to shreds and noted that the studies he was citing did not actually support his claims, he ignored them completely.
“Not a single one of you smug liberal NPC’s has proven any of JP’s assertions as in-correct in these posts,” he sniffed.
Its all pathetic jibes and insults aimed at the man who threatens your perfect little Marxist utopia’s. Typical NPC twitter. Whats your Sociology professor tell you to write as a comeback to this little CHE jr.?
Having answered precisely none of the serious questions raised by his critics, Jason finally fled, but not without issuing one final would-be zinger. “So long,” he declared, “good luck in your Amazon Utopia!”
If you have the time, I’d urge you to read the comments to my Peterson post in full. It’s an entertaining ride; the rebuttals of Jason are quite informative and often, as he would say, quite erudite.
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Scild, Cat Mara and Viscaria rock.
That is all.
Somewhere on Reddit, Jason D is crowing about how he owned a bunch of neo-Marxist NPCs. Damn NPCs with their neo-Marxist echo-chambers! N-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n P-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p C-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c ssssssssssss!!
The doggie is adorable.
WtH regulars are the best at troll pinata!
Jason can best be summed up in the words of the esteemed British social philosopher David R. Lister: “What a smeghead!”
Snapshot of WHTM commenters versus JP fans.
Ok, how old those guys are… because – to be totally honest – I had a phase similar to this at my high school, where delusion of eloquence, pretentious political thoughts and right-wing leanings resulted in me acting really dumb. Hell, I might even became a Peterson fan if I know him back then.
The thing is: I grow the fuck up. I change my views, and even if I didn’t – well, I’m pretty sure I would at least keep my writing from being so pretentious.
Hey Jason, you know who else thought he was “quite erudite”? MARC LÉPINE. The guy who shot up the École Polytechnique because he was too incompetent to get in, but he chose to blame it on women and feminism. And wrote a rambling, barely coherent manifesto in which he laid out his plans for mass murder and a reversion to the old order by way of violence.
Spoiler alert: He didn’t survive his own Grand Plan. Sadly (but only for him), the thing wasn’t as workable as it all seemed on paper. Feminism marched on, and women got into STEM by way of their own interest, aptitude, and merit, while he got a suicide’s obscure funeral.
Sure got himself a passel of “erudite” defenders and admirers, though! The same guys who expect to get handed sandwiches and video games all their lives, and taken as superior to women with no supporting evidence. When they’re not busy leaving crusty socks all over the floor.
Thus concludes today’s history lesson. Now go clean your room, and be a good boy, and maybe, if you don’t whine about it, Mom will give you a cookie.
@Shadowplay:
Oh stop. Scild and Viscaria did all the real work. I just provided some counter-snark.
PS That nym — you’re not a Joy Division fan, by any chance?
http://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/7/78/FANMADE_Fluttershy_blushing_smile.gif
Aw gosh you guys
Him calling me too wordy actually did sting a bit to be honest. I try to boil it down as much as I can!
Funny, though. When it’s Peterson these guys are practically immune to bloviation. Er, sorry, erudition. Being wordy is a sign of being smart and right and stuff. But if it’s someone that they don’t agree with it’s just too wordy, and it’s a sign that you’re a nerd.
Gosh, almost like the contents don’t actually matter or something to them!
…Are we 100% sure “Jason D” wasn’t actually “Jordan P?”
@Cat Mara
Teamwork – you all did it. Pretty much everyone did, but you three really, really kicked him in the facts. 😛
I do enjoy Joy Division, but the nym is from the Rory Gallagher track. It’s far more me. 🙂
@Grumblefloof
He didn’t once suggest beating anyone up or bring up some Jungian dragon archetype or anything, so I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the man himself.
There were many great comments in that thread! I enjoyed @LindsayIrene’s giving exactly zero fucks about Jason’s self-aggrandizement.
@Grumblefloof
Well, we haven’t seen both of them in one room yet, so I think that theory has traction.
I support Jorden. His base message is simple, men need to grow up and take on responsibility. If you are so against that message, good luck to you. Goodbye.
@Grumblefloof:
Jordan P knows how to use apostrophes. What would he gain by deliberately making his defenders appear semi-literate?
It’s fairly obvious you’re just writing these blog posts just to garner attention and clicks.
@Moggie
Appearing to be smarter than one actually is is kinda JP’s whole thing.
@Moggie
Appearing to be smarter than one actually is is kinda JP’s whole thing.
Unacceptable lobster
th’ difference between “them” n “us” is… evidence….
In response to the entire catalog of the scientific method, Jason D replied “nuh-uh!!!”
I appreciate the irony of all these lobsters coming one after the other to call people “NPCs” while repeating the same shitcanned buzzwords.
Yeah too bad they lack the self awareness to realize it.
@vaiyt that’s because they’re all flesh puppets