Jordan Peterson is known for being a man of few words. This is especially clear when you read his recently released page 56, which documented that a University of Ontario psychologist condemned his social posts on his media.
The university requires that Peterson take a disciplinary training course on social media posting and the risk of clinical license suspension.
The documents, published Jan. 4, relate to a clinical psychologist’s few of the most controversial tweets of thousands. What the university decided to investigate was a complaint against him from 12 people, many of whom appeared to be fellow psychologists.
“I have probably helped millions of people with my lectures, books, etc. But wherever I am, people complain to colleges about what I’ve done, threaten my license, and defame my reputation.” and can be tied to bureaucracy,” Peterson said in a tweet last year after the first of these complaints came to his attention.
“No more,” he concluded.
Mr. Peterson told the university that he would ignore the documents submitted for each complaint. He refused to spend hours and days and went through a formal process to defend himself against the complaint.
“The process is punitive and the complainant (investigation ‘needed’) is fully aware of this. And I’m not in it anymore,” he said.
This culminated in the university’s Nov. 22 decision to mandate social media training for Peterson. The college has chosen his two social media coaches. He must hire one of them and get the approval of the chosen coach. (Coaching can cost up to $225 per hour out-of-pocket, and public hearings can cost up to $10,000.)
The university’s communication about this requirement is contained in a document published by Peterson, which includes years of correspondence between Peterson and the university on the matter. They include complaints against him and tweets criticized by the university.
It also contains, in his opinion, several pages detailing the efforts Peterson has already made to colleges to seek out the best possible social media coaching. It outlines the difficulty of commenting on many topics.
“Maintaining proper communication with tens of millions of people is a very difficult problem when dealing with the most controversial issues of our time,” he wrote. It can be difficult to determine what constitutes good tone (and good content).
“In the current political environment, many topics are being brought up that tend to generate mobs of condemnation and are very dangerous, armed with shame. to let you.”
Complaint
Peterson redacted the complainant’s name and personal information, but made the rest of each complaint public. When asked if they were Peterson’s customers, they all said yes, but Peterson said none of them were his customers.
Some of them identified themselves as psychologists, including one from Australia. One described himself as “member of the masses”.
The university told Peterson that what his public comments complained about was “dishonorable, dishonorable, or unprofessional conduct” and under the professional code of conduct “providing information to the public.” I have informed you that it may be taken into consideration.
With respect to the latter, the information must be “accurate and supportable based on current professional literature or research” and “consistent with the professional standards, policies and ethics currently adopted by the university.” there is.
The first documented complaint was from January 5 and read: “Peterson encouraged people to commit suicide on Twitter.”
It was referring to a thread in which Peterson said that the world population could peak at about 9.5 billion and still have a sustainable and prosperous world. Any argument I’ve heard for sustaining such a large population completely overlooks the enormous loss of species and ecosystems as a result of our narcissistic attention,” he said. replied that he did not agree.
Peterson replied, “You are free to leave at any time.”
The February 18, 2022 complaint criticized him for “publicly advocating that Child Aid Society intervention was not necessary in the public hearing of the Ottawa truck driver protest.” The complainant said the removal of the children was for their safety.
In Peterson’s tweet, he questioned what it meant to “remove children from the area.” Peterson said: how exactly? why exactly? By whom exactly? where exactly was it sent? And how long exactly? Think about it, Canadians. This is a bad decision. “
The complaint included Peterson’s retweet of Conservative Party leader Pierre Polivre’s criticism of COVID restrictions. Poilievre tweeted. “COVID is a never-ending excuse for power-hungry authorities to replace our freedom with their rule.”
One petitioner criticized Peterson for speaking out against gender-affirming surgery. “He failed to defend the autonomy and dignity of transgender people,” the complaint said.
Some of the criticism related to his statements on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. They claimed that Peterson generally provided inaccurate information.
For example, one complainant said of Peterson’s comments about the COVID vaccine in the podcast: [his] specialization, use [the] The title of psychologist as a vehicle for conveying harmful information [the] public. “
The same petitioner disputed Peterson’s statement. Logan replied, “You’re joking.”
Peterson referred to this comment in a correspondence with the university. “Someone who really listens to that podcast and doesn’t just ignore the context and focus momentarily on the statement (and has a hard time getting used to what I’ve said so far before leveling off such accusations. I respectfully submit that they will soon find out.” I don’t believe for a moment that they are just poor children, or that there are too many people in the world, I never thought.
“The comments were ironically directed at people making just such claims, and I frankly believe that the ICRC [the college’s Inquiries, Complaints, and Reports Committee] To accuse me of spreading those views would be such a mistake. “
“A very narrow path to cross”
On September 6, 2022, Peterson sent an eight-page letter to the college outlining the steps he had taken to offer himself social media coaching.
He wrote, “I am very careful to be aware of my own errors, to evaluate them in great detail, to correct them appropriately, and to move forward toward more effective and less controversial public communication.” We are taking difficult, very private and public steps.”
His circle of “coaches” includes the editorial team of his publisher Penguin Random House, experts on both sides of the aisle, religious leaders and more. He recently spoke with his two professors of theology at Cambridge, “the most prolific communicators for Democrats working on the US National Front,” and with his two leading conservative thinkers, his message. said that they had discussed the style of
He included emails he received from people who generally supported him but criticized some of his tweets and public statements. said to him.
One was from novelist Greg Hurwitz, whom Peterson called one of his “liberal/leftist political friends.” Hurwitz criticized Peterson in a tweet about Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Peterson said, “She looks like she could play the role. And that’s the point. Crossing rules! Ability is trickery!”
Hurwitz outlines what makes Jackson so competent, also stating:if you didn’t know [you] I would have thought you meant it that way, as I do. I know you didn’t mean that. “
Peterson said he appreciates these criticisms and is working to improve. He said he was trying to improve his tone to use the “minimum amount of emotion” and “minimum amount of force” in communication.
For example, when I read my articles aloud on YouTube and podcasts, I notice my anger taking hold and I try to calm myself down.
“I generally feel very passionate about the topics I cover, so some of that passion spills over into my reading, but too much of it could have been communicated well otherwise. You also run the risk of alienating part of your potential audience. It’s a very narrow road to traverse,” he said.
question for college
Finally, Peterson included a list of questions he sent to college. They contained seven pieces of his information about social media coaching (such as how qualified the coaches are and how they are judged to have improved). Among them were his three questions asking how his claim that he had caused damage with his post was held to be valid.
He had several others regarding disciplinary procedures and complaints (including if any were dismissed as false, or if all complaints were deemed worth investigating).
He has filed an application for judicial review in the Ontario District Court.
He said he would not submit to coaching. He said colleges claim they can accept coaching without admitting wrongdoing. said.
“The same can and should be said about claims that this investigation is not about free speech,” Peterson continued. “This is accurate and absolute and to say otherwise is deceptive and false.”
The university told the Epoch Times it could not discuss the Peterson case because of confidentiality issues. There was no published response to do so.
Tara MacIsaac is a Toronto-based reporter for the Epoch Times.