Quote:
Originally Posted by peter12
Is it a grift? Or is he just a weirdo trying to contribute in his own way? I lean strongly towards the latter, myself. I think he's a weirdo, but there is a sincerity that strikes a certain type of young man a certain way. I'm not sure that should automatically be discounted. I definitely wouldn't put him quite in the same sphere as Rogan, Shapiro or any of the other clowns.
|
I don't think it is a grift, but I do think that if you look at Peterson the revered academic vs. Peterson now, it's hard to discount the role severe mental illness and the effects of those medications have played on who he is, how he speaks, and how he reasons. I think it's been incredibly damaging to him, and the more I learn about him, the more I see him as a sad figure. I also think he has the wrong people around him encouraging him (what do you do when a certain breed of people put you on a pedestal? I imagine it's hard not to lean further in).
If 12 Rules was written by Dr. Phil, nobody would think of it as profound or really take it seriously. And it could have been written by him. As you said, it's pretty boiler plate, run of the mill, generic self help stuff. There's no level of thinking there that you couldn't find on some inspirational Instagram account.
Who knows how his treatment in Russia went, but unless he's suddenly cured, I imagine he'll just slowly fade away into obscurity. A lot of what he says now that isn't just a repeat of something he's said before is far too vacuous and poorly reasoned. He's still great at talking a lot, but he seems to say less and less as time goes on. He's lost whatever it was that made him a well-respected lecturer and academic, which is just really sad honestly.