The intellectual dark web

[CliffFletcher]

Now that alt-right rag the New York Times is getting in on the action.

The Jordan Peterson Moment

My friend Tyler Cowen argues that Jordan Peterson is the most influential public intellectual in the Western world right now, and he has a point...

The BBC, the Guardian, the Atlantic, New York Times - all demonstrating such terrible news values. Good thing Canada has a public broadcaster that has a real sense of what's important to Canadians and what's not.

[Nyah]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Just beat out “Dog man and Cat Kid: From the Creators of Captain Underpants”

And esteemed list indicative of the importance it holds in our time, surely. It’ll be interesting who wins the Nobel prize.

Genuinely curious: Have you ever read any of Jordan Peterson's books?

[lambeburger]

Interesting read: Guy went from a self described Marxist to a moderate by watching Peterson's videos online and describes what he has learned. Definitely highlights why Peterson is so appealing in today's world.

https://medium.com/vandal-press/10-t...n-b54341559fc4

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Now that alt-right rag the New York Times is getting in on the action.

The Jordan Peterson Moment



The BBC, the Guardian, the Atlantic, New York Times - all demonstrating such terrible news values. Good thing Canada has a public broadcaster that has a real sense of what's important to Canadians and what's not.

Is this not a glaring example of how the CBC simply and fully has run its course in Canada?

It used to be the CBC trumpeted everything and anything Canadian that was a player on the world stage when it comes to the arts and literature.

Now they have such a strong agenda they work off of, they are literally ignoring what may be the biggest and certainly most controversial Canadian at this time. Like he doesn't even exist.

Sign of the times.

[Makarov]

I think that, even if you disagree with this particular editorial decision, existential debates regarding the CBC’s future need to take place within the context of its entire 80 year history. This decision is but one of thousands (and certainly isn’t proof on its own of anything).

Also, we should keep in mind that there is no CBC embargo of Dr. Peterson. He has been a guest and has been featured in a number of stories.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Nyah

Genuinely curious: Have you ever read any of Jordan Peterson's books?

No, just his public speaking. I’m probably going to check this one out though to see what people are raving about.

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by Makarov

I think that, even if you disagree with this particular editorial decision, existential debates regarding the CBC’s future need to take place within the context of its entire 80 year history. This decision is but one of thousands (and certainly isn’t proof on its own of anything).

Also, we should keep in mind that there is no CBC embargo of Dr. Peterson. He has been a guest and has been featured in a number of stories.

Out of curiosity, does anyone have a sense of how many times Dr. Peterson has appeared on CTV, Global, City etc over the past couple of months? That would probably be the best evidence of bias or some deliberate policy on the part of the CBC (on this one issue).

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Makarov

I think that, even if you disagree with this particular editorial decision, existential debates regarding the CBC’s future need to take place within the context of its entire 80 year history. This decision is but one of thousands (and certainly isn’t proof on its own of anything).

It's illustrative of the CBC's narrowing ideological orthodoxy in recent years. I'm a former journalist. For 25 years now I've analyzed and compared media as a kind of hobby. I know and understand the agendas at play when certain stories are covered or not covered, and how those stories are framed.

For 25 years I've listened to the CBC, and they're getting worse and worse. On any social issue, they no longer bother to present nuance or balance. They're ardent, dogmatic participants in the culture wars, who broadcast stories that are little more than polemics. I struggle to think of a single mainstream media outlet in the English-speaking world today that champions such a narrow credo. Help me out here - can you name any?

Originally Posted by Makarov

Also, we should keep in mind that there is no CBC embargo of Dr. Peterson. He has been a guest and has been featured in a number of stories.

They conducted a hostile interview of Peterson once, 18 months ago, when the Laurier story first broke. In fact, that was the first time I'd heard of Peterson, and the utter failure of Carol Off to engage with his points in that cringe-worthy interview was a big step in my ongoing disillusionment with the CBC. Since then, the CBC have not had him on, even as his prominence in Canada and elsewhere grew exponentially.

Why do you think the BBC, Channel 4, the Telegraph, the Atlantic, and the New York Times have all done stories on Peterson in the last couple weeks? Because Peterson has just released a book, and the editors of the most prestigious journalism outlets in the english-speaking world have their finger to the winds of public debate - that's their job. And I guarantee you the producers at the CBC have read every one of those articles, because having their finger to the winds of public debate is their job too.

It honestly doesn't strike you as strange that the top-selling book on Amazon in both the U.S. and Canada is written by a Canadian and yet it did not warrant a mention in CBC's 21 non-fiction books by Canadians to read in early 2018? Do you really think that wasn't a deliberate omission owing to the CBC braintrust's hatred of Peterson's politics?

The CBC has essentially no-platformed the most prominent Canadian intellectual in the world today because they don't like what he says. If you're okay with that, I think you need to admit that you simply want the CBC to be a mouthpiece for your own ideological beliefs.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Makarov

Out of curiosity, does anyone have a sense of how many times Dr. Peterson has appeared on CTV, Global, City etc over the past couple of months? That would probably be the best evidence of bias or some deliberate policy on the part of the CBC (on this one issue).

CTV, Global, and City don't interview intellectuals, academics, and writers. That's why Canada has a public broadcaster in the first place.

TVO in Ontario has interviewed Peterson a couple times, though.

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

It honestly doesn't strike you as strange that the top-selling book on Amazon in both the U.S. and Canada is written by a Canadian and yet it did not warrant a mention in CBC's 21 non-fiction books by Canadians to read in early 2018? Do you really think that wasn't a deliberate omission owing to the CBC braintrust's hatred of Peterson's politics?

The CBC has essentially no-platformed the most prominent Canadian intellectual in the world today because they don't like what he says. If you're okay with that, I think you need to admit that you simply want the CBC to be a mouthpiece for your own ideological beliefs.

His book didn’t make the Globe and Mail or the National Post’s lists of best 100 books of 2017 either so, no, I don’t find it that strange. There is at least one reasonable explanation that does not involve a CBC conspiracy.

In terms of my own biases, I listen to CBC radio in the car regularly. I sometimes watch the National. Generally, I like CBC’s programming. But I don’t want it to be a mouthpiece for my political views (indeed, I frequently disagree with members of its panels on the National). Does that make me biased? Well, yeah, probably a little.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Makarov

His book didn’t make the Globe and Mail or the National Post’s lists of best 100 books of 2017 either so, no, I don’t find it that strange. There is at least one reasonable explanation that does not involve a CBC conspiracy.

The book wasn't released until 2018.

[lambeburger]

Originally Posted by Makarov

There is at least one reasonable explanation that does not involve a CBC conspiracy.

One explanation is that CBC doesn't have a pulse on happenings going on outside their ideological echo chamber. They might not have even been aware that Peterson was releasing a book.

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

CTV, Global, and City don't interview intellectuals, academics, and writers. That's why Canada has a public broadcaster in the first place.

W5 (for example) regularly interviews prominent people. It does not look like it has ever interviewed Dr. Peterson.

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

The book wasn't released until 2018.

Well, that was a waste of time scrolling through those lists. Which CBC list are you referring to then? The “18 works of nonfiction from around the world to watch for in 2018”? If so, not one of those authors are Canadian. It seems like Canadians were expressly excluded from consideration.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

They were, because CBC did a specific list just for Canadian authors - it was posted on the last page.

[robbie111]

Never heard of him till my sister mentioned him today and then saw the topic here. Went and had a look at the videos of him in his classroom and told my sister he totally reminded me of Scott McAlpine an old Poly Sci prof that my sister and I took classes from in Grande Prairie. Has the same speaking style and argues like the Philosophy prof John Langenbach at the same college. Went on and read about him and laughed hysterically when I saw he studied Political Science at GPRC. So for sure he studied under Scott McAlpine and I'd bet anything that he also took Philosophy courses with Langenbach. Jordan Petersen was there 2 years before I started. Six degrees of separation.

[opendoor]

This thread hasn't aged well.

https://twitter.com/user/status/956990503337172992

[CliffFletcher]

Looking forward to it. It's curious that only Canadian media have focused on how much Peterson makes from his Patreon account. An article in the Globe and Mail last year took the same angle:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...ticle35174379/

Edit: Just read the twitter thread - people are calling for a boycott of The Weekly because Mesley is interviewing Peterson. Too funny.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Looking forward to it. It's curious that only Canadian media have focused on how much Peterson makes from his Patreon account. An article in the Globe and Mail last year took the same angle:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...ticle35174379/

Edit: Just read the twitter thread - people are calling for a boycott of The Weekly because Mesley is interviewing Peterson. Too funny.

It’s not really curious. He’s reported on more here than other countries because he’s Canadian, and most of his “controversies” originated in Canada.

It follows pretty standard that more coverage = more angles.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

It’s not really curious. He’s reported on more here than other countries because he’s Canadian, and most of his “controversies” originated in Canada.

It follows pretty standard that more coverage = more angles.

But he hasn't really gotten that much coverage in Canada - that's the point. I think the Globe and Mail has done two stories on Peterson in a year and a half, neither of which interviewed him. The Guardian did two stories on Peterson last week. The Toronto media establishment despises Peterson, and are doing their best to no-platform him.