Jordan Peterson (Rhetorically) Torches Cambridge University

by Thomas Woods on March 22, 2019 at 12:59 PM

The bad guys tried sticking it to Jordan Peterson, but as usual, he comes out ahead.

No, I don’t always agree with him. But for heaven’s sake the man is a phenomenon. When was the last time a university professor got 100+ million downloads of his lectures?

That alone makes academia despise him, by the way. We are talking about some of the most petty, envious people you can imagine. How many can get two-thirds of their own enrolled students to show up to hear them?

Anyway:

It was proposed to Peterson during his visit to Cambridge late last year that he might consider a fellowship at Cambridge.

The Faculty of Divinity tweeted out yesterday morning that the fellowship offer had been rescinded.

They tweeted the announcement without having contacted Peterson first. Children, basically.

The Cambridge University Student Union piously declared:

We are relieved to hear that Jordan Peterson’s request for a visiting fellowship to Cambridge’s faculty of divinity has been rescinded following further review. It is a political act to associate the University with an academic’s work through offers which legitimise figures such as Peterson. His work and views are not representative of the student body and as such we do not see his visit as a valuable contribution to the University, but one that works in opposition to the principles of the University.

“His work and views are not representative of the student body” — which is precisely why they need to hear him. The usual college experience is four years of a self-congratulatory echo chamber.

Now what is supposed to happen in situations like this is that the aggrieved party accepts being put in his place by the right-thinking elite, and quietly slinks away.

Not Peterson.

And that’s part of what makes this dissident voice so important. Not only does his success confound them, but he’s also a great fighter. He doesn’t sheepishly fold. He calls attention to their shenanigans, and rallies his supporters.

We’re not supposed to do that, you see. We are supposed to accept the verdict of our alleged betters, like good and obedient losers.

Peterson’s vigorous response — not just to the rescission but also to the profoundly juvenile way in which it was announced — guarantees Cambridge internal strife, angry calls from alumni, and a nonstop flurry of attacks.

Good.

He closes his statement with:

“I wish them the continued decline in relevance over the next few decades that they deeply and profoundly and diligently work toward and deserve.”

For the details, and my usual spicy commentary, enjoy today’s episode of the Tom Woods Show: