This is how values change, Jordan Peterson. It sucks to be you.

Jordan Peterson is pissed off.  Like most people when they are pissed off, he has ceased to behave thoughtfully and started to behave irrationally, emotionally, and misguidedly.  As I have stated before, I am an admirer of Jordan Peterson (see here and here).  But his recent thoughts regarding climate change and, even more recently, transgender rights has me pissed me off at him.  But I am going to behave differently.  I am not going to rush over to Twitter and do something I shouldn't have done and then proceed to rather arrogantly proclaim to the world on YouTube why the whole transgender movement should be condemned and, if possible, stopped.

This is how change happens Jordan and there's not a damn thing you or Douglas Murray or any one else can do to stop it.  It is inevitable because change is inevitable.  There are no transcending truths because nothing, absolutely nothing, lasts forever.  We are enframed and that has changed everything – only you don't know it yet.

Let me remind the reader that I am not a fan of Twitter. As I have also said before, Twitter makes everyone using it dumber.  I offer proof in Jordan Peterson.  It made him dumber.  He did a very dumb thing.  Then he got pissed off because of the way Twitter handled the dumb thing he did.  I am not here to defend Twitter.  The world would be a better place without it.  

But I have enough sense to know how I feel about Twitter does not matter and that it will likely go on making mostly dumb people even dumber for quite some time.  Yes, the world would be a better place without Twitter.  It would also be a better place without Jordan Peterson's self-absorbed ridiculous, rather childish, YouTube rant.

Let's dive deeper into this BS.  

Traditions change when each generation decides they change.  It has always been this way.  For most of human existence our generations simply adopted the previous generation's thought and behavior.  So, for most human generations, indeed for most people today, traditions have been perpetuated through time with little happening to them.  This created a illusion that led to a falsehood.  The illusion is that some things never change.  The resulting falsehood is that some things should never change.

We called this stuff transcending values.  Values that were eternal truths.  Religions enshrined this stuff as if it really was eternal.  Now, recent generations, starting mostly with the Enlightenment but accelerating like everything else after World War Two, came to think differently about things.  They became more enmeshed in technology – enframed.  Like it or not, what is technologically possible becomes humanly possible.  Suddenly, a lot of these eternal truths don't seem so eternal after all.  What do I mean?

Let's take sexuality as an example, since the topic triggered Jordan Peterson and made him do a dumb thing on the dumbest platform in the known universe.  Here are the facts: 1) Five percent of the US population under age 30 identifies as a gender different from what is recorded on their birth certificate.  This is the most in history and it is growing.  2) Generation Z is the gayest generation ever, by far.  And they are activist about it.  3) Half of all people identifying as LGBTQ+ are under 35 and are growing in number.

Jordan Peterson thinks this is sinful.  Or at least the transgender component of it is.  How do I know this?  Because of his dumb tweet which started with the seemingly innocuous (but actually was childishly rage-baiting) statement “Remember when pride was a sin?”  Now he did not specify that his use of the word “pride” was directed at the pride movement, but that is obviously what he meant as is evidenced by his arrogant temper-tantrum on YouTube.  And the question is inherently “traditionalist” by its phrasing and equating pride with sin.

What are you going to do you poor angry man?  There is not a thing in the world you can do against the facts I just presented.  Generation Z will be (is) the most gender-fluid people ever.  Generation Alpha, after them, will likely be more so.  Americans and the world are turning away from God/religion because God/religion, as it is traditionally presented, does not fit with the way these people want to freely live their lives.  

And because religion as you treasure it, Jordan, is literally vanishing before your eyes and upsetting a lot of freaked-out traditionalists in the process, and because technology has enframed our humanity, these eternal truths you go on about will come into question.  They are already in question, which is what pisses you off.  But not only are they in question, they are going to be the way the world is now and even more so in the future.  Your transcendent values are up in the air.  That's why you hate “postmodernism” and “Marxism” (but what you really mean there is materialism because Marx has little to do with the transgender movement, these people are not communists for God's sake).

So the world has already changed.  It is only a matter of time until this change becomes a democratic majority.  People will change some of the values you cherish because they never really were eternal to begin with.  We have reached a point in human history when the new generations are not going to accept the "eternal truths" previously established by generations simply because they are "established."  If they don't fit their lives - begone!

This is how change happens.  When enough people become a certain way, values change.  It sucks to be you, Jordan Peterson.  Let's dive down into the cesspool of Jordan's 15-minute YouTube pity-party and look for evidence of what I have just conjectured.   

The first thing he admits is that he sent “an irritated tweet in response to one of the happenings in the increasingly heated culture war front.”  He then proceeds to intentionally act confused about Elliot Page's decision to transition from a woman to man because he believes that such transitioning is sinful.  He's play-acting off his personal and rather arrogant rage right from the get-go.

“I am employing this awkward and impossible naming style because it is now apparently mandatory...”  No it isn't Jordan.  Elliot is Elliot.  Elliot is not Ellen anymore.  Calling people by the name with which they no longer associate themselves is a form of cognitive dissonance.  The "awkwardness" is created by you.  If you weren't so dead-set on being an ass you'd acknowledge that.

What business is it of yours, Jordan, what Elliott Page has decided to do with his persona?  How are you harmed by their decision?  You're just “irritated” that pride month is not shame month, as it should be by your increasingly antiquated traditions.  It is a matter of taste or, in your case, distaste.  But I digress.

Then he goes on into the stupid rules of stupid Twitter about making such stupid tweets. With regard to “the rules” he grits his teeth: “what rules you sons of bitches?!”  He says he would rather “die” than delete the so-called “hateful” tweet.  Which, I admit, it is silly to call Jordan's tweet as “hateful” on Twitter's part (Twitter is still dumb) and this, of course, triggered Jordan's rage, but he was looking for it, hoping it would come to this so he would make this stupid video response.  He got his wish.  Now he looks ridiculous, as does everyone seeking to change the future as I have so clearly defined it above.

“Who the hell knows in these increasingly strange days.”  That's right Jordan.  As I have written before, the future-shifting of the present feels strange.  Get used to it.  Things are going to get even stranger and there's nothing you can do about it.  Then he quotes his full tweet which I partially quoted above.  Here it is:

“Remember when pride was a sin?  And Ellen Page just had her breasts removed by a criminal physician.”

Obviously Jordan wants Elliot to remain Ellen and thinks the whole transition thing is “criminal.”  Well, yeah, that is kinda hateful Jordan.  You are a smart guy.  You knew what would happen.  And you relish your childish YouTube video response. (I must point out, however, I think hate speech is still free speech so long as no physical harm is committed in the speech act and Jordan should have been allowed to say what he said without interference from dumb Twitter.  He did Elliot no physical harm and if Elliot takes it that way then it is Elliot's problem.  Elliot should be “man” enough to take it, given the choices made.)

“Under the old rules of even a decade ago pride was a sin.”  Well, you got that right by placing it in the past tense but you don't mean it that way.  You mean that it is still as sin.  You mean to stand up for your transcending values with which the transgender movement, in your mind, conflicts.  Again, the younger generations don't care about your “old rules” Jordan.  That's really why you are pissed off.  It isn't so much the authoritarian way the activist transgender movement seeks to affirm its emerging self, although you obviously detest that.  Rather, it is that "the old rules" are not transcending anymore the way you want.  It sucks to be you.

“The woke authoritarian moralists that now insist that we celebrate pride month.”  Ah yes, now we come to the sinful part.  The woke authoritarian moralists are no more authoritarian than the asleep religious moralists.  It is a clash of authority here, Jordan, and you just don't like it.  Your "old ways" shouldn't be tampered with.  But, as I said and as is being gradually shown in this contemporary world, certain values (like sexuality) are not eternal.  They are whatever the next generation says they are and you don't like that even a little bit.

“...and to have literally called it pride month instead of LGBT+ month or whatever else alphabet acronym that is currently insisted upon as the only acceptable enlightened terminology...”  Not to get too knit-picky here, Jordan, but this statement is an obvious contradiction.  You say they call it pride month but then insist that the acronym is the only acceptable terminology.  No, pride is acceptable.  There are probably some other words that are acceptable.  You're just pissed off and not thinking clearly.

Why is pride acceptable, Jordan?  Do they mean pride as in boastful?  Well, yeah to some degree they do because, as I said, this is a activist, aggressive emergent movement.  Pride is called pride because there is nothing to be ashamed of, as you would like there to be.  Pride is used because for so long a significant percentage of humankind had to live in shame because of their non-heterosexual feelings and orientation.  Now they don't have to live in shame anymore.  They can be proud of whichever letter they happen to be.  That's the reason for the choice of “pride” you poor confused man.

“I don't regard pride as a virtue.”  OK, you do you Jordan, by all means.  But they don't mean pride in the biblical sense as you mean it.  They don't mean “pride before the fall.”  They mean pride as I have just explained (pride after being ostracized, as in liberated) and as it would be obvious to you if you weren't so busy being pissed off.  But even if they did mean it as chest-thumbing, how arrogant of you to think your definition of pride (as a sin) is only possible use of the term.  You don't want to see the obvious because you despise the obvious, just as you despise those of us who want to do something about global warming.

“What I said was merely a fact.”  That's some classic bullshit right there.  “I want to warn those who are about to fall into a pit that the path they are on leads suddenly downhill.”  More BS.  Self-righteous sour grapes, too.  Elliot Page is not living in a pit.  Oh lord, then Jordan goes off with his feigned confusion again, purposely calling Elliot Ellen to create the platform from which he can pontificate his self-righteous rage.  And probably with intent to trigger a Twitter reaction so he could rage about that.

He doesn't like the term “deadnaming,” the act of referring to someone who has transitioned by their former self.  Which is exactly what he did and he apparently doesn't like new words to describe new behavior either.  It really is pathetic to watch this eighth grade caliber argumentation by little Jordan Peterson.  Was Elliot Ellen when the breasts were removed, Jordan inquires.  What difference does that make now?  

Do you think once with mammary always with mammary?  If they can be removed as part of the transitioning process how does this harm you?  If Elliot is fine with it how does this harm you?  It can only possibly do harm to your sense of aesthetics and taste (which you, in your arrogance, would elevate to morality).  In which case you should just learn to put up with it as I have to put up with, say, professional wrestling as a reality – or as we all have to put up with the enframing process, which is really what this all about, only you and most other people don't know it.   

Jordan asks how he could have stated the he/she conundrum in "any sensible manner?"  Well, you could start by accepting the she identifies as a he and respect it.  Try some old-fashioned human decency toward others.  Works wonders.   The fact is you and millions like you, actually plenty dumber than you, do not desire to offer Elliot any respect and your disrespectfulness is what the culture wars are all about.  You're feigned confusion seems to lack sensibility here.

“Insanely narcissistic and increasingly dangerous trans activists.”  Where is the danger Jordan?  Where is the danger to Elliot Page?  To Generation Z?  There is no danger to you and your family or even your followers.  There is only danger to your sensibilities, “the old rules” and that is your real rub, though you are too pissed off and busy feigning confusion to admit that.

Jordan yaps on about how difficult it is to communicate about a person's past once they transition.  I can empathize with him on that point.  I once held a similar perspective.  I thought that transgender people were arrogant to believe they should dictate the very rules of grammar.  Until I saw that this was the future and not the past and that more was required of me than Jordan believes should be required of him.  To him it is a bunch of “postmodernist, Marxist ethos.”  All this from the pride movement and Elliot Page?  Seems a bit overly sensitive to the freedom of others.

After all, once again, Big Freedom is the freedom of others to act in ways with which I do not agree.  Jordan Peterson is of the conservative mode and, therefore, a little freedom guy.

Then he drones on about “Ellen-slash-Elliot” (there's no reason to refer to Ellen anymore Jordan, that's just more feigned confusion on your part), is a “star” with the all the “privileges” and “responsibilities” that go with the capacity for being “emulated.”  Does he seriously think that because Elliot is a film actor that he should have remained a woman because of the “responsibilities” that come with stardom?  That Elliot had some sort of responsibility not to transition because Elliot is a movie star?  That makes absolutely no sense.  And so what if others emulate Elliot?  How does this harm Jordan Peterson or anyone?

He keeps saying that Elliot's new identity is “dangerous.”  By this he means that young girls (most likely) who have issues with identity in the natural course of adolescent development will be wickedly influenced by the likes of Elliot into transitioning themselves only to discover it is a cataclysmic error on their part.  They were in the right body to begin with and now they are in the wrong body.  

So this is the demon that Jordan fears.  Best I can tell the evidence for this fear is far less substantial than the evidence for, say, global warming which Jordan despises.  The fear is based on the matter of taste and the preference for “old ways.” “Ellen or Elliot of whatever the hell his or her name is bares moral culpability for that.”  Which is complete bullshit.  If it turns out that Jordan is right (which he isn't) the situation will take care of itself.  If enough people end up committing suicide for wrongly choosing to transition then word will get around like news on a bad drug.  People will stop doing it.  But, instead, more are doing it.

I dare say most of Generation Z has no clue who Elliot Page is and could care less.  So the emulation argument, though logical, is a false one.  This is emergent human behavior enframed by technology, Jordan.  Technology makes this possible and whatever is technologically possible defines the future course of humanity, as I have posted many times.  It will change all the old ways.  It will make the world very strange.  But the utter chaos and confusion you predict for all of the pride people and the trans people (which are only one letter of the LGBTQ+ community, after all) of the world will, instead, be your own confusion and those who agree with your “old ways.”

Finally, Jordan gets himself all worked up over his use of the word “criminal” since he means it in a moral sense and not a legal sense.  Obviously, transitioning isn't illegal.  So to clarify, he ridiculously rants on about how Nazi experimentation was “legal” in Germany and how the medical community is grotesquely misguided in facilitating transitioning.

Then he quotes how transitioning is a growth market, medically speaking, (in the US, apparently) with a 15% annual rate of growth and will hit $750 million by 2027.  This is horrible according to Jordan, “a vicious and unconscionable fad.”  Oh, how wrong you are there.  In fact, this merely outlines the economics of this emergent behavioral pattern.  And this unstoppable force of enframed human behavior pisses Jordan off more than anything Twitter ever did.

He finishes with a flurry of rational insight that I might hear from a eighth grader.  “Up yours woke moralists.  We'll see who cancels who.  Twitter's a rathole in the final analysis...it is relief in some real sense to be banned and I regard it under the present conditions as a badge of honor.”

Well, I agree Twitter is a rathole.  I even agree that “woke moralists” tend to take things much further than society is capable of accommodating and that will probably lead to some backlash.  But, the woke moralists are not in charge of the future.  That belongs to Gen Z and Alpha and these generations are not “woke” strictly speaking.  

They are not into woke philosophy or any philosophy, as best I can tell.  They are simply living out their lives with the technological possibilities in which they live.  And that is how traditions change, Jordan.  That is how the “old rules” are replaced by new values.  It is strange.  And it really can suck if you can't handle the strangeness of change in our reality.

I pity Jordan Peterson.  For all his articulate psychological knowledge, he lacks the basic neuroplasticity to accept the future.  He is going to become one miserable old man clinging to the death of old ways. 

Late Note: I read this article by Rebel Wisdom several days after my post.  It goes into great detail about what the hell has happened to Jordan Peterson.  Having thought about it a bit more, I think his illness did more psychological damage to him than anyone has realized.  It completely changed the man I used to respect.