I have a friend who is a psychologist by training. We have had a number of wide-ranging discussions about Jordan Peterson because back before Dr. Peterson broke into the collective consciousness as the incels' favorite daddy figure, he had some useful and innovative things to say about psychology to psychologists. Or so my buddy tells me.

I haven't read any of these books or journal articles or whatever. I never will. I'm not a psychologist and I don't really need an excuse to figure out why the public has it wrong about Jordan Peterson. 'cuz the thing of it is? Jordan Peterson's audience, and his engagement thereof, has greatly overshadowed whatever Jordan Peterson was before.

I used to cross swords with a couple people back in the old days on the screenwriting boards: Craig Mazin and Laura Loomer. Craig Mazin was an asshole whose biggest credit was Scary Movie 4 at the time while Laura Loomer was a vaguely caustic clueless idiot. Craig Mazin, of course, has gone on to create Chernobyl and write The Last of Us, as well as a bunch of snarky shit about his college Roommate Ted Cruz. Laura Loomer meanwhile is now one of the batshittiest of the batshit on the right.

I've read a bunch of Slate Star Codex. I think the dude is occasionally insightful. I also think he's been playing to his audience a lot, and I find his audience to be problematic. This is my issue with Jordan Peterson as well - whoever he was before, he's well aware of who he is now. Craig Mazin before, in my interactions with him, was probably this guy who was super-pissed off that his shitty roommate was now the solicitor general of Texas, while he couldn't do awesome shit like Chernobyl and was stuck writing sequels to Scary Movie for money (at the time we figured he wrote Balls Out just to get revenge on all of Hollywood). Laura Loomer meanwhile was just someone who hadn't figured out how to grift her way to the top of the Nazi Party. I'd probably be sick to death of assholes like me if I were Craig Mazin, and if I were Laura Loomer I'd be impressed by myself.

I think everyone needs to be careful where their validation comes from, doubly so if it comes from somewhere online. The day Reddit decided to burn me at the cross? I was busy doing design work for a church in Compton. I had a choice - be my own spin doctor as shit went down, or make a difference for real people in the real world. I hesitated for about four seconds before putting my phone away and ignoring it the rest of the day (and what a day). Real world matters. Online world doesn't. It's that simple.

I think SSC has been pursuing online validation for a really long time... and I think that validation is coming from people whose validation I do not seek.