By Dom Cioffi
My nightly routine usually consists of me lying in bed with my iPad watching YouTube videos until I get drowsy, after which I put on a podcast and fall asleep. Apparently digital interaction just before bed is frowned upon by experts, but I generally doze off within minutes and sleep like a rock through the night, so I’m not concerned.
During that time, I watch a lot of music videos consisting of live concert footage, musician interviews, and instructional content. I also watch sports recaps just to stay onto of things. And of course, I love humor. I haven’t missed an episode of “Saturday Night Live” in decades even though I now balk at the 11:30 p.m. live show and instead watch the recap on Sunday mornings with my coffee.
Admittedly, sometimes I get sidetracked by YouTube’s suggestion algorithm and find myself watching videos about things I’ve never thought about or considered, like how to carve up a giant blue fin tuna or how to build a 5-acre pond (both of which were wildly entertaining and informative).
The suggestion algorithm can be fun and can enlighten you to many new and interesting things, but it’s also dangerous. The fact is, it’s not there to make you smarter or more well-versed. It’s there to keep you using the app at all costs.
Nevertheless, the suggestion algorithm has introduced some amazing things into my life, the least of which is a Canadian professor named Jordan Peterson.
Peterson is a trained clinical psychologist, a professor of psychology, and a best-selling author. Over the last few years, he has risen from well-respected college instructor to world-renown speaker and lecturer. And it all happened because of one tiny YouTube video.
Peterson’s story began several years ago when he decided to post some of his college lectures online. He had foreseen the power of the online medium and wanted to educate himself on the process. The videos enjoyed some regional interest, but that was it. And then one day in 2016, Peterson participated in rally against Canadian Bill C16, which looked to make certain forms of speech revolving around gender identity illegal to use.
At the rally, a student used a cell phone to record an interaction with Peterson. In the exchange, the student peppered Peterson with questions about his stance, while consistently mocking him and taking his words out of context. Peterson reacted like the consummate professional and delivered a robust rebuttal to the pending legislation and the dangers of treading into the curtailing of free speech.
The video was posted on YouTube soon after the rally and immediately went viral as people across the world chimed in with their opinions.
Jordan Peterson is intricately versed in identity politics and has done massive research into the social constructs that led to the two World Wars at the start of the last century. He feels strongly that small infringements on free speech are what led to the devastating effects of those wars.
His arguments are compelling, and his logic (based on copious facts) is hard to deny.
The viral video sent curious people (myself included) into the backlog of lectures that Peterson had posted on YouTube. From there, people began to realize that this man had a special message and that his ideas were worth investigating.
I saw the viral video and then I dove into the lectures. I spent a good chunk of the pandemic listening to Jordan Peterson and his theories and I was gob-smacked. I have never had one individual force me to consider more diverse ideas than him.
I bought his book, “12 Rules of Life,” and devoured it — not once, but twice. His second book, “Beyond Order,” is on my Christmas list and I’m sure it will be attached to me as the year closes out.
I don’t normally promote individual people in my column, but Jordan Peterson is worth the effort. The world (and especially the United States) is experiencing challenging times currently. We need to highlight articulate, intelligent, and insightful people to point the way out of the chaos. And from my personal standpoint, no one is better suited for the job than Mr. Peterson.
If you want a good primer into the story of Jordan Peterson, look for the documentary, “The Rise of Jordan Peterson,” on Amazon Prime. This film outlines the man and how he’s been catapulted onto the intellectual world stage. This film is not a puff piece and spends a good chuck of time questioning his approach, but the overall message is clear: JP has something important to say.
If you’ve already heard of Peterson, you’ll love the film; if he’s unknown to you, this movie will serve as a wonderful introduction.
An astute “B+” for “The Rise of Jordan Peterson.”
Got a question or comment for Dom? You can email him at moviediary@att.net.
