Don’t Worry Darling‘s press tour has been nothing short of madness, and now its torrent of tabloids has claimed one more (unlikely) victim: Anti-LGBTQ conservative pedagog Jordan Peterson.
The Olivia Wilde-directed thriller has been feeding those of us who live on the extreme end of the “messy b*tch who lives for drama” scale, offering up rumored on-set feuds, spit-swapping, and so much more. But even while its busy pulling solid box office numbers, Don’t Worry Darling‘s reign of chaos isn’t over yet.
The latest unfolded on a recent edition of Piers Morgan Uncensored, of all places. The disgraced English “host” welcomed Canadian “professor” Peterson onto his program to talk about whatever it is two conservative trolls talk about.
But, at one point, Morgan referenced an Interview Magazine profile of Wilde, in which the actor-director revealed that Don’t Worry Darling‘s villain (played by Chris Pine) is based on Peterson. In the piece, she describes Peterson as “this pseudo-intellectual hero to the incel community,’ and Morgan wondered what he thought of that label:
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“Incels being these weirdo, loner men who are despicable in many ways—is that you?,” Morgan asked. “Are you the intellectual hero to these people?”
“Sure, why not,” Peterson responded. “You know, people have been after me for a long time because I’ve been speaking to disaffected young men.”
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It’s at this point in the conversation that Peterson gets visibly choked up. “Aren’t the marginalized supposed to have a voice?” Well, sure, Peterson, but you don’t seem to care about anyone’s voice but your own.
In any event, Morgan calls attention to his guest’s welling tears, and that’s when Peterson really dials up the theatrics:
“It’s very difficult to understand how demoralized people are, and certainly many young men are in that category,” he says. “You get these casual insults, these incels—what do they mean? These men, they don’t know how to make themselves attractive to women who are very picky, and good for them. Women, like, be picky. That’s your gift, man. Demand high standards from your men. Fair enough. But all these men who are alienated, it’s like they’re lonesome and they don’t know what to do and everyone piles abuse on them.”
The generalizing from Peterson? Far too much. Well all know why men like him get called incels, and it’s because they’ve often said or done far worse to women, or other actually marginalized communities.
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Despite the waterworks, Peterson claims he wasn’t all that offended by Wilde’s words, calling it a “low-level” insult. Apparently, it even convinced him to check out Don’t Worry Darling‘s trailer: “I thought, ‘I’d go see that movie.’ and perhaps I will, probably.”
Of course, Peterson somehow found a way to turn it around and inflate his own ego: “I hope that if I had to be played by someone, [Chris Pine] is a very good-looking man, so that seems alright… I hope he gets my fashion style choice right when he plays me. And it was a joke—all of that was a joke.”
Har-har, Peterson. Don’t flatter yourself, darling.
For the curious, you can watch Peterson’s crocodile tears in the interview below, starting just after the 39:50 mark.
JTex
Jordan Peterson is far from perfect, which he will freely admit. I still believe he is not deserving of a lot of the hate he gets.
If you really listen to Peterson’s material, you will come out with the understanding that he is not against anyone except for people who try to redefine reality or claim unearned moral authority absent of self-reflection.
In one of his greatest talks about identity politics – which are a hot button topic for many, and understandably so – he spoke about the dangers of making any demographic group a monolith, because the ultimate minority is the individual. The individual is the logical conclusion of intersectionality. Each person has a set of privileges and disadvantages, and it becomes unhelpful to favor any one group’s privileges or disadvantages because of this.
Some incel men behave in despicable ways, and I understand how Peterson’s compassion for them can be triggering. And yet it is still correct to state that some men are also demoralized and underappreciated in our society. He outright encourages women to be picky about their partners, he simply goes on to state that this has had consequences in some disaffected men, and my read is that he sees the potential for treatment through compassion and understanding.
There is nothing wrong with this. We don’t all have to be the rehabilitators of our people, but we should not pile on hate to someone who is willing to understand and do the work that triggers us.
mailliw110
If I need help from a stranger, I’d ask for it.
bachy
@JTex: I recently read that young American men are in a state of crisis – because they are failing to develop the social skills that lead to life satisfaction. Social media emphasizes connection through technology vs connecting to others through conversation at parties, bars, social gatherings. And the trend toward working from home diminishes the social skills developed through face-to-face interactions in office settings. I appreciate that Jordan is making an effort to reach men who have become alienated as a result of these issues.
I’m sorry that he and the transgender community are at loggerheads over their enormously different POV regarding identity politics and language, but I don’t see him as the unregenerate “monster” they make him out to be. I do feel he is making a contribution to the disenfranchised, but his focus is on cis-gender men, where he has significantly more understanding WRT their history, traditions and life experience.
dbmcvey
Peterson is not helping these disaffected young men. He’s making them feel like victims and stoking up their grievances. He’s not helping, he’s just encouraging them to continue in their anti-social ways.
Bosch
He called the doctor who performed Elliot Page’s mastectomy a criminal.
That’s not a normal thing for psychologists to do.
And don’t be confused; yes he’s a famous psychologist, but in the same way that Marilyn Manson is a famous painter. He is not famous because of his work in the field of psychology, he is famous because he makes misleading self-help books and aspires to be a YouTube star.
Turning “disaffected young men” against society and teaching them to victimise themselves is the exact opposite of helping.
JTex
I wish we could respond individually to one another on this (also, why don’t we get notifications when someone responds to comments?)
@Bosch – that’s one example where I disagreed with Peterson. His views on the criminality of these surgeries are not in-line with my belief in the right to self-determination. I believe he comes at this from a fear that these surgeries are offered to children, and in that area I think there is a good debate to be had between supporting the trans community and understanding mental and physiological maturation.
So yeah, I don’t agree with everything he says or believes…in the same way that I disagree with some of the things people I love say or believe. I still see the value that they bring in their entirety. Peterson said it himself in the interview…net net he’s doing good, case-by-case is a different story. As it is with all of us.
Ronbo
Like today’s Republicans, extremists focus on the extreme – rarely do people look at the full picture or the entire foundation of facts. Half-truths are usually deceptive – intentionally.
More importantly, calling names and degrading individuals, is a childish attempt to divert the conversation away from facts. In actual debate (high school and college) ad hominem attacks, like this story, are red-flags of propaganda. I’m not saying that the propaganda is wrong – just that the use of ad hominems exposes an inability to understand and organize contrary facts.
When Cam here attacks commentors (and everyone he disagrees with) as a sock puppet, it reveals a LACK of valid arguments. Understanding the arguments on each side of an issue is how people make intelligent decisions.
I prefer informed decisions over propaganda. When I’m wrong, at least I learn thru the process and understand the different perspectives. Extremists who insist that they are right; but, have no valid proof are merely propagandizing their opinion – not educating, informing or helping.
Cam
@JTex, one of the right wing troll screenames defend a bigot. No surprise.
@Ronbo This screename was already exposed as another one of your screenames that defends anti-LGBTQ bigots and attacks out of the closet celebs.
Even better, you REALLY have a tough time posting without trying exposing just how obsessed you are because I keep exposing your screenames. Delicious!
As always, your trolling is sad and weak.
Ronbo
Cam is exposing his own behaviors – just like extremist incels. They can’t help themselves; they always think they are right and refuse to learn.
Cam. be a better person, stop lying and attacking.
abfab
The unlovable stinking pile of crap, AKA as our x prez, would be the CEO of The Incels if he was broke. ”oh how horrible, women suck, none of them love me”. Right, douche bag. It wasn’t you they loved it was your credit cards.
Oh brother. The Proud Boys are incels….does anyone find that hard to believe? Incel men are pigs. Some women are too..just look at Marjorey Divorced Green! She should start a club for unlovable female misfits.
Pull yourselves together, dudes. You all need a club like you need a hole in the head.
Neoprene
abflab – You’re as boring and useless as Peterson.
Bosch
Way to rush to the Proud Boys’ defense…
inbama
@Bosch
You seem to be criticizing something that wasn’t said.
Have you been drinking?
Bosch
Way to rush to Neoprene’s defense…
Ronbo
As if we didn’t know this already. Water is wet … post that little factoid to amaze your uninformed friends!
This community is not uninformed. Such disrespect is unnecessary – do you actually THINK that the LGBTQ community is mentally deficient, slow or stupid? That concept seems like your thoughts. Post to expose new ideas, not to repeat what everyone here knows.
Ronbo
@Ronbo tRump is bad. Who knew this? (eyeroll)
What type of person makes broad proclamations against entire groups like abfab? Gays aren’t always hairdressers… blacks aren’t akways criminals… mexicans aren’t always lazy. “The Proud Boys are incels…” Some maybe, not all.
Education and thought are more important than false broad opinions. Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Abfab would be attaacking us as as only silly hairdressers if the shoe was on the other foot. Raise your game abfab. We didn’t win equality by pushing half-truth propaganda.
abfab
You’re wrong Ronbo. I would be doing no such thing. This entire Incel bullshit bothers me. I’m thrilled you are trying to elevate and raise the bar here. These are opinion pieces. Try to remembr that.
Cam
LOL!!!!! Best Self burn in a while…
Ronbo said..
“Ronbo
@Ronbo tRump is bad. Who knew this? (eyeroll)”
The troll FORGOT it was still signed in under the Screename Ronbo, and then tried to post a response to ITSELF attacking itself to rehab a different screename.
LOL!!!! I mean, your trolling is usually sad and weak, but this is just HILARIOUS!!!!!
Ronbo
EVERYONE knows that tRump is a repugnant opportunist, Cam. Even his idiot supporters know it; they just like pawning reactive people like yourself and abfab. You know them – like you, they always insist that they are always right and others are always wrong. Like you, they never LEARN – they just repeat stupid shit like… ” I keep exposing your screenames”. That is idiotic.
Abfab attacks people, calls people names and insists that it’s different from using the n-word. He can’t or refuses to understand that name-calling and ad hominem attacks just show immaturity and ignorance.
Grow up guy and try to learn that hateful personal attacks HURT our community. Be a point of light and stop with the hateful lies and ad hominem attacks.
abfab
Settle down Rambo and stop scolding me. Good luck monitoring these hallways.
Ronbo
Abfab, I’m scolding you because you, like Republicans, you falsely label groups of people names while attacking them personally. Not all black people are criminals. Not all gays are hairdressers. Not all Proud Boys are incels.
Please refrain from the bigotry which has infused your postings. People can have different ideas – please argue the ideas, rather than insult, attacking and smearing entire populations for the actions of a few.
How would you feel if others characterized you as Jeffrey Dahmer? You might be a great person – but you are gay… just like Jeffrey. Right? See how bigoted comparisons are demeaning and wrong?
ZzBomb
“These men, they don’t know how to make themselves attractive to women who are very picky, and good for them.”
This is not the problem. The problem these men have a complete and utter disregard for women then think they deserve to have sex with any woman they find attractive. Obviously, when they are rejected, they blame the woman and continue to project all their own shortcomings and insecurities on women. I’ve seen how these incels talk on a variety of social media boards and it’s amazing how little self-circumspection they have in regards to their own behavior and intentions. Most of them could actually get a woman if they didn’t so stubbornly believe everything the losers like the Joe Rogans and Andrew Tates of the world said.
abfab
Who here can say, that over the many years skipping down the yellow brick road, they’ve known Gay men who say terrible things about other Gay men because of constant rejection, romances that never come to fruition, etc. And of course, it’s never any fault of their own. Like someone said above, it’s textbook projection. I’m not the bitch! You are!!
HMFan
Peterson: “Aren’t the marginalized supposed to have a voice?” Yes, but not at the expense of OTHER marginalized people. I do not deny that the young men of America are in crisis but feeding them a steady diet of misogeny, victimhood, tribalism, and violence as the way to be heard is not the way to solve this issue. He speaks of white, young men as being “demoralized and underappreciated” in our society but unfortunately, the pendulum has for far too long swung in the favor of white men with virtually anyone who ISN’T a white male being demoralized and underappreciated. As the pendulum swings back to TRUE equality, and remember that for the privileged, equality feels like discrimination. Peterson is not crying for these men or their plight; he’s crying because white supremacy is on its way out and Heaven forfend that a Black, Latin, or Asian person mentally best Peterson at his own game.
Uthman
What on earth are you talking about? I have never once heard Jordan Peterson mention white men in anything he’s ever said, and neither have you. It’s pretty obvious that you’re just assuming he’s specifically talking about white men because you’ve already decided that’s the only group of people he cares about. If I asked you to provide evidence for that, I’d be willing to bet almost anything that you wouldn’t be able to provide anything that’s even remotely substantive and/or objective. Oh… and I’m not even a JP fan. I’m a staunch Democratic Socialist who disagrees with the overwhelming majority of his political views.