Jordan Peterson and His Crusade to Reclaim Masculinity
By Andres Kogan Valderrama
HAVANA TIMES – If someone were to ask me about the most admired, idolized, and guru-like figure for those in today’s far-right waging the so-called cultural battle against “wokeness,” it would undoubtedly be the Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson.
Reviewing his writings, interviews, and clips of his classes available online, Peterson emerges as the perfect figure for those critical of political correctness and any discourse challenging racism, sexism, classism, or other forms of discrimination and inequality.
For this reason, Peterson has become one of the primary spokespeople of a far-right movement claiming that feminist, LGBTQ+, environmentalist, anti-racist, and social justice movements aim to dismantle the very foundations of individual freedom and Western civilization.
These are the so-called identity politics that Peterson seeks to challenge at every turn, as if he were fighting against the forces of evil—a kind of divine emissary tasked with combating various groups and aiding men who feel disoriented and powerless in the face of a crisis of masculinity.
This resonates with many men today, who, confronted with the rise of the feminist movement, find themselves unsure of how to respond to the revealing of a heteropatriarchal system with historical gender roles and stereotypes that reveal inequalities between men and women in every sphere.
It is precisely among such men that Peterson finds admiration and idolization, as he explicitly defends traditional masculinity. According to him, “naturally masculine” traits like responsibility, self-discipline, and individual courage have been lost and must be recovered for the good of society.
As a result, Peterson acts as a kind of guru for those men who feel angered and threatened by feminism, offering life rules and self-help advice to those seeking to reclaim their masculinity and move forward alone—abandoning weakness and kindness.
It is no coincidence that Peterson has also become a reference point on masculinity for various coaches and seduction experts targeting men. These individuals often use rhetoric and techniques that reinforce violence against women and increase sexual pressures on men.
This may all seem crude, but Peterson genuinely believes in a linear, individualistic, and biologically deterministic idea of human evolution—one that ignores the power structures, such as patriarchy, that have dominated certain groups since the advent of major civilizations.
For Peterson, none of that exists. He focuses exclusively on the individual, promoting a binary view of gender that denies the world’s diversity, justifies social hierarchies, and encourages men to rise and become alpha males, ostensibly to restore a supposed natural order of the human species, reduced to reproduction and survival.
However, Peterson’s insistence on reclaiming masculinity not only harms women but also inflicts damage on men, who are forced to conform to rigid molds that generate more violence toward others and themselves. This is evident in the disproportionate rates of homicides, accidents, assaults, and suicides, overwhelmingly committed or experienced by men.
In other words, it is precisely the version of masculinity Peterson seeks to restore that has brought us to the brink of nuclear war and unprecedented climate collapse, driven by powerful states, mega-corporations, and arrogant leaders who believe themselves above the planet’s limits and the basic conditions for life on Earth.
What we need is not more alpha males in the world but greater visibility of alternative masculinities and the promotion of men engaging in care and cooperation to build more sustainable futures.
The pandemic demonstrated how vulnerable and interdependent we are, but it seems to have been a missed opportunity to rethink our way of living. Instead, it has fostered more fear and new monsters.
It is a complicated issue. Analyzing the issue from the point of view of a 20 year old or even a teenager. All these issues can be a bit confusing, especially when you are still trying to form your own criteria. But let’s start with feminism.
Currently the form of Feminism that is most talked about and has the most media coverage is extremist feminism where men are generalized as trying to fit into society with the sociopathic men with power and status who live and enjoy the patriarchal society. By generalizing in that way what happens is that people who do not understand the movement end up moving away from it. That way they seek to protect themselves with something contrary, which are the so-called gurus of masculinity.
Another thing is also the effect of the internet or especially social networks. Where if you are an emotional man, who tries to share his problems and difficulties you will receive hateful comments comparing the situation they live in with situations where women lose in general socially speaking.
Other comments I’ve seen are taunts like “you should smile more” things that obviously men with power say these days to women. But the 19 year old young man, who is just entering the working world, who is trying to have a balanced life, have a partner, friends and is not able to satisfy his social needs when receiving this kind of comments the only thing he feels is rejection to this kind of movements.
Currently the leftists do not have as their target audience young men and with comments from people who at the end of the day only spread hatred. This is why they became great Gurus like Andrew Tate, because they don’t tell you what you are doing wrong for being born a man, what they do with their narrative is try to give you a purpose. This is why young men tend to go more to Right thinking.
The Internet is not a safe place in general. No matter how you think, you will always get people who will comment in a way that makes them feel morally superior. And that is a big problem in today’s society, that people want to feel superior to others.
Patriarchy only benefits those men in power. That’s an important thing to remember, because Peter who has 2 jobs and barely makes it to the end of the month does not benefit from this society.
I agree with parts of Andres Kogan Valderrama characterization of Dr. Jordan Peterson’s writings; however, one paragraph I disagree. That is, Andres states:
“He focuses exclusively on the individual, promoting a binary view of gender that denies the world’s diversity, justifies social hierarchies, and encourages men to rise and become alpha males, ostensibly to restore a supposed natural order of the human species, reduced to reproduction and survival.” No.
Absolutely false.
Dr. Peterson does not focus “exclusively” on encouraging men to rise up to be “alpha males” whatever you pronounce that to mean. He certainly does encourage males, particularly young men, lost in their own idiosyncrasies to pick up their “cross” – their individual and social responsibility – and become productive members of society.
Dr. Peterson a very devout adherent of the Christian Bible uses the stories and the actual text and related Bible teachings to reinforce his message to his audience. His overall instructive message certainly cannot be reduced to simply – simplistically – to “reproduction and survival”. No. You missed his central message.
Throughout his worldly lectures, Dr. Peterson focuses on humans to reach their highest potential. In his lecturing that highest potential is represented by the Divine, God, Higher Being, Consciousness, whatever you want to call the ultimate utopia of human existence.
For example, he uses the biblical story of Cain and Abel to illustrate how anyone choosing to think and act in a self delusional, narcissistic way thinking that one is in total control of one’s life and can do as one pleases ignoring the values instilled in humanity will lead to one’s psychological destruction – Cain like. Dr Peterson warns males insisting on believing they are in control, that they can do as they please will lead to extensive negative consequences.
Dr. Peterson juxtaposes Abel’s relationship with Cain and with God. Abel certainly not in the “alpha male” sphere of human existence more humble, God fearing, obedient and psychologically fit are characteristics attuned to appropriate human existence.
Often, Dr. Peterson quotes one of his favourite authors Fyodor Dostoevsky who wrote Crime and Punishment to draw attention to the notion of the inappropriateness of self delusional thinking and believing one can do as one pleases in society and be rewarded for it. Any potential “alpha male” who acts out like the protagonist – Raskolnikov – in Crime and Punishment, Dr Peterson warns will be psychological doomed as the biblical Cain.
In conclusion, it is my understanding of Dr. Peterson’s writings and lecturing that he does focus on the individual, particularly young men lost in purpose, but uses a great deal of biblical stories and imagery to teach people that our human existence today is no different than it was in biblical times and that we all need to reflect back and absorb some of the past teachings being ignored today at our detriment.