MNHQ here: How would you feel about a Jordan Peterson webchat?

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello

We've been offered a webchat with Jordan Peterson (his new book has a chapter on parenting, although the publishers (Penguin) recognise a webchat is likely to be more wide-ranging than that). We know he's very controversial, to put it mildly, but also as you know we believe in the value of open debate. So we thought we'd ask you what you think: would you like the chance to put questions to him and debate him on-site or would you rather not?

Oh my lord....that (alleged) narcissistic bully who is having a pop at Priyamvada Gopal right now for being critical of hi about the withdrawn fellowship that she had nothing to do with .... - latest in a long line. Well we maybe we could give him a run for his money (I can already imagine his pull yourself up by bootstraps stuff on parenting, so there will be no revelations) , but I doubt it would be pretty and there would be some unctuous fawners here too and it would turn into a right old fight. Could be fun.

It can't be any less pointless than Penny Mordaunt's appearance, so...

I don't know that much about him but the very little I do know suggests he'd be unlikely to cancel at the last minute or refuse to answer difficult questions or postpone and then send in a few anodyne answers to questions that weren't asked. I'd say go for it! I'd be likely to look at it, and I don't think you'd lack for questions.

I'd be really interested to read this. Somewhat surreally, Cosmopolitan did a piece about him a few issues back and while I still find a lot of what he says unpalatable it made some interesting points.

I do wonder how he'd be with such, ahem, robust debate though.

That's a great idea if you want to attract the right-wing sexist crowd.As it is, I don't think he has anything useful to say to the demographic MN does attract.

And extract from his book (about how gender is a real thing and boys are born naughty):

'Boys are suffering, in the modern world. They are more disobedient — negatively — or more independent — positively — than girls, and they suffer for this, throughout their pre-university educational career. They are less agreeable (agreeableness being a personality trait associated with compassion, empathy and avoidance of conflict) and less susceptible to anxiety and depression, at least after both sexes hit puberty. Boys’ interests tilt towards things; girls’ interests tilt towards people. Strikingly, these differences, strongly influenced by biological factors, are most pronounced in the Scandinavian societies where gender-equality has been pushed hardest: this is the opposite of what would be expected by those who insist, ever more loudly, that gender is a social construct. It isn’t. This isn’t a debate. The data are in.'

I'm not sure why but Jordan Peterson puts me in mind of Rasputin

Erm, i thought we were trying to shake off the gender stereotypes here?

If you want a thread full of #whataboutthemenz go ahead. I can't see what use he would be. Is there money involved by any chance MNHQ?

FWIW we can restrict the webchat thread so that only established MN users can post on it - we do this occasionally when we expect a webchat to be really busy or when we suspect it might get swamped by people who might not have sincere intentions

I don't think he deserves the platform. A hearty no.

@RuffleCrow

Erm, i thought we were trying to shake off the gender stereotypes here?

If you want a thread full of #whataboutthemenz go ahead. I can't see what use he would be. Is there money involved by any chance MNHQ?

Nope, no money at all - just a straightforward webchat like the ones we do with politicians. Obviously from his/Penguin's point of view it's a chance to promote the book.

Going against the grain here - I quite like Jordan Peterson. I may not agree on everything he says (although I'm very grateful to him for refusing to kowtow to the transactivists and for his ability to engage critical thinking) but certainly respect his right to say it. So I think a webchat would be great.

Nah, I'm grand, thanks

I wouldn't give him the airtime

Obviously from his/Penguin's point of view it's a chance to promote the book.

And book promotion is all it would be. He's not going to change his mind, we aren't going to change ours, it would just be free publicity for him and his out-dated (click bait) views.

Yes I think it would be good to have him here. I can’t stand the current “no-platforming” trend. I think it’s good to hear challenging views. I’m sure mumsnetters would give him an appropriately hard time

I can’t stand the current “no-platforming” trend

Refusing to give nutters and bastards credibility and publicity by engaging with them is as old as time. The only thing that's new is their ability to use the rhetoric of freedom and free speech to complain about it and legitimise themselves.

We wouldn't have the current breakouts of many vaccine-preventable diseases if media outlets had given Andrew Wakefield the credibility and attention he deserved, i.e. none.

It's not about no-platforming. A web chat with JP would be pointless, he has nothing useful to offer, he's not a politician so we wouldn't be getting the chance to give our opinions to someone in power; it would just be free publicity for his dubious book.

Andrew Wakefield is a good example - a web chat with him would have been completely pointless too.

I think it's a great idea. I don't agree with everything he says by any means, but I admire his views on free speech and I think a webchat could be really interesting. He doesn't seem the type to avoid difficult or challenging questions.

Thanks all - please keep on letting us know what you think over the weekend (and hope everyone has a good one)

seriously? he's a right wing racist sexist homophobe who some people on here love because of his transphobia - pretty disgusting really

I think what he has to say is quite interesting and I always find nuggets to mull over in what he says. I’m happy not to agree with everything though (see gender above) but I don’t see what the problem is with that.

If people don’t like his ideas then ask him difficult questions. Maybe if Andrew Wakefield had been asked difficult questions by suspicious people in an open format (as opposed to falsifying data in a medical study) then things would have, indeed, been different.

The man who thinks the current hierarchy is based on competence?
No thanks. Spent years listening to that crap already.

No thanks.

I think it would be absolutely fascinating.

Yes, me too. It is always interesting to talk with people who have different views from your own, rather than always rehashing views you agree with..

Yes! I would love to see this!