Monthly Archives: March 2021

Jordan Peterson is back. The Canadian professor of psychology who is one of the worlds leading intellectuals has recovered from a coma that resulted from his severe dependence on sedatives, which nearly killed him. His new book Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life has just been released, and he seems set to resume a public career that made him famous and wealthy. The left has a not-so-subtle message for Peterson upon his resurrection: Watch your back.

Last year, an article called What Happened to Jordan Peterson? appeared in the New Republic. Were it not for an article in the Atlantic this week, it would barely be worth mentioning in its substance. In it, the author attempts to explain how Peterson wound up in a coma in Russia. She fully admits she has no actual idea, but that does not stop her from her guesswork or to mock the supposed guru of self-restraint for his condition.

The article is reminiscent of the endless parade of psychologists and psychoanalysts on certain cable news networks who opined for years about the perilous state of Donald Trumps mental health. In both examples, what is amazing is that any doctor would go on the record regarding such matters without so much as examining the patient. It is also worth noting that those same cable networks and publications not only ignore the regular mental and physical lapses of Joe Biden but treat them as little more than grandfatherly charm.

It is the second, more recent piece, also titled What Happened To Jordan Peterson, by feminist scribe Helen Lewis whose famous GQ interview with Peterson in 2018 garnered more than 26 million views on YouTube in the Atlantic that really sheds light on the message the progressive media is sending to Peterson. That message is that should he get back in the public intellectual game, there will be a huge target on him. But that of course is nothing new.

Lewis invents a kind of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde out of the Canadian professor. On the one hand, he is a thoughtful professor who should know his small place in the ivory tower. On the other, he is a contemptible anti-feminist culture warrior. She writes:

[T]he relentless demands of modern celebrity more content, more access, more authenticity were already tearing the psychologists public persona in two. One Peterson was the father figure beloved by the normie readers of 12 Rules, who stood in long lines to hear him speak and left touching messages on internet forums, testifying that he had turned their lives around. The other Peterson was a fearsome debater, the gladiator who crowed Gotcha! at the British television interviewer Cathy Newman.

There is a reason that Lewis insists on creating these two Petersons. The latter is absolutely key to the straw man she creates to prove her thesis that Petersons medical condition was a direct result of his desire for fame and fortune. She is desperate for his true disease to be not dependence, but hubris. At no point does she seriously entertain the possibility that the unhinged, often personal attacks launched against Peterson by progressives after his rise to fame played any role whatsoever in his condition. It is of course quite possible that it did not, but in an article full of guesswork, it is a possibility no fair-minded person could ignore.

The fundamental flaw in Lewiss piece is in separating Petersons scholarly work from his role as a public intellectual dealing with pressing issues of the day. She describes in detail how he got in hot water for refusing to use transgender pronouns and for arguing that men and women do and should play different societal roles. He has also been bitterly attacked for his disbelief in the concept of white privilege.

That Lewis thinks these positions exist somehow outside of his more scholarly work betrays how little she understands him or his appeal. His earliest YouTube success in 2017 was a series of lectures on the Bible, and what its stories can tell us about the modern condition. In the vein of Carl Jung or Joseph Campbell, Peterson has this strange notion that ancient stories actually matter, that they are guideposts left to us as an inheritance.

Far from being separate from his culture war battles, his work in bringing the tales of old into modern importance are of a piece with it. In both, he preaches that we are in fact constrained by reality, that it is not simply a mutable plastic we can form to our will. That is ultimately the message that so many, including but not limited to struggling young men, found so appealing and helpful.

For his trouble, he was accused, as Lewis acknowledges, of being some father figure of the alt-right, a Nazi-creating machine leading men astray in dangerous ways. This was always nonsense. But it did give cover for screed after screed decrying the negative influence and personal flaws of Peterson. But what was the left really attacking? What were they so upset by in his work? Here we must go back to Lewiss false dichotomy.

It was not his positions on hot-button issues that truly angered the left; it was the root of them: his belief that the Bible, mythology, and the Western tradition still have lessons to teach us. For progressives, these stories must be silenced, or at least contextualized in a way that shows how little they apply to todays world in which we can all be pretty unicorns if we so choose. It is Petersons attacks on postmodernism and particularly Marxism, both of which erode the stories of our ancestors that the left cannot abide, that is poison to their project.

And so the anti-Peterson articles have begun to flow like water. They are a threat, make no mistake. If Peterson will just shut up, go back to teaching, and call people by their chosen pronouns, he will be left alone. If not, if he dares take to the public square, the denunciations will continue. And if that harms his mental health, so be it. He is just that dangerous, they can justify doing harm to protect their precious shibboleths.

But we can hope he doesnt slink away. His contributions to discourse, the causes of freedom, and to our connection to ancient humanity are already enough to mark a great career. His once-controversial positions have become more mainstream; others have taken up the mantle. But he is not shy, and we should not be blamed for desiring more of his wisdom.

Jordan Peterson is back. We dont know exactly what that will look like beyond one feature we already see: The progressive media will resume their vendetta against him, without care regarding the man himself. It is shameless, and it is dishonest. But it also exactly what progressives do when they cant win an argument on the merits. For now, all we can do is wait and see and wish him well. It is nice to have him back.

David Marcus is a New York-based writer. Follow him on Twitter, @BlueBoxDave.

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Jordan Peterson Was A Victim Of Vicious Critics And He Still Is - The Federalist

This book does not arrive like other books. This book is very self-important and hard to get a glimpse of, a sign of Jordan Petersons global celebrity and the psychodrama that surrounds him. Either he is the worlds greatest public intellectual( er, really?) or he is that strange, driven Canadian shrink who found fame in his fifties by writing a book that reached those who dont normally read self-help books: men.

Not since I had to go and sit in an office to leaf through Madonnas Sex book and promise not to reveal anything about it (guess what it was about!) have I felt so much nervousness around a book.

The success of his earlier book, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, was phenomenal, selling millions globally. Overnight this stern-looking clinical psychologist became a guru for men who felt dispossessed by modernity, and feminism in particular. His lectures were packed out. His YouTube channel a huge success.

His advice stand up straight (this is how lobsters establish dominance, apparently), tidy your room, treat yourself like you are someone you are responsible for helping was obvious and underpinned by stories from his clinical practice and his reading of the Bible, Jung, Russian literature and mythology.

In an age of moral relativism he was giving his readers a compass. He spoke about the poor self-esteem of young men and took against the aggrieved victimhood of campus culture. He reminded me a lot of Camille Paglia, whom I interviewed in the 1990s. Punchy and utterly at odds with kids raised in soft play areas.

For this he became a figurehead for the alt-Right when he is not that at all. Rather he is an old-fashioned liberal with a conservative attitude to the family, a man who doesnt believe in patriarchy but acts precisely as a paternal authority to all the lost boys.

Watching him, it is apparent he cannot obey his own rules, but in telling us that life is suffering (as all major religions do) and that the goal is to find meaning rather than happiness, he does have something to say. Within him, one feels chaos is near the surface. He often cries and is crumpled with emotion.

More here:

Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life, review: Jordan Peterson is back with a self-help book that is not here to hug you better - Telegraph.co.uk

MAGIC VALLEY For one Idaho family, the importance of blood donations became clear after their five-year-old son, Jack Moser, was hit by a trailer while out camping.

One mistake nearly cost Jack his life.

Jacks just new to being on a bike and he turned and tipped over and he fell under the wheels of the trailer. It was one of those situations where it was nobody's fault. Nobody was acting recklessly or doing anything they werent supposed to. It was just an accident," Jordan Peterson, Jack's Uncle, said.

Jack was losing a lot of blood and in order to save his life, he was flown to a Salt Lake City hospital where he received 11 units of blood.

To put that into perspective, thats more blood than I have and Im 61 250 pounds. I mean thats enough blood to go into a five-year-old, he was tiny. I think that gives you an idea of how much blood he was losing and how important this blood is," Peterson said.

After realizing how vital the blood was to save Jack's life, the family decided to do their part and help set up blood drives to encourage people to donate blood.

Im a paramedic, I understand that blood is important. You need it to make your bodywork. When you dont have that and when you have a family member that needs it, then you realize how important it is," Peterson said.

The severe weather happening across the country has caused a blood shortage nationwide after the Red Cross has been forced to cancel more than 10,000 blood and platelet donations in certain states. They are encouraging Idahoans to donate if they can, to help people nationwide.

Blood donations are critically important. Its not something you can manufacture. In many regards it's kind of similar to an organ donation, it's something so many people count on," Matt Ochsner, Reginal Communications Director of The Red Cross, said.

Jack's family created Help Jack Giveback, a Facebook page, and a way for the family to give back to the community after they received support following Jack's accident. They say their plan moving forward, is to host an annual blood drive.

Where he went from needing 11 units of blood to now where he's running around being a kid today, shows thats such an important part of the process. Thats why we want to help make sure that whoever else goes through this process doesnt have to wonder if they are going to have enough blood," Peterson said.

To learn more about Help Jack Give back you can visit their Facebook page. You can also visit the Red Cross's website to check on blood drives happening near you.

Excerpt from:

'You need it to make your body work': Idaho family helps Red Cross overcome blood shortage - 6 On Your Side

LAWRENCE, Kan. Running back Pooka Williams officially earned an invitation to the 2021 NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday.

The combine this year is virtual under current COVID-19 health and safety protocols, but the NFL still released a full list of invitees. Williams will participate in the Kansas Football Pro Day on Friday, where his results and video of his workout will be shared with NFL personnel.

Williams played in 26 games for the Jayhawks over three seasons and rushed for 2,382 yards on 415 carries. He averaged 5.7 yards per carry. He showed off his versatility during his time as a Jayhawk, catching 66 passes for 534 yards and four touchdowns. He also totaled 443 yards on kick returns, including a return for a touchdown this year against West Virginia.

This marks the fourth straight year Kansas has been represented at the combine. Last year, Hakeem Adeniji and Azur Kamara both received in invitations. In 2019, Daniel Wise attended, one year after fellow defensive lineman Dorance Armstrong received an invitation in 2018.

For coverage of Williams workout on Friday, follow Kansas Football on Twitter: @KU_Football, and Instagram: @KUFootball.

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Pooka Williams Jr., Earns Invitation to 2021 NFL Scouting Combine - Kansas Jayhawks

On 20 March 2019, Thierry Baudet provided Dutch television viewers with two surprises. The first was news of his landslide victory in that days senate elections. Baudets far-right Forum for Democracy (FvD) was a newcomer in parliament, holding just two seats out of 150 in the lower house. But that day, from scratch, Forum gained 12 of the senates 75 seats, putting it on a par with the governing liberal party (the VVD) led by prime minister Mark Rutte.

The second surprise was Baudets victory speech. The owl of Athena spreads her wings as evening falls, he started, and across the country, jaws dropped and drinks were spilled. The Netherlands is not a country noted for oratory. Our politicians would rather downplay their intellectual prowess than borrow from Greek mythology.

Back then, the future must have looked promising for the dynamic young leader: if he could win the Senate elections, could Baudet win the general elections in March 2021?

Most commentators thought he had a chance. For many years the far right of Dutch politics had been served by Geert Wilders PVV (Freedom party). Wilders is not known for quoting political thinkers, and tends to be coarse in his speech, for example speaking about imposing a head-rag tax on hijab-wearing women. For the better educated, socially conservative, small government-minded voter who is not a fan of immigration, voting for Wilders is not an option. The civilised right, as its often called in the Netherlands, would either continue to vote VVD or for one of the conservative Christian parties.

But Baudet seemed a palatable alternative. He served the same smrgsbord of nostalgia, nationalism and anti-immigrant xenophobia as Wilders, but he presented as a more clean-cut, decent, thoughtful figure. He had international links through his partys youth movement to Europes populist or far-right figures from Orban to Le Pen. His Jordan Peterson-style discourse appealed to young men at universities. The Dutch media immediately loved him (or loved to hate him); after Wilders arctic landscape of ideas, here now finally were some political theories for pundits to dissect.

One word, however, stuck out from that victory speech, even for Baudets supporters.Like all those other countries in the boreal world, he said, we are being demolished by the people who should have been protecting us.

It was difficult not to interpret boreal as anything but a dog whistle to the extreme right, for whom the word is code for white. Baudet Baudet has always denied he is a racist and insisted that boreal was just another way of saying northern. People seemed to give him the benefit of the doubt. Or at least his poll numbers were growing, as was membership of FvD and its youth wing. He assembled an electoral list including seasoned establishment politicians and young upcoming conservatives. The party looked like a serious contender.

Then it all fell apart first gradually, then suddenly. The slow decline was a direct result of the pandemic. Voters Baudet might have stolen from the liberal party rallied behind Rutte who, early on in the crisis, began enjoying a 75% approval rating.

Baudet questioned Ruttes increasingly strict lockdown policies as a corona dictatorship, then questioned the virus itself. Wasnt it just a little flu? Wasnt the World Health Organization trying to control the political order?

The more seasoned politicians in his party started to get anxious. Embracing conspiracy theories would lose them the ear of the civilised right.

And then it all blew up in a Death Star kind of way. In November, antisemitic remarks from the Forum youth wings WhatsApp groups were leaked to the press. Instead of investigating the claims of antisemitism, Baudet expelled the whistleblowers.

This did not sit well with others on his electoral list, and a few days later it was leaked to the press that Baudet had said that George Soros invented Covid, and that practically everyone he knew was an antisemite.

In the controversy that followed, Baudet stunned everyone by stepping down as party leader but then reversed, demanding a party referendum on his position. Flabbergasted, most of the partys remaining candidates now wanted him out altogether. It was mayhem. In one of the more media-savvy moments, they had the locks changed to the party headquarters, so Baudet couldnt come in again.

When the party leadership gave in to the referendum the more seasoned members simply quit. As did many Forum politicians in local councils and in the Senate. Of the 12 senators who won seats in the 2019 election, only two are still attached to his party.

More leaked WhatsApp conversations followed, this time of Baudet himself allegedly making racist remarks. On live TV Baudet disclosed that hed had a romantic entanglement with Eva Vlaardingerbroek, a young woman on his electoral list, who was engaged to a French associate of Marine Le Pen. The TV show then played an audio clip of Vlaardingerbroek speaking about her disappointment in Baudets antics and what she claimed was callous racism. Baudet looked briefly shaken and in a small voice said that he had to readjust himself to this news.

The introspection didnt last long. Instead of backtracking, with the elections less than a fortnight away, Baudet has now gone into full Trump mode. His anti-lockdown, anti-vaxxer rhetoric has become more extreme, more conspiracy minded, more anti-media, even suggesting that his followers use creative solutions to optimise proxy voting to the partys advantage.

Since last week hes even been donning a baseball cap.

The one thing that was constantly said about Covid last year, was that it was a great revealer; it revealed the gap between rich and poor, the employed and the unemployed, the old and the young. Covid has also now revealed what Baudet really is; not just the flamboyant and outspoken intellectual that he wanted people to believe he is, but a conspiracy-mongering antisemitic populist, willing to undermine facts, health care, the free press and even democracy, to remain a focal point in Dutch politics.

Is it working? Half of Forum voters now believe Covid was developed to suppress the civilian population.

The problem for Baudet is there are not too many Forum voters left. He is marginalised in the polls and the media have moved on. Dont be fooled by overblown reporting of the recent anti-lockdown, anti-curfew riots which are not a factor in the election. Baudets radical turn has lost him the support of more mainstream voters, because thats also what Covid revealed: that the Netherlands is not a country for baseball caps and a paranoid style of politics. In times of crisis, we like to stay close to what we know. So the mainstream Rutte, in charge for 11 years now, commands a lead in the polls that seems insurmountable by any party.

Baudets demise has helped Wilders support to recover. His party is expected to take 20 seats, more or less the same level of support hes had for a decade. But these are seats that are next to useless, since no mainstream party is willing to work with him, just as he is not willing to work with them. Wilders seems happiest when he is far away from government responsibility.

Baudet will probably keep his current two seats in parliament, if hes lucky he might gain a couple. But hes no longer a contender.

Then again: like Trump, Baudet doesnt believe in the polls.

Joost de Vries is a Dutch author

Continue reading here:

How Covid derailed the great hope of the Dutch far right - The Guardian

On "The Rubin Report" this week, BlazeTV host Dave Rubin spoke with Dr. Jordan Peterson, author of "12 Rules for Life" and "Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life," about giving motivational life advice while struggling with his own recovery, major depression, and how to deal with trauma that haunts you.

Jordan began by discussing the past two years, his severe illness, and his recovery. He described the depression that runs in his family and the toll the chronic stress of constant controversy and attacks by the mainstream media have taken on him.

He also acknowledged the odd position he finds himself in, as someone who gives advice while his own life has seemingly come apart, and shared how bringing order to aspects of your life can reduce social anxiety.

Watch a video clip from the podcast below or find the full interview with Dr. Jordan Peterson here.

To enjoy more honest conversations, free speech, and big ideas with Dave Rubin, subscribe to BlazeTV the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream.

Original post:

How things fell apart: Jordan Peterson talks dependency, recovery & what really happened - TheBlaze

The Linden varsity girls basketball team won six games last year.

The Eagles have played just seven games this season and are already just one victory away from matching that total.

The Eagles (5-2) won their two most recent games, defeating Kearsley 54-40 on Friday and defeating Durand 51-41 on Wednesday.

In the win against Kearsley, the Eagles led 15-8 after the first quarter. The Eagles led by 13 at halftime, but the Hornets fought back. The Eagles lead was just 40-37 entering the fourth quarter. As the fourth continued, Kearsley took a three-point lead, but the Eagles were able to bounce back and earn the comfortable victory.

They calmed down and were able to get back to playing like they did in the first half to finish the game by double-digits, Linden varsity girls basketball coach Zack Darling said.

Overall, it was a good game by both teams and a great conference win for Linden since they have not defeated Kearsley in many years.

Darling was correct. The last time the Eagles defeated Kearsley was a 40-36 victory on Feb. 10, 2016.

The Eagles were very balanced with their scoring. Jordan Peterson led the squad with nine points while Kelsey McLennan, Delanie Prince and Mallory Ross had seven points each. Paige Leedle chipped in six points while Megan Widner had five points.

In the non-league victory against Durand Olivia Mawhinney led the Eagles with 10 points, McLennan had nine points but was dominant inside the paint in other ways. She had 18 rebounds and seven blocks. She also had four assists and two steals. Peterson netted nine points while Allison Maienbrook and Mallory Ross had seven points each. Widner had five points while Leedle chipped in four points.

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Lady Eagles within a win of 2019-20 season victory total - Fenton Tri County Times

There are a number of acceptable excuses for a celebrity to miss a big press conference. A serious personal matter with family. An illness or injury. Some sort of massive traffic build-up or travel delay.

Does being down $900,000 in a game of spades that lasted for a day and a half qualify?

According to longtime NBA star Antoine Walker, a Chicago native who helped to play a part in Michael Jordan's comeback to the NBA for the 2001-2002 season, that's exactly what forced Jordan to postpone a press conference. No, not just any press conference. The press conference to announce his comeback plans.

Walker joined Patrick Peterson and Bryant McFadden on CBS Sports' "All Things Covered" to share a classic Michael Jordan story involving his competitiveness, their friendship and just a little bit of gambling.

"...When Mike calls, the buy-in goes a little higher. Let me just start with that," Walker explained. "So it's gonna be a number put on that everybody got to bring to the table. I'd say probably $20,000. Gotta have 20... just to get in. You ain't got 20 to get in, you can't even play, so that starts that.

"And then Mike is competitive, man. I remember one time we played spades for 36 hours. We were playing against two other guys. Me and Mike were partners and... they had us stuck, behind 900,000.

"What made it even more interesting, it was the day he actually was supposed to make his announcement he was officially coming back. He canceled the press conference, everything. We played for 36 hours, man."

For what it's worth, I probably would have conceded defeat somewhere around, oh, $899,950 ago, but I'm not a big gambler. With stakes like those, I likely wouldn't even have been allowed to come within a mile of the table.

They also weren't playing with markers of some sort they were using cold, hard cash.

"This is what happened: I was leaving for Boston in a couple days, so I had about $100,000. I was always a cash person, I had my money," Walker recalled. "MJ had about $200 (thousand) on him. MJ sent for half a million, cash. Sent for it. And then the other guys we played against had money, too. So they had us down $900,000.

"We got all the money except $20,000. Mike did not want to see them with 20, so they ended up winning 180. He got too tired, we couldn't go no more. He was falling asleep at the table... Every gambling session didn't go 36 hours, but we had some competitive gambling sessions."

If you somehow missed out on "The Last Dance" and you weren't quite sure how deep Jordan's competitive side went, this serves as a pretty good off-the-court example. Battling back from down $900,000 would have been insanely impressive, and you'd have to wonder where such a feat would have ranked on MJ's list of all-time greatest comebacks should it have come to fruition.

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Antoine Walker says he and Michael Jordan were down $900K in 36-hour game of spades and nearly won it back - CBS Sports Radio 910

(RADIO.COM Sports) There are a number of acceptable excuses for a celebrity to miss a big press conference -- a personal matter with family, an illness or injury, some sort of massive traffic build-up or travel delay.

Does being down $900,000 in a game of spades that lasted for a day-and-a-half qualify?

Because according to former NBA star Antoine Walker, a Chicago native who helped play a part in the legendary Michael Jordan's comeback to the NBA for the 2001-'02 season, that's exactly what forced Jordan to postpone a press conference. And not just any press conference -- it was the press conference to announce his comeback plans.

Walker joined Patrick Peterson and Bryant McFadden on "All Things Covered" on CBS Sports to share a classic Jordan story involving his competitiveness, their friendship and just a little bit of gambling.

"When Mike calls, the buy-in goes a little higher. Let me just start with that," Walker explained. "So it's gonna be a number put on that everybody got to bring to the table. I'd say probably $20,000. Gotta have 20 ... just to get in. You ain't got 20 to get in, you can't even play, so that starts that.

"And then Mike is competitive, man. I remember one time we played spades for 36 hours. We were playing against two other guys. Me and Mike were partners and ... they had us stuck, behind 900,000.

"What made it even more interesting, it was the day he actually was supposed to make his announcement he was officially coming back. He canceled the press conference, everything. We played for 36 hours, man."

They also weren't playing with markers of some sort they were using cold, hard cash.

"This is what happened: I was leaving for Boston in a couple days, so I had about $100,000," Walker said. "I was always a cash person, I had my money. MJ had about $200 (thousand) on him. MJ sent for half a million, cash. Sent for it. And then the other guys we played against had money too. So they had us down $900,000.

"We got all the money except $20,000. Mike did not want to see them with 20, so they ended up winning 180. He got too tired, we couldn't go no more. He was falling asleep at the table ... Every gambling session didn't go 36 hours, but we had some competitive gambling sessions."

If you somehow missed out on "The Last Dance" and you weren't quite sure how deep Jordan's competitive side went, this serves as another pretty good off-the-court example. Battling back from down $900,000 would've been insanely impressive, and you'd have to wonder where such a feat would have ranked on Jordan's list of all-time greatest comebacks should it have come to fruition.

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Antoine Walker tells story of how he and Michael Jordan were down $900000 in 36-hour game of spades and nearly won it back - 670 The Score