For many months now, Psychologist, author, and podcaster Jordan Peterson has been awaiting a court appearance regarding the Ontario College of Psychologists requirement for him to take part in mandatory social media training, in response to complaints against him for various public comments he has made over the years.
I have talked about Jordan a few times on this blog, but I wanted to address the mandatory training more specifically because I see this as overreach not unlike mandatory DEI training in organizations, or forcing political and social ideologies on our children.
We remember being kids right? We didn’t like being told what to do and when to do it. As adults, do we really totally outgrow these feelings, or do we just learn to cope and deal with certain tasks better than when we were kids? The likely answer is that we just get better at choosing our battles.
When I think about disciplining my kids or making them do things, I also try to consider what is worth sweating over, and what will actually help them see their wrongs or a different point of view, and the importance of, say, doing the dishes without making it into some sort of corporal punishment. I see mandating this training as a parent wanting their child to behave a certain way, and not caring about actually finding some common ground so that you can at least land close to where you want to be as parent and child in understanding one another’s feelings about a situation.
Jordan is going to continue to fight it and if he does participate, he stated he is going to record the sessions and discuss them in the public forum. That last part is not a bad idea. In fact, it made me wonder if this wasn’t an exercise he couldn’t enjoy with friends? They mandated the training, but it didn’t say he couldn’t organize a group to participate.
A while back, after all of the backlash about his posts about a trans actor or a swimsuit cover model, close friends of his agreed to do a podcast where they talked to Jordan about their thoughts on his social media activity. They didn’t hold back, but they were his friends who he trusted and he obviously valued their opinions for him to agree to be vulnerable in this way.
The College of Psychologists is the parent who wants a certain behavior, but they are not willing to listen to how others feel about this situation and in my opinion, their path to getting what they want isn’t actually about caring about achieving that goal because if it was, they would work with Jordan and other’s to get their thoughts on the situation as rational professionals. When you only care about the outcome, you hold little regard for the relationships with those within your care.
It’s my belief that social media is an extension of our living rooms, where we sort out our feelings and thoughts on social and political issues without a filter, which allows us to hear and express opposing views. It’s our living room (our social feed), and if you don’t feel safe there, don’t enter.
Jordan’s discussions about these issues over drinks with friends around a fire in his living room, is also not medical or professional advice. They are his opinions and when they are not, you are paying him for an hour Zoom call or to lie on his couch spilling your beans. If you’re not paying him, he’s just sharing his two-cents.
There is no doubt in my mind that Jordan can separate professionalism in a patient session, with off-the-cuff commentary on social media. I cannot say the same about my feelings towards the College of Psychologists and their overarching disciplinary hand.
You may feel differently. In fact, I received some social backlash for standing up for Jordan on this issue. We discussed the matter, I thought about what they said, and I didn’t change my opinion in the end.