Just got home after hearing Jordan Peterson here in Houston for his 12 Rules for Life book tour. I have a number of immediate reflections:
The crowd wrapped around 3 sides of a city block, with a good number carrying Peterson’s book. Most were white, and most seemed in the 25–45 range. There was an interesting calm and underlying readiness to the group.
Once inside, the line for the men’s restroom was 10-deep, while two women walked right into their side with no delay. One of them bantered for awhile with the line of guys about how this never happens.
We sat next to a very friendly 20-year-old college guy studying poly-sci at Texas State. He got turned onto Peterson because of the self-improvement emphasis, and drove to Houston from Austin because tickets in Austin were $300.
When Peterson was introduced, he received an immediate standing ovation from a good majority of the crowd. It was interesting to see up close the kind of following and appreciation he’s engendered.
Peterson then spoke extemporaneously for an hour mainly about the necessity of hierarchies in order to accomplish anything worthwhile within a group.
He also delved into the potential abuses of hierarchies but emphasized that their tendency to “lean toward corruption” was no final argument against hierarchies themselves.
He finished with an “experiment” where he read to us a draft of his preface to the forthcoming 50th anniversary version of The Gulag Archipelago by Solzhenitsyn.
Peterson then took questions for 30 minutes such as:
• “Do you have any vices?”
• “Would you move to the U.S.?”
• “What makes you happy?”
• “Do you think mainstream media will improve?”
• “Do you have any vices?”
• “Would you move to the U.S.?”
• “What makes you happy?”
• “Do you think mainstream media will improve?”
But he had no answer to the very first question: “What is one rule that no one should follow?” Both Peterson and the interviewer said he’d never not had an answer to a question. Peterson said “Let’s come back to it,” but they never did.
Themes for the evening seemed to be (1) impassioned critiques of Communism and Marxism and their byproducts, (2) deep concern over the popularity and trajectory of identity politics, and (3) a defense of the necessity of hierarchies.
In terms of personality, approach, and skill, Peterson is a fascinating communicator. He spent the first hour walking back and forth on stage and articulating a well-digested argument in a fresh format.
He has a penchant for tangents as a verbal processor but also the mental discipline to circle back to (and emphasize) his original point and its relationship to his overall argument.
He also seems entirely sincere, and much of the audience seemed to trust him implicitly (many were fans, of course). Most of the time he seemed to be thinking out loud, in front of an audience, about things he believes are of utmost importance.
He was asked at one point what he thinks about being seen as the leader of “angry white men.” He went on to describe how most of the passing interactions he has with strangers who recognize him are focused on how he’s helped them improve themselves personally.
Near the end of the Q&A and the event itself, there was a fascinating interchange between the interviewer and Peterson (they’ve been on tour together for weeks).
The interviewer said he’d never seen Peterson not be “present” for even a moment while they’d been together. He asked how Peterson was capable of that kind of focus. Peterson basically said that he’s trying to give life everything he’s got. He wants to contribute all that he can.
Overall, it seemed like people were there because (1) they’re fascinated with Peterson, (2) they’ve been helped by him in some way, (3) they share his views and feel that his articulation of those views bolsters them, and/or (4) they love thinking deeply about big issues.
I’m still reading 12 Rules for Life and pondering Peterson, and may have more evaluative comments in the future. For now I just wanted to share some instant reflections about a live experience with an important public intellectual in our current cultural moment.
