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There's the rub, though. When you have something interesting to say that may well be taken the wrong way to justify things you despise (as I believe is the case
by beat 9y ago
There's the rub, though. When you have something interesting to say that may well be taken the wrong way to justify things you despise (as I believe is the case here), you should take care to clarify as well as possible - and clarify up front, with caveats, to reduce the number of people hearing only the first half of your sentence.
And even then, people will hear what they want to hear. However carefully Peterson speaks his thoughts on this manner, there will still be a lot of people who now think it's the intellectual thing to do to beat up a dude in a dress. Which makes speaking one's mind, however truthfully, an ethical dilemma.
This is the hole below the waterline in the sinking ship of radical honesty. This is why "Don't be an asshole" is more complicated than it sounds.
I kind of hate to beat on Peterson too hard for this, though. He's suddenly acquired a large and unexpected following that he didn't actively pursue. But he needs to deal with the ugly reality of what kind of people make up the bulk of that following, and how his words and ideas affect them. It's an ongoing learning experience.
- AnimalMuppet 9y agoWell, there's no way I can see that you can say anything and prevent people from reading into it what they want it to say. (This is especially true if they're doing it deliberately - trying to use your stuff as a smokescreen to give support for their pre-chosen position.) You can make it harder for them. But you can't stop them.