The second episode of Dr. Jordan Peterson’s Vision and Destiny on the Daily Wire+ starts to get a bit more political than the first. During the first episode, Peterson explores the idea of vision and why it is necessary to have any sort of walkable pathway through life. One of the more profound ideas that I took away from the first episode was that we can let our ideas die instead of us. This outlook towards life really shifted the way that I look at decision making, and optimizing the way forward. The first episode was much more abstract, as it dealt with the abstractions of having a vision, or being a visionary. 

The following episode is titled The Identity Crisis. In this episode, we dive deeper into the pathology and incoherence of gender ideology, gender affirming care, the fundamental differences between men and women, and why they are important to acknowledge. In the opening of this episode, the clinical psychologist breaks down how there are generally five different personality and temperament attributes that people have cross-culturally. Known as the Big 5, they are Extroversion, Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness. Every person on the planet has some form of these traits within their personality, as they all vary on a scale. Women and men differ slightly in their natural adoption of these traits. Women, on average, are higher in negative emotion and higher in agreeableness than men are. This is because the world is objectively more dangerous for women than it is for men, and they have been biologically wired to care for infants, who are virtually the most vulnerable beings on earth. Despite this fact, there is no shortage of women who carry more masculine traits, and men who carry more feminine traits. This is where the confusion begins.

It is fundamentally much harder for those who have conflicting personalities to their biological sex to adopt their role in the world. However, Peterson states that this does not mean that they are “born in the wrong body.” The term “gender” is one that is not very specific, as oftentimes people who claim to have an unconventional gender identity also claim that their identity is based on what they feel that they are. This temperamental variability has virtually nothing to do with identity. Identity is something that must be negotiated. You must negotiate it with yourself, but it also has to be something that is discussed and implemented within your network. It is common to hear someone with an independent identity to affirm the idea that it “frees” them. However, as Peterson points out, it has nearly the opposite effect in the medium to long term. This brings us back to the network. If your identity is one that nobody, or nearly nobody, can understand, then nobody will have any idea what to do with you, and cast you further into self doubt about who you are. If you insist that things must be your way or the highway, then people will likely choose to go look for someone else to hang around. 

Jordan brings his clinical psychology background to the forefront, exclaiming that “gender affirming care” is completely disgraceful to the therapeutic practice. He explains that it is not a therapist’s job to affirm anything about any one of their patients, but instead they should aid their patient in negotiating a functional identity with the outside world. The following are some of the steps that Peterson listed as a guide for helping someone build this identity:

• 1. Have constraints
  2. Listen
  3. Take turns
  4. Keep your word
  5. Be reciprocal 
• Otherwise, nobody will play the game of life with you

As a frequent Jordan Peterson follower and listener, I see the pattern of a game, or the purpose of play frequently being brought up. This is easy to understand, as many people know that good sportsmanship is arguably the most important aspect of playing a game. This is because if you are a good sport, then people will continue to play further iterations of the game with you. Ideally, you can become very skilled at the game, but combine your skill with a high standard of iterated game ethic, and you will become the best player. 

Admittedly, I often find myself being unable to disagree with anything that Jordan says. Maybe this is because I am relatively inexperienced with life, and I have no background to disprove his claims. On the flip side, I find that the ideas that he articulates are extremely applicable across different areas of life. This is why I continue to listen. I hope to one day be able to poke holes in his arguments, but the sheer amount of thought put into these arguments is enough to lay my disagreements to rest.

As for this episode, it digs into highly politicized areas. Truth be told, it is hard for me to even fathom that these ideas are now considered to be political. Many people who tend to disagree with what Peterson has to say often do not have an argument to back themselves up. I think this is because he is right. As for how this relates to the University of Minnesota and my experience with DEI policies, I think it is about time that the pendulum starts to swing the other way. Many of these leftist ideologies seep into the cracks of my classes, and my student email box. Some may ask: How does someone else’s idea of how they live their life affect your idea of how to live yours? I would say that it affects my life because many of these ideologies are now being implemented at a federal level. There is no wonder that they find their way down the hierarchy. They also affect me because if I have a disagreement with something, I feel I have the obligation to at least voice my opinion and concerns. Everyone has this obligation. This is why free speech, one of the most fundamental building blocks of western civilization, should be celebrated. The freedom to think the way that I want to think, and for you to do the same, is perhaps paramount to anything else that humanity has. 

Thank you for taking the time to read, and I look forward to writing the next review in the series soon. Again, I watched this series on the Daily Wire+, which is a fantastic source for conservative news, uncensored opinions, and enthralling shows like Vision and Destiny. Let me know your thoughts on these grand ideas in the comments!