Jordan Peterson on Charlottesville and the role of the individual

[idav]

A person should never be ashamed of who they are that includes their ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, or what not.

I think a lot of the problems lay with proactive attempts to homogenize all unique aspects and traits that people can identify with with each other into one lump sum, and isolate differences that gives each respective group and individuals their identity in ways that can either be used to degrade or compliment people.

It seems like hate groups and even people with good intentions are seemingly going into a singular direction in attempts to homogenize everyone.

Something that I don't think is being realized.

I thought the US was doing it on purpose so they used the term melting pot but being Americanized doesn't necessarily mean losing your identity and culture completely.
Melting pot - Wikipedia

 

[Twilight Hue]

I thought the US was doing it on purpose so they used the term melting pot but being Americanized doesn't necessarily mean losing your identity and culture completely.
Melting pot - Wikipedia

I agree. I think Melting Pot was a term used to tell people that its their differences and uniqueness that make a people strong and unified as an identifiable group. I think that's true.

Unfortunately, it seems like people today want to lose that, and be reformed as a single group without those differences and traits ever being pointed out.

You have hate groups pointing out peoples differences used as a tool of degradation and humiliation, and advocates maintaining there is, or should be no discernible difference among us and those differences should be disregarded when that really shouldn't be the case.

I think differences in people should be purposely pointed out to show the beauty of it all, how it works to everyone's benefit, and not suppress our uniqueness or discourage having fun with each other's differences and unique qualities just because hate groups use those same things themselves.

 

[icehorse]

Great video, great thread.

The perspective I like in this video is that one ought to self-identify based on one's passions. I could NOT agree with that more. It strikes me that regardless of what group you come from, successful people mostly self-identify as being what it is they are passionate about. They are cellists, or athletes, or engineers, or teachers first and foremost, and they are black, asian, female, trans, or whatever, a distant second.

 

[Thief]

We need a central identity, why are you and I connected. We use religion, sports, politics, race as this identity. I am saying is that we connect with the largest possible identity we are all humans and then define this identity. We then celebrate individuality but understand that this is self identity only.

not I.....
your list of connections ....I do not participate

 

[bobhikes]

not I.....
your list of connections ....I do not participate

There is only one way to not participate and we have been connected at least 3 times in the last week.

 

[Thief]

There is only one way to not participate and we have been connected at least 3 times in the last week.

communication is all fine and good

but I do not necessarily think of myself in terms of ...your crowd
or your way of thinking
or your way of believing
or your way.......

common ground?
sure
bound to be something we can agree upon

 

[TurkeyOnRye]

Whether or not I agree with him on many things, I can appreciate Peterson's often very thoughtful consideration of different issues. It is a relief to hear someone make an intelligent case for the centre-right. Watching this video, I was struck by how much he is trying to take in, in recognising the dangers of dictatorial and collectivist politics on both sides of the political spectrum. the loss of the self, of individual responsibility in group identity if often crucial to abandon our responsibility for one another, so I felt it was worth sharing here.

I've put this in the philosophy rather than the politics sub forum because I'm hoping that perhaps we may avoid polarisation. Knee-jerk reactions are not serving us very well in understanding the problems we face today, particularly in a climate with such an unreliable media as a source of information and mis-information. Give it a watch and feel free to share your thoughts.

I like Jordan Peterson. He is perceptive and well-spoken. Although, I don't feel like the above clip adequately represents his capacity or his fully-developed thoughts on the subject in question.