[April 3, 2024] As a follow-up to yesterday’s article about Communism, Dr. Jordan Peterson looks into those attracted by the Marxism that powers the Communist ideology. His thoughts are particularly important since Marxism is growing in the West, alongside Woke ideology, while simultaneously, Communism is failing everywhere it is tried.
“Marxism fell out of favor in the 1970s, even among intellectuals, although they were very annoyed by it. And then it morphed into this Meta-Marxism where every single possible comparison between people became an oppressor/oppressed comparison.” – Dr. Jordan Peterson
This video that came out about three weeks ago is the first time I heard him use the term “Meta-Marxism.’ I’m curious about his thoughts, and I’ll flush out my thinking too at some point. In the past, he used the term “neo-Marxism” which he says was the taking of basic Marxism and redefining who the oppressors and oppressed are. They look the same, but the term “Meta” means more than new, so I’ll hold onto my thoughts for now.
“Now, the advantage to that is that you can learn that analytic process in ten minutes. So, we did some research in 2016 that showed very clearly that the best predictor of politically correct authoritarianism. So you can imagine that that’s this insistence upon an oppressor/oppressed narrative. There’s a cloud of ideas that surrounds that.” – Dr. Jordan Peterson
Dr. Peterson is telling us several things here. First, he explains that Meta-Marxism is an ideology that provides an oversimplified explanation of the world. Second, from his research, some people are more likely to adopt the ideology. That is interesting because most social science researchers would be unwilling to touch the topic because of the political implications.
“The best predictor was low verbal intelligence. It was a walloping predictor. I think it was -0.48. It was more correlated than grades and IQ. It was a walloping correlation. We know perfectly well that the disciplines in universities that have students with the lowest IQs are the most Woke.” – Dr. Jordan Peterson
The fact that there was a correlation between low IQ and being Woke was a surprise to me. I thought otherwise because so many university professors, most of whom are Woke, had led me astray. I had ignored the very information in front of me. Who is it that protests violently against speakers they don’t believe in or disrupts church services and the like? They are the Woke – those people who claim to be compassionate but are the most disrespectful and violent. The least Woke are those in the STEM fields.
“So, it’s [Meta-Marxism ideology] very attractive if you’re not very bright, and that’s also attractive to your teachers. If they’re also not very bright. And I’m talking about you, faculties of education professors.” – Dr. Jordan Peterson
Touché.
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I’m a big fan of Dr. Jordan Peterson …. and Gen. Doug Satterfield too. Great info here on the craziness this world has thrust upon us.
tiny tim, good to hear from you again. Yes! We do have a crazy world but we have brought this upon ourselves. That is why we must gain wisdom early in our lives so that we may not travel too far down the path to evil (and I mean that in both a secular and biblical way). People from the past have passed down their wisdom to us. The question is whether we have the ability to grasp those pieces of wisdom and live by them. Gen. Satterfield has attempted to capture many of those in his book “55 Rules for a Good Life.” If you don’t yet have a copy of his book and read it several times, then do so now. You can get your copy on Amazon.
The biggest problem for America is Woke White Women in their 30s. Single, lonely, fat, highly educated but zero common sense, and living with their cats. These women are the biggest danger for America and the freedoms we enjoy. They want to reshape America into their dystopian world.
I’m also surprised the relationship between Woke and low IQ. I’m just as surprised as Gen. Satterfield and for the same reason.
I agree, Valkerie. The ideas that meta-Marxism is somehow new is wrong but it does identify a new version of Marxism and for the same reason we reject Marxism overall and its inherent link to Communism and Socialism, we reject it today.
Low verbal iq.
“The best predictor was low verbal intelligence. It was a walloping predictor. I think it was -0.48. It was more correlated than grades and IQ. It was a walloping correlation. We know perfectly well that the disciplines in universities that have students with the lowest IQs are the most Woke.” – Dr. Jordan Peterson. What can I write other than OUCH. Dr. JP nails it. 😘
Eric Abbenante on X @EricAbbenante
“The leftists have already decided the Palestinians are the victims. If you’re a victim, then you’re morally righteous. Even more conveniently if you stand for the victim then you’re morally righteous regardless of what you do with your own life” – Jordan Peterson on Bill Maher
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This is one of the most succinct summary of the problem with current day Leftist thought.
In the 20th century, of course, Marxist regimes invariably collapsed into totalitarianism. This came about largely by design. Again and again, resentment-fueled intellectuals weaponized legitimate working-class grievances to smooth their own murderous paths to power. By century’s end, Western working classes had caught on to the game and rejected Marxist lies. Marxists therefore abandoned the working class. Amplifying class-based grievances no longer served their interests, so Marxists instead pursued power by applying their simplistic and thus deceptive oppressor-oppressed narrative to matters of race, gender and other identity markers that serve only to divide people. The key, of course, is that the “oppressed” are always good and the “oppressors” always bad. This keeps things simple and allows for maximum moral certitude without corresponding humility. One cannot imagine a stronger recipe for radicalization. Peterson correctly observed this phenomenon in recent pro-Palestinian protests among young people who know nothing about Middle Eastern history.
… and this is the reason Dr. Peterson is referring to the new Marxism as a Meta-Marxism. Which is,of course, the woke ideology of today and he also has identified its destructive nature.
Honda
Excellent information.
Thank you, Eddie.
Interesting blog post today.
Gil
I agree with you
Gen. Satterfield, I too am a fan of Dr. Peterson, and I’ve not heard him use the term Meta-Marxist before either. But, with that in mind, the idea that there is a modern warping of Marxism to fit the current narrative and religion of the far left progressive, the name makes more sense to me know. But the idea of a “meta-marxism” is not new. See “Meta-Marxism: The Abstract Critique of Late Capitalism in the Metamodern Age” by Brent Cooper at:
https://medium.com/the-abs-tract-organization/meta-marxism-b319bbe5ca1b
Let’s begin the process of reconstruction with a new term of “meta-Marxism,” as in after, between, and beyond Marxism(s), which will help us to recover the term, but also move past it. To avoid accusations of just being Marxism rebranded, meta-Marxism necessarily includes a critique of Marxism itself; an autocritique. In this way it is beyond post-Marxist even. E.P. Thompson explains how Marxism can undermine itself when its adherents become too blinded by its logic.
Jordan Peterson is DA MAN. He is smart as heck and loves to debate Wokesters and with kindness and facts, smashes them into the ground (metaphorically, of course).
Dr. Jordan Peterson is an interesting and smart fellow. Thank you, Gen. Satterfield for highlighting his ideas for us.
Yep, marx and groucho, This is the main way that Gen. Satterfield is able to communicate some of his ideas. I only wish that I could actually sit down with him and talk about some of the ideas that he expresses here or that he shows us other good thinkers have. That would be a worthwhile time for me. In the absence of that, his blog will do.
Wild Bill, yes, that is it. 👀👀👀👀👀
Marx, indeed!!!! That is why we are reading comments in the forum.
Don’t forget to get your copy of “55 Rules for a Good Life” by Gen. Doug Satterfield
https://www.amazon.com/55-Rules-Good-Life-Responsibility/dp/1737915529/
Best book so far.