The Real and the Bogus
3rd December 2020
When I read that several staff at Random House Canada had cried during a meeting to discuss the publication of Jordan Peterson’s new book, supposedly because of how the author had affected their lives (adversely, of course), I was not sure whether I should laugh, be disgusted or outraged, or even feel a little sorry for them. How could anyone who worked in publishing be so fragile, so utterly weak and lacking in fortitude, what my teachers used to call moral fiber, that the mere publication of a book could reduce him—or rather her—to tears? With what hysteria would such people react if a book of their own were refused publication?
Such fragility is now to be expected, however, because crying at the first opportunity is the new heroism. To display one’s vulnerability to all and sundry is a manifestation of emotional authenticity, to hold anything inward a form of deceit and betrayal of the self. A cycle of competitive vulnerability is set up; the person who can withstand the least is now the strongest, and certainly the most moral.