Jordan Peterson’s Existential Despair, Extreme Heat in Europe & Talking Past Each Other (Hawley, CRT & Politics)

In this episode, Alex discusses Jordan Petterson’s fall and how he has become a merchant of grievance and existential despair. In a recent video, he has gone into Russia/Putin apologia, arguing that the invasion of Ukraine has been tragic but the “Woke West” is degenerating. Then Alex discusses the record-setting heat waves, fires, and chaos that are hitting a large percentage of Europe. The Economist reports that “Over the weekend wildfires ravaged southern France, Portugal, Spain, and North Africa, as well as parts of Croatia, Greece, Italy, and Turkey. Temperatures soared above 45°C in several places, intensifying fears about climate change. Finally, Alex discusses how it feels like people with different ideological views are talking past one another in the United States. He uses two examples to describe how both sides are acting in bad faith against the other and it is leading to a worsening political divide. He uses the example of the unproductive hearing between Senator Josh Hawley and the UC Berkeley law professor, Khiara Bridge. Depending on political ideology, it seemed like both of them won the debate, but not in a useful or effective way. Alex also discusses the heated debate over Critical Race Theory. To the right, it is an existential threat that requires draconian laws, the banning of books, and whitewashing history. The left, on the contrary, denies that CRT even exists yet is embracing the theory as 100% fact in many political and historical fields.