Jordan
Peterson is not a fan of most contemporary activism – he thinks it’s
"appalling" and "almost the lowest calling." He certainly has a point. This is
because, as many have rightly pointed out (including yours truly 7 years ago -
see my placard theory blog post), it often serves as a form of prideful
narcissism and performative social virtue for individuals who should instead be
spending most of their time getting their own house in order first.
Of course, for balance, some historical activism has been worthwhile. The Civil Rights Movement, women's suffrage, and labour laws are three prime examples, where people fought to challenge systemic injustice and helped make society a better place. But just because an activity has a few successes, it does not mean the whole thing or even the majority of it is successful. Because the massive increase of narcissism in our society has meant that most activism now functions, less as a pursuit of justice, and more as a stage for personal attention-seeking, tribal signalling and finding a sense of belonging within the in-group.
And the easiest thing about these curated, self-flattering public personas is that the incentives reward virtue-signalling, but require no real intellectual effort, discipline or institutional work behind the stage door. You just turn up, make your symbolic gestures, while privately remaining unable to understand complex scenarios and be the force for good you pretend to be. In fact, I see it as one of the great ironies in modern society that those shouting the loudest about their own virtue are frequently the ones least able to do much social good, and most in need of taking more personal responsibility for their own lives. From getting to know some of these young activists myself, there is an outside chance that they attach themselves to grand political crusades to avoid fixing their own immediate, personal shortcomings.😉
And don’t forget the other psychological trick that goes alongside it; if you make the enemy something abstract enough to defy proper examination (capitalism, the patriarchy, fossil fuels, Israel, immigrants, etc) you further distance yourself from personal accountability, because you fix yourself on the side of a fabricated black vs. white war that has never been adequately defined or understood by pretty much anyone on your side. To that end, most modern day activism comprises some of the most squalid social conduct out there.
