Eric Weinstein coined a new phrase — the mysterious sounding “Intellectual Dark Web” — to describe a group of popular, heterodox thinkers who don’t fit into the main stream media’s politically correct mold. Coming from both political parties, they often address tough issues that other writers refuse to touch.
When asked to define the term that he created, Weinstein responded: “One theme that nearly all these thinkers have in common is a conviction that the chaos of the times is because the structures that have run Western society for decades are breaking down — and this is a reflection of a deeper ideological — even spiritual crisis.”
Exactly.
The fabric of reality is being torn… right now. We are living in a very important moment. Kanye West is tweeting Candace Owens, a young, black, conservative firebrand. Scott Adams, a cartoonist, and the originator of Dilbert, has become the most astute observer of the Trump phenomenon in the world, and says, “With seven words, Kanye tore the fabric of reality.” Kanye continues and says he loves President Trump. Trump responds in kind. When Kanye got the inevitable attack from the left, Kim Kardashian joined the fray and said we shouldn’t attack each other for having different political opinions. Chance the Rapper (a serious Democrat, Hillary endorser, and devout professing Christian) tweeted, “Blacks don’t have to be Democrats.” He later clarified this didn’t mean he supported the president, but the shots had been fired — right into identity politics. Dave Rubin, a gay married man in Los Angeles is an icon of the Red Pill movement, of liberals breaking the bonds of leftist groupthink, and becoming classical liberals, or conservatives. Intellectual conversations of the highest order are experiencing literally millions of views. Rational thought is breaking out.
This is the new horizon of politics. What lies beyond?
Jordan Peterson is one of the more prominent members of the Intellectual Dark Web. A University of Toronto psychology professor, he become famous after he had a free speech argument against Canada’s Federal Bill C-16, which aimed to expand protections of the country’s hate speech codes on the basis of “gender identity or expression.” That’s when Peterson argued the law wasn’t really about protecting transgender people from discrimination, but had far reaching effect that could impact freedom of speech and religion.
He struck a chord.
His YouTube lectures and self-help videos with headlines like “Identity politics and the Marxist lie of white privilege” and “Slaying the Dragon Within Us” are really just explorations of Western values. He eviscerates political correctness, examines Biblical texts, discusses classic literature, and give paternal advice to young people.
Though that doesn’t sound like the type of topics that might excite, he has over a million subscribers to his YouTube channel, has been selling out clubs for his talks, and has been described – by no less than David Brooks – as “”the most influential public intellectual in the Western world right now.”
Young people are hearing his message in a totally different and unexpected ways, as mixes of Jordan Peterson’s voice over music has gone viral. Who would’ve thought that a Canadian professor telling kids to clean their room would be a thing? In the below clip, British journalist David Fuller describes the phenomenon:
“I think the reason that this is a tumultuous time is that it is a time for discussion of first principles — and first principles are virtually at the level of theology — because they are the things that you assume and then move forward, so what should we assume”” Jordan Peterson said.
Which, of course, is why these new developments are so intoxicating. The culture is challenging our old assumptions, and it’ll be exciting to see where all of our collective reasoning takes us. What an exciting time to be alive!
Mark Meckler is an American political activist, attorney and co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.