Cal Thomas: Newspeak v. Jordan Peterson

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Today is Thursday, February 1st. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown. Up next: WORLD commentator Cal Thomas on how some people in Canada are chipping away at historic protections for speech and religion.

CAL THOMAS, COMMENTATOR: In his novel 1984, George Orwell created “Newspeak,” a language that was imposed by Big Brother for the purpose of diminishing the range of thought.

That perfectly describes what recently happened in Canada to psychologist and author Jordan Peterson. Peterson appealed a decision by the College of Psychologists of Ontario that had ordered him to undergo a “remedial program” on “professionalism in public statements”. The College objected to comments he made on social media and during a podcast appearance in 2022. Those comments included his opposition to “climate change” hysteria and gender change surgery, among other “woke” subjects.

Peterson appealed the ruling by the College. An appeals court rejected his petition. He says his “sin” was “Tweeting opinions the college deemed ‘unbecoming of a psychologist.’” On the social media platform X, Peterson wrote: “It's capitulate to the petty bureaucrats and the addle-pated woke mob or lose my professional license.”

According to the U.S. State Department’s 2020 Report on International Religious Freedom, “The (Canadian) constitution guarantees freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief, opinion, expression, and the right to equal protection and benefit of the law without discrimination based on religion.”

Critics are worried those protections are being eroded by the courts. The B.C. Catholic newspaper recently commented on a report by Aid to the Church in Need: “While Canada is nowhere close to countries where religion is under extreme attack from oppressive governments,” the author said, “the report contains substantial mention of growing religious persecution in recent years, from pandemic restrictions to hate crimes to the burning of churches.” Aid to the Church in Need claimed the following: “Canada continues to be a place where rule of law is respected, but generally there has been a palpable reduction in respect for religious freedom in recent years, particularly where it has come into conflict with entrenched views relating to equality, diversity, and public health.”

The case against Peterson would seem to add evidence to that perceived threat. Last year Canada adopted a law, ironically called “C-4,” which in another context refers to an explosive. Critics say that law against conversion therapy makes it illegal for Canadian citizens to quote Bible verses about marriage and sexuality.

Following the appeals court ruling, Peterson added to his previous posting on X: “You won this round. Mark my words, however: the war has barely started. There is nothing you can take from me that I'm unwilling to lose.”

In his book 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, Peterson writes,“Speak your mind. Put your desires forward, as if you had a right to them — at least the same right as others. Walk tall and gaze forthrightly ahead. Dare to be dangerous. Encourage the serotonin to flow plentifully through the neural pathways desperate for its calming influence.”

It’s that kind of old thinking that has gotten him into trouble with the Newspeak crowd. Could something similar happen in academia and elsewhere in America? It already is happening.

I’m Cal Thomas.

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