By David Futrelle
Browsing the Jordan Peterson subreddit today, I scrolled past the link to an article on a right-wing clickbait site asserting that “Hate Crime Hoaxes are More Common than You Think.”
I paused for a moment at a post denouncing “More State Enforced Cultural Marxism” — by which the OP meant programs to teach children that gay and trans people exist. I sighed a little at the post declaring that “It is time to talk about female privilege.” (Pretty sure it isn’t.)
But I stopped dead at this post:
Was this person reading the same subreddit I was? I scrolled up to the top of the page. Yep, I was remembering correctly: this was still the literal top unstickied post, with more than 200 upvotes, complaining about a joke on Twitter suggesting that perhaps it was a teensy bit silly for white dudes to get quite so bent out of shape about a woman playing Captain Marvel:
Huh, I wondered. Was it possible that perhaps the victimhood-lamenters of the Jordan Peterson subreddit kind of, sort of, like playing the victims themselves?
No, I thought, that couldn’t be true.That would be too hypocritical, even for them, I must be wrong.
I mean, it’s not like the Jordan Peterson subreddit is chock-full of whiny laments by white dudes convinced they’re being denied their rightful share of success by evil SJWs and unqualified people of color.
Oh wait.
It’s not like some of them have convinced themselves that “neo-Marxist” SJWs and uppity “Black Females” are conspiring to destroy their careers, deny them healthcare, and take away their right to vote.
It’s not like they’re furious that men might no longer be celebrated as the noble heroes responsible for every good thing accomplished in the history of Western Civilization — including all a dose paintings by da ottist youse all may know as da Vince!
It’s not like they’re furious at the SJW’s supposed anti-white-male-doctor agenda — whether the doctors in question are real or fictional.
In the comments to that post, one of the more reasonable Jordan Peterson fans concedes that maybe only “97-98 out of a 100” real-world heroes are men.
It must be hard for members of such a truly oppressed class to ward off the temptation to play the victim. I, for one, salute the denizens of the Jordan Peterson subreddit for their heroism in standing up against victimhood culture.
NOTE FOR EXTREMELY LITERAL-MINDED READERS: Post may contain sarcasm.
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