What You Can and Should Do

In the past week I’ve seen both James Lindsay and Jordan Peterson speak. Peterson was asked by a graduate student in one of the best schools in the US if he should overtly and publicly express his dissent with the Critical Social Justice perspective, with the understanding that this would likely seriously compromise his career. Similarly, Lindsay was asked by an audience member what she could do in a precarious administrative role in her workplace to help combat the Critical Social Justice perspective. These questions, and their responses prompted me to consider what I thought of what one can, and what one ought to do to combat the CSJ perspective in universities and elsewhere.

Peterson’s answer was more categorical. He explained to the grad student that you can always come up with reasons why you shouldn’t do or say anything, but that that will not change as your career progresses, despite what you might say to yourself. At the same time, not saying something, while less risky for your career, is caustic for your own psyche, and naturally for society since the perspective will go unchecked. Finally, implicit in his answer was that if you recognize the danger of the CSJ perspective, you are under an obligation (to yourself as well as to society) to speak out, denounce and combat it.

Lindsay’s answer was more nuanced. Like Peterson, he took for granted that if you knew about the CSJ perspective and disagreed with it, you were obliged to do something. That said, he also cautioned that you have to be mindful of your own circumstances. You need to be realistic and protective of your livelihood, while also being conscious of your own abilities and talents. At the same time, he said that everyone can do something, whether it be speaking out publicly, or volunteering to help organizations or people who can.

To these perspectives, I’d like to add the following. The success of the Critical Social Justice perspective in universities and elsewhere has come mostly through the infiltration of adherents into these institutions. It has also come from making these institutions inhospitable to those who do not adhere. The result of this has been that dissidents have been forced out (canceled), left on their own accord or do not even attempt to enter. As a result, it is very important for dissidents within institutions to stay to help combat and resist this capture. As such, and as I first saw expressed concisely by Lee Jussim, the first rule should be to survive since “You do no one good if you are fired.” The only nuance to this is that if you can replace your current position with one that will enable you to have more influence over your organization, it may be worth getting canceled.

Finally, based on my experience, if you want to do something but are afraid, you can start with small acts. Aim first to “live not by lies” like Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn urged his countrymen. Once you feel comfortable with these types of actions, you can try more overt and conscious actions. There are many of these described in Counter Wokecraft. Over time, you will likely develop the courage to take further steps still.

As a result, I think the following guidelines, drawing on all the above can help you to decide what you should and what you can do.

1. If you know about the CSJ perspective and you disagree with it, you should try to combat it.

2. The ideal is to combat it publicly and overtly.

3. If you can’t do 2, ask yourself what you think you have the ability to do.

4. Begin with small things that you can do and for which you have the courage.

5. Continue to do things that bring you closer to the ideal of point 2.

6. Don’t get canceled - unless you can take on a position where you can have a larger impact than your current position.