The Conversation (0)
Politics
Liam O'Dell
Sep 17, 2022
Jordan Peterson suspended from Twitter over 'up yours, woke moralists' comment
Jordan Peterson
Controversial right-wing professor Jordan Peterson, known for his 12 Rules for Life, deadnaming actor Elliot Page and making a “condescending” appeal to his Muslim fans, turned up at ‘Britain’s strictest school’ this week – and people were rightly alarmed.
Michaela Community School, in Wembley, is helmed by headmistress Katharine Birbalsingh and requires children to walk in single file and not talk to each other between lessons – with detentions handed out for messy work, lateness or not having a pen to write with.
Sharing two pictures of Mr Peterson at the school, Ms Birbalsingh tweeted: “Look who is at Michaela today!”
She went on to add that the commentator was “moved” and “tears fell” as pupils wished him a good morning, despite the images posted to social media showing Mr Peterson looking far from amused at the position in which he found himself.
So much so, that Twitter users were quick to point out his neutral expression, and meme the situation accordingly:
\u201cWhat Jordan Peterson quotes should Britain's strictest Head teacher put on her school wall?\u201d— Otto English (@Otto English) 1663361494
\u201c@Miss_Snuffy @jordanbpeterson Looks like he\u2019s having a great time!\u201d— Katharine Birbalsingh (@Katharine Birbalsingh) 1663327053
\u201cKatherine Birbalsingh, our social mobility tsar, is just trolling us by having Jordan Peterson visit her school.\u201d— Dr Mark Anderson (@Dr Mark Anderson) 1663344511
\u201cKatharine Birbalsingh (right) and Jordan Peterson (far right)\u201d— Russ Jones (@Russ Jones) 1663369061
\u201c@Miss_Snuffy @jordanbpeterson C'mon Jordan, give us a smile! ha\u201d— Katharine Birbalsingh (@Katharine Birbalsingh) 1663327053
\u201c@Miss_Snuffy @jordanbpeterson Loving it.\u201d— Katharine Birbalsingh (@Katharine Birbalsingh) 1663327053
\u201c@Miss_Snuffy @jordanbpeterson\u201d— Katharine Birbalsingh (@Katharine Birbalsingh) 1663327053
\u201c@Miss_Snuffy @jordanbpeterson\u201d— Katharine Birbalsingh (@Katharine Birbalsingh) 1663327053
Others expressed concern at Mr Peterson – of all people – being invited to speak to children, with some referencing the UK government’s counter-extremism programme, Prevent:
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\u201cKatherine Birbalsingh, our social mobility tsar, is just trolling us by having Jordan Peterson visit her school.\u201d— Dr Mark Anderson (@Dr Mark Anderson) 1663344511
\u201cInviting Jordan Peterson, a hero to the far right & incels the world over and a man with a history of serious derangement, to meet children at your school...?\n\nThis suggests that Katharine Birbalsingh may not have a full understanding of the government's Prevent policy.\u201d— Tom Scott \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Tom Scott \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1663332686
\u201cFirst she invites the controversial Claire Fox to meet pupils, now invites the right wing professor Jordan Peterson. This is apparently a social mobility tsar, whatever the hell that means, who doesn\u2019t believe in social mobility. Should right wing influence be in schools? Nah\u201d— Kwaku (@Kwaku) 1663334435
\u201c@Miss_Snuffy @jordanbpeterson Great stuff. What the next generation need is climate denial \ud83d\udc4d\ud83c\udffb\u201d— Katharine Birbalsingh (@Katharine Birbalsingh) 1663327053
\u201c@Miss_Snuffy @jordanbpeterson Lovely incel man.\u201d— Katharine Birbalsingh (@Katharine Birbalsingh) 1663327053
\u201c@Miss_Snuffy @jordanbpeterson Who is in charge of safeguarding and Prevent at your school because I'd like to report a problem?\u201d— Katharine Birbalsingh (@Katharine Birbalsingh) 1663327053
Ms Birbalsingh has not responded well to the backlash, issuing a series of follow-up tweets in which she said the reactions were “horrifying” and claimed “the world has gone mad”.
“I tweeted two photos of Jordan Peterson visiting Michaela and someone reported me to the police for hate crime and various others have demanded Ofsted inspect us immediately.
“We have 600 visitors every year. I invite all of you to come! I don’t care about your politics or beliefs.
“Same for JP. We ought to believe in freedom of thought. But so many of us don’t,” she wrote.
Ms Birbalsingh also confirmed that she does “just let anyone visit our school” and that Mr Peterson apparently said the children he sat with where “clever, careful, polite and he loved talking with them”.
Mr Peterson is currently in the UK as part of his “12 More Rules for Life” tour, which included an event at Wembley Arena on Friday and concludes with a talk at the Eventim Apollo on Wednesday.
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