âSocial media sensitivity trainingâ…fuck off…~TS
By Carson Choate | The Western Journal
A Canadian court has ruled that clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson must undergo âsocial media sensitivity trainingâ due to his frequent controversial statements, which were deemed âunprofessional.â
Wednesdayâs decision was handed down by a panel of three Ontario Divisional Court judges who unanimously ruled in favor of the College of Psychologists of Ontario â of which Peterson is a member, according to CTV News.
The âcoaching program,â as court documents explained, will require Peterson to âreflect on, and ameliorate [his] professionalism in public statements.â If Peterson fails to complete the program, he could lose his license to practice.
Peterson is a former University of Toronto professor of psychology who went viral for a 2016 lecture in which he condemned the use of alternative pronouns and took aim at Canadaâs expanding laws on gender identity or expression, according to BBC.
âThe order is not disciplinary and does not prevent Dr. Peterson from expressing himself on controversial topics; it has a minimal impact on his right to freedom of expression,â Justice Paul Schabas wrote for the court.
In making their decision, the court weighed several of Petersonâs controversial comments to decide if they were in compliance with the Collegeâs Standards of Professional Conduct.
The first example cited by the court was a tweet from Jan. 2, 2022, in which Peterson responded to an individual concerned about overpopulation by stating: âYouâre free to leave at any point.â
Less than a month later, during an appearance on âThe Joe Rogan Experience,â Peterson reportedly referred to a former client of his as âvindictive,â and said that their complaint against him was a âpack of lies.â In the same episode, while speaking about air pollution and child deaths, Peterson reportedly also said: âitâs just poor children, and the world has too many people on it anyways.â
Another controversial comment of Petersonâs was in response to news of actress Elliot Page, formerly Ellen, identifying as a man and undergoing gender-affirming breast removal surgery.
âRemember when pride was a sin? And Ellen Page just had her breasts removed by a criminal physician,â the June 2022 tweet reportedly read. He was consequently suspended from Twitter for misgendering and âdeadnamingâ the actor.
Peterson, meanwhile, has argued that his comments were made in an âoff-dutyâ capacity as a clinical psychologist.
However, the court rejected his argument, with Justice Schabas writing: âDr. Peterson sees himself functioning as a clinical psychologist âin the broad public spaceâ where he claims to be helping âmillions of peopleâ and as he put it, he is âstill practicing in that more diffuse and broader manner.ââ
âDr. Peterson cannot have it both ways: he cannot speak as a member of a regulated profession without taking responsibility for the risk of harm that flows from him speaking in that trusted capacity.â
So the Ontario Court of Appral ruled that @CPOntario can pursue their prosecution
If you think that you have a right to free speech in Canada
You're delusionalI will make every aspect of this public
And we will see what happens when utter transparency is the ruleBring itâŠ
— Dr Jordan B Peterson (@jordanbpeterson) August 23, 2023
The Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF), which is representing Peterson, expressed their disappointment in the ruling and warned of the âchilling effectâ it could have on other regulated professions.
âProfessionals should not have to soft pedal their speech for fear that activists will weaponize regulatory bodies so that unpopular speech is penalized, even when there is no connection between that speech and the profession,â CCF Litigation Director Christine Van Geyn said, according to PJ Media. âThe right to freedom of expression must be given more weight than the court gave it here, and the mere assertion of risk of harm is not enough.â
Categories: Big Brother