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As you woke up on October 7, 2023, you turned on a screen and saw a group of Palestinians take over unreal borderlines and kidnap armed Israeli soldiers and multinational civilian hostages. You immediately accessed your X account and gave the most lethal advice in your life “‘Give ‘em hell’ @Netanyahu.”
Your oddly merciless advice was the outset to a giant campaign of destruction that has ravaged Gaza and its condensed population for nearly 15 months so far and counting.
This was the reality if you were to wake up one morning as Dr. Jordan Peterson.
In Gaza there is no new year Mr. Peterson; here the more the days increase the more they grow less: less lives, less homes, less air, less hope, less schools, less hospitals, less shelters, less camps — you name it.
You are not the only one to blame. To be honest, Western media altogether launched a massive assault on Palestinian resistance as the famous question “DO YOU CONDEMN HAMAS?” went viral. These words, spewed at the beginning of most interviews as almost a demand, became most popular question to cage pro-Palestinian figures of all walks of life.
Today, Gaza lays in smoldering ruins and its bare buildings are reduced to ash and devastation.
These flames, which Israel says began as a “counter attack” to regain some tens of hostages, have burned nearly 50,000 innocent human beings. 50,000 souls longing for a mere safe life at the barest of minimums. The inferno which took an alarming number of lives, had obviously no mercy on temples, amenities, and homes, which were subsequently turned to ashes. Even most sanctuary places, including schools and hospitals, which should be protected in modern warfare by the assaulters themselves, were bombed down to the last living human.
Thousands of crying voices perished under the flames, thousands were trapped under the heavy cement blocks, thousands of fetuses were deprived of life inside the wombs of their killed mothers. These mothers were torn to death by the psychological, mental, and physical plights.
Thousands of survivors were killed by the loss of their loved ones, their homes, their hopes, and their reason to live anymore, thousands were burned alive in front of the eyes of all — Muslims, Jews, Christians, Blacks, Whites, the rich, poor, men, women, theists, and atheists.
Have you ever felt the suffocation from smoke, Mr. Peterson? Have you ever experienced the killing of your kind in your arms? Have you ever stood in front of your wrecked home that you spent your life building brick by brick? Have you ever cried a last cry of despair and melancholy regretting that you remained alive after all your relatives have been killed? Have you ever experienced the anguish of hunger or thirst?
I don’t blame you because you called for the collective extermination of the Palestinian people in Gaza. I don’t blame you because you were angry at what you saw on the morning of October 7. I don’t blame you because you may be pro-Israel or pro its so-called “self-defense.”
I blame you because you are the so-called “knowledgeable and wise” scholar and thinker many of us – Arabs and Muslims – have been watching, following, and supporting for many years.
We believed that you knew that Palestinians have been actually “given hell” for more than 70 years. We believed that you know that Hamas’ attack on October 7 — though we don’t endorse the attacking or kidnapping of civilians — was a mere reaction of a hopeless people who was deprived of all means of decent rudimentary life and sees absolute refuge in death once and for all.
We believe that within the law of the jungle and the hegemony of the powerful, as we are witnessing the peak of human progress, we must also hold up the voice of reason uttered by the wise over the voice of hate and provocation. Notably, this voice of reason and true thinkers never endorse the idea of vengeance or the suppression of the powerless.
I blame you because in your famous testament “12 Rules for Life”, you endorse “Tell the Truth – or, at least, don’t Lie.” You emphasize the importance of honesty and transparency and argue that telling the truth—or at least not lying—is the foundation of integrity, self-respect, and authenticity.
Lying distorts reality, and telling the truth cultivates trust in relationships and helps maintain a moral compass. That’s what you said, right? But you did not tell the truth on the tragedy of Palestinians, Mr. Peterson. Your words were not meant for transmitting information but instead suggesting it, alluding to it, implying it.
“Give ‘em Hell” are the words that carry the weight of an entire worldview. They turned up for Israel’s reckless killing machine that works 24/7 and has no filter for “targets”.
Your famous tweet marked the death of maybe our last flickers of consciousness. The hedonic lust of the human to kill needed a glimpse of endorsement from a “great thinker” A man with prominent popularity among academics and conservative activists who undertake human values.
Your notorious tweet attracted more than 36 million views in a few hours. Of course we can view this from the approach of “any publicity is good publicity,” ’ from a pragmatic capitalist perspective.
I don’t mean to say that you did not attract the attention of people worldwide and you most likely made some other followers who subscribe to your distorted reality. But what I am sure of is that the statement you made reflected a degeneracy for even the voices of reason in this already disordered world.
Your arguments in response, such as not knowing how to use X, or being “appalled” by what happened on that day, as well as your other comparatively loose excuses could go down to a simple “I made a big mistake, and I am sorry for that.” You know that your message to Netanyahu was so plain and simple that it could have no other interpretation. You should have been wiser in that moment, as your words reflect poorly on your judgment. I understand that mistakes happen, but don’t let this one stain the good history you’ve built. You have always been better than this, and I hope you take full accountability and learn from this lapse in judgment. We all must strive to be honest and own up to our actions, no matter how difficult it may be.
In times like these, it’s important to remember there is nothing wrong with taking accountability for one’s actions. In fact, it’s crucial to help people understand that honesty and accountability are the foundations of personal integrity. Sometimes, people need to be reminded that excuses, however plausible they may seem, don’t erase the harm caused or the responsibility they hold.
