(PresidentialWire.com)- After it was announced that clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson would be publishing a new book with Penguin Random House Canada, it was reported that members of staff at the publishing house literally cried. VICE News spoke to four employees at the company who said they held a town-hall-style meeting to discuss the new book and explain why they think it should be canceled.
“Beyond Order: 12 More Rules For Life” is set for release in March 2021. It follows his hugely successful “12 Rules For Life” that become an international bestseller in May 2019.
According to VICE, one employee described how “people were crying in the meeting about how Jordan Peterson has affected their lives.” The outlet also said another member of staff from Penguin claimed that their father had been “radicalized” by Peterson, who is often falsely described as “Alt Right” despite being a classic liberal and opposed to racism in all forms.
But the employees pushed the false narrative that Peterson is an extremist.
“The company since June has been doing all these anti-racist and allyship things and them publishing Peterson’s book completely goes against this,” the employee falsely claimed in an interview with VICE. “It just makes all of their previous efforts seem completely performative.”
Another employee told VICE that Peterson was an “icon of white supremacy,” seemingly unaware that far-right activists and white supremacists do not respect or appreciate Peterson’s work.
“He is an icon of hate speech and transphobia and the fact that he’s an icon of white supremacy, regardless of the content of his book, I’m not proud to work for a company that published him,” the employee also added.
It is not a fact that Peterson is an icon of hate speech.
Penguin Random House has also received at least 70 letters from employees, with just two of those letters reportedly being in support of publishing the new self-help book.
Mikhaila Peterson, the daughter of Jordan Peterson, responded to the controversy on Twitter, suggesting that the employees who cried about the book should be fired.
“… staff CRIED and expressed dismay with the decision to publish ‘Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life.’”
How to improve business in 2 steps:
Step 1: identify crying adults
Step 2: firePenguin Staff Confront Publisher About New Jordan Peterson Book – https://t.co/hFBJPS2SmA
— Mikhaila Peterson (@MikhailaAleksis) November 24, 2020
The tweet quickly gained tens of thousands of likes, as Peterson’s huge fan base came out in favor of the new book and Penguin’s decision to publish him.
In a statement, the published said that they support the “feedback channel” set up by their employees, and that they are open to answering questions.
“We remain committed to publishing a range of voices and viewpoints,” the statement added.
