Jordan Peterson and the Tragic Story of the Man-Child
What women despise in men (11 things)
Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson made a recommendation for the best documentary he’s ever watched. The documentary was “Crumb.”
I don’t know if it’s the best — but it’s certainly unforgettable.
It tells the story of successful cartoonist Robert Crumb, a man who escaped his mother’s obsessive oedipal behavior that ruined the lives of both his brothers.
Crumb’s brother Charles lives at home obsessing over his high school yearbook, masturbating four to five times a week, and admits to his brother that he can’t get an erection anymore.
Charles killed himself shortly after the documentary was filmed. The final cut reveals that bit of information for the audience at the end. It’s horrifying.
Crumb” came out in 1995, but its message has multiplied. Men are children, and it’s killing us.
Today’s men can barely ask out a girl let alone work at a competent enough job to move out of their parent’s basement. I’d be remiss, however, not to point out that the oppressive arm of neo-feminism and post-modernism certainly doesn’t help.
Regardless, Peterson took me down this road, and now I wanted to see what men and women on internet forums like Reddit, Quora and YouTube had to say about man-children. Here are some things to avoid, men —
1. Strings attached to everything and unwritten contracts
I have a friend like this. He’s a man-child.
He’ll make arrangements with you in his head and never disclose this information out loud. Once you’re in his web of deceit he’ll hold you accountable to these unfair imaginary standards.
Contrary to what Marx argues in the Communist Manifesto, everything isn’t about power. Life is about reciprocity. You don’t always have to be selfish and create social contracts that benefit you and you alone.
Man the fuck up and learn to speak out about what you want.
2. Owns various books on “get rich quick” schemes (or videos)
“The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne
“The Power of Positive Thinking” by Norman Vincent Peale
And 99% of hype investing videos on YouTube
They’re all scams for man-children.
Man-children won’t read anything that demands too much time or attention.
Man-children want total entertainment forever. They won’t wash their dishes or do laundry. And they enjoy bad junk food, video games and YouTube videos with all-caps titles LIKE THIS!!
All of these things are fine in moderation. But today they’ve consumed many men.
3. Has a liberal arts degree
Peter Pan is the classic story of the man-child.
Man-children often create the illusion of wit, competence, and hygiene but in reality are king of the lost boys, as Peter Pan was. They’re all talk with nothing of substance to do or say.
Moreover, they’re distracted by an illusion when a real woman is right in front of them. Peter Pan wasn’t interested in Wendy, he was distracted by Tinker Bell who represents male fantasy.
Tink is a stripper, prostitute, or porn. Take your pick.
A liberal arts degree turns men into Peter Pans... and this is coming from a guy who has one and set it on fire. Okay, not really. Liberal arts men make little over minimum wage, accumulate loads of debt, and like to talk as though they can solve the world’s problems; yet they still live at home with their mom.
Always remain humble or you’ll become king of the lost boys.
4. The Man-Child talks a lot about what they want but never puts in any effort
“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” — Andre Gide, Nobel Prize winning author
Man-children don’t like to fail.
They’d rather do nothing than try. Failure is a major blow to their ego — which was of course bolstered by their worthless liberal arts degree.
They’ll talk talk talk until they’re blue in the face. Likely what they say, however, will contradict itself or parrot someone from a video they heard online.
Like a California forest, they’re full of deadwood.
5. Decorates apartment with scantly clad models and/or Scarface movie posters
I’m no interior decorator myself, but there are certain standards to what goes inside my apartment. There are no —
Iron words with cliche motivational sayings (Live, Love, Laugh)
Excessive pop art (with the exception of Andy Warhol)
Scarface posters, nude girl pics, sports paraphernalia or anything else that belongs in a frathouse
If you’re not good at decorating then consider living like a minimalist.
It’s your life and personality, but taste is also part of being a man.
6. “I can’t exercise, I ran a mile once and it didn’t do anything.”
Navy Seal David Goggins is the master of overcoming your inner-bitch.
Here’s an exercise he created: record yourself the next time you don’t want to do a few push-ups or go for a short walk and/or run. Record all the thoughts inside your head and hear them played back to you.
You’ll hear how much of a bitch you sound like.
20 minutes to an hour of light exercise— less than 1% of your day—can change your life. You can do it. Stop bitching.
7. “I can’t ask out a girl, I got rejected once and it hurts bad.”
Girls can be a guy’s greatest fear. I’ve seen this before too.
It’s normal to have anxiety over a woman you’re attracted to, but being paralyzed with fear is classic man-child behavior.
The worst that can happen is you get rejected and move on from your life. It’s very unlikely, however, that you’ll find any worthwhile woman by saying nothing and going home to jerk off.
Stop looking at porn, delete your Tinder and get off of Onlyfans.
You don’t even have to meet women solely at bars. Go to a farmers market, a park, fuck it, go to church and you’ll meet deeply interesting down-to-earth women. You’ll find a keeper.
8. Punches inanimate objects when mad
Unless it’s a punching bag, you look like a moron and are most likely a closeted sociopath.
Let your anger and energy out on something productive. Go to the gym. Ride a bike. Get some form of exercise on a weekly basis. Your body will thank you later.
As literary critic William Hazlitt once said, “it’s better to have a weak mind in a sound body than a sound mind and a weak body.”
Seriously — stop punching inanimate objects.
9. They’re always broke to pay for rent, but have money for weed and/or video games
Hedonism will always be your greatest regret in life.
You ate like shit, destroyed your lungs with vapes and weed, never worked out, always had your mom do things for you, never read a book past the age of 20, and never invested your money wisely. Fuck, what a life.
Once people find out who you really are — a man-child loser — they won’t want to hang around you anymore.
10. Flipping out over menstrual cycles
Maybe it’s because I grew up with sisters but this always seemed pathetic to complain about.
Women are different. Get over it.
The fact they have to deal with monthly pain and we don’t hear about it more is honestly shocking to me.
Dostoyevsky once said that if you looked hard enough you’d find that every woman is interesting in some form or fashion, but the same cannot be said about men. I agree. Especially when it comes to man-children.
11. Destroys controllers when they lose a video game
I’ve seen this firsthand and it’s so pathetic that everyone who even watched feels shamed.
I get it. Michael Jordan raged when he lost. Tom Brady rages when he loses. Hungrybox (the number one Smash Bros. player) rages when he loses. But you’re none of them. You’re not a pro. You’re probably not even that good in the first place.
Even so, those celebrities are often shamed too for being divas
Take the game seriously. Blood sweat and tears and all that good stuff. But if you enact real-world violence after losing a video game — you need help.
All of this isn’t to say that your story has to end with you as a man-child.
But the day you decide to change yourself will be the most painful one of your life. Making a change at 30 is fucking brutal. Making a change at 40 or 50 is something like the suffering Jesus experienced on the cross.
Either way, you will suffer whether you want to or not.
The ones who choose to suffer willingly and choose discipline are men. The ones who push it off are man-children.
Choose.
Drawing a line is brutal at any time in life. But the value is inestimable.
good one