Why is Jordan Peterson making headlines again?

Psychologist Jordan Peterson is back in the news. Why? Staff at Peterson's Canadian publisher, Penguin Random House, have voiced their concerns about his new book due to be released in 2021. According to Vice, employees confronted management at a turbulent town hall meeting and others have filed complaints saying the publishing giant should not be giving a platform to Peterson. “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 publishes him,” an employee is quoted as saying.

Wait, who is Jordan Peterson again? A Canadian clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. The self-styled "Professor Against Political Correctness” gained widespread attention for his divisive views on politics and society. His books, including Maps of Meaning and 12 Rules For Life; An Antidote For Chaos, have been bestsellers.

Controversial psychologist Jordan Peterson.Credit: ABC

Why is he controversial? In 2016, Peterson said he would refuse to use transgender students' preferred pronouns. At the time, Canada's Parliament was debating a bill that would ban discrimination against people due to their gender identity or expression. Legal experts said the bill wouldn't force people to use certain pronouns but rather punish hate speech.

Oh. What happened next? Peterson claimed the bill would infringe on his freedom of speech and, in doing so, amassed millions of views on his YouTube channel thanks to his railings against political correctness. He's also attracted both admirers and critics for his stance on other subjects including gender (women should consider not wearing high-heels and makeup in the workplace to avoid harassment) and religion (Islamaphobia is “a word created by fascists and used by cowards to manipulate morons”). One Canadian columnist described him as "the stupid man's smart person", while others see him as “a kind of secular prophet … in an era of lobotomised conformism”. Regardless of what you think of Peterson, there’s no denying that he’s amassed a large following due to his cynicism and polished presentation.

OK. What this new book about? It is called Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life and is due to hit bookstores around the world in March 2021. According to Penguin, the book will draw on psychology, philosophy and Peterson's personal experiences to help readers find a more "courageous, truthful and meaningful life".

If it's just a bit of philosophy... aren't publishing staff overreacting? It's easy to paint what's happening as a few Millennials trying to stifle free speech. But there's more at play. Belief systems such as identity politics (in which people's gender, race or sexuality are emphasised) can and should be scrutinised. But some worry that Peterson goes too far and, in doing so, has become a rockstar figurehead for the alt-right. They believe Peterson radicalises "disaffected men" and provides fringe groups with justification for harmful views about, for example, transgender people and women.

But doesn't Peterson have the right to free speech? He has the right to express his opinions and write books. But as a private company, Penguin can choose not to publish him.

So is the book being pulled? We'll have to wait and see. At this stage, Penguin has held a "tense" town hall meeting and asked staff to provide feedback. In a statement to VICE, the company said: “We announced yesterday that we will publish Jordan Peterson’s new book Beyond Order this coming March. Immediately following the announcement, we held a forum and provided a space for our employees to express their views and offer feedback. Our employees have started an anonymous feedback channel, which we fully support. We are open to hearing our employees’ feedback and answering all of their questions. We remain committed to publishing a range of voices and viewpoints."

This sound a little familiar. You're right. Last week, publisher Pan Macmillan cut ties with celebrity chef Pete Evans after he posted a picture on social media that contained a neo-Nazi symbol. And in March, employees at Hachette staged a walkout to protest the publication of Woody Allen's memoir. The publisher subsequently dropped the book from its list. Watch this space.