Jordan Peterson advocates for 'enforced monogamy,' defends the existence of witches and dragons

Wedding rings.
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Canadian psychology professor and popular men's rights activist Jordan Peterson blames violent attacks by men on the fact that they do not have wives, The New York Times writes in a profile of Peterson published Friday. Peterson made the comment while explaining the actions of 25-year-old Alex Minassian last month, who drove a van down a crowded sidewalk in Toronto, killing 10 and injuring 16.

"He was angry at God because women were rejecting him," Peterson told the Times' Nellie Bowles. Minassian was a self-proclaimed "involuntary celibate," or "incel," and Peterson added that "the cure" for male-perpetrated violence "is enforced monogamy. That's actually why monogamy emerges."

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Mr. Peterson does not pause when he says this. Enforced monogamy is, to him, simply a rational solution. Otherwise women will all only go for the most high-status men, he explains, and that couldn't make either gender happy in the end. [The New York Times]

Peterson additionally defended the "existence" of witches when Bowles told him they don't actually exist. "Yeah, they do. They do exist," he said. "They just don't exist the way you think they exist. They certainly exist. You may say well dragons don't exist … You say, 'Well, there's no such thing as witches.' Yeah, I know what you mean, but that isn't what you think when you go see a movie about them." Read the full mind-boggling profile at The New York Times.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.