In a recent issue of the comic book, Captain America, the current incarnation of the Red Skull was portrayed as having similar teachings as Dr. Jordan Peterson.

“I’ve been called a Nazi before. It’s not pleasant, but this is one step beyond that. I mean, Nazi apparently isn’t enough, I have to be a magical super-Nazi.”

In response, the Internet, as it does, went wild with the memes. The “jarring discontinuity” of the Red Skull expressing actual Jordan Peterson quotes is a perfect recipe for memes:

Back in June 2019, I shared some thoughts on Jordan Peterson in a Medium article, On the Nature of Suffering:

Lately, I’ve been noticing a strain in his voice. To me, he often sounds like he is on the brink of breaking down in tears, particularly during his speech at the conservative PragerU Summit. With a cracking voice, he states,

“I talk a lot about to my audiences about what I believe to be incontrovertible facts and I think that the fundamental incontrovertible fact is that Life is Suffering and I think that’s why that’s a primary axiom of religious belief.”

I had a sense that something was seriously wrong, and soon after, Dr. Peterson had a severe breakdown from the combination of the stress from his wife getting diagnosed with terminal cancer (she survived), and an adverse reaction to long term use of benzodiazepines. It led to hospitalization, a journey to Russia to be put into an induced coma, and quite an ordeal, filled with intense suffering, confirming his personal belief that “Life is Suffering.”

I have friends in both JBP camps. Some who have followed Jordan Peterson since before he became famous, and others who think he is a danger to society. As I wrote in the Medium article, I don’t agree with his fundamental belief that Life is Suffering. However, I find value in his interpretation of Christianity, the Bible, psychology, and some of his recommendations on how to live a better life.

So, in response to this Red Skull attack on his character, JBP has embraced the memes, and even released merch, and is donating the profits to charity.

Now, it seems strange that Jordan Peterson and Joe Rogan are considered by some to be monstrous Nazis:

If these two guys are what people are terrified of, as symbols of the worst that society has to offer, literal Nazis, maybe we’ll be okay after all. The world is upside down, the memetic AI wars are here, and who controls the memes, controls the universe. Find your meme dealers, upgrade your meme game, and you might just accidentally start a meme cult. Ideally, one that spreads some joy into the world.