106 — 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos

Cover of Jordan Peterson's awful book, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos.

The latest entry in the ever-popular “Actually, Focusing Exclusively on Yourself Is the Best Thing for Everybody” sweepstakes is Jordan Peterson’s lengthy tome 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, which doesn’t promise to unlock the life-changing magic of tidying up, but does tell you what to do if you have snakes in your closet. (Not a joke. Actual quote. If you have snakes in your closet, maybe take a quick look at the tidying up one before you take on dosing rules to medicate against chaos…)

Come along as we pull our pants up—as doth the mighty lobster scuttling—and investigate this all-conquering best-seller and YouTube sensation. Disney movies, a lot of anxieties about infidelity, not nearly enough about dragons, and the most inexplicable references to Cain and Abel since Aerosmith’s “Lord of the Thighs”. J.’s mad, Clsn’s taking some extremely long walks, and Peterson is flexing on chumps in the comments and welcoming them to his straw man slaughterhouse. So keep your head and arms inside the car at all times, sit up straight and OH MY GOD ARE YOU CHEWING GUM WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU YOU SPIT THAT OUT RIGHT NOW MISTER.

Note 1: Yes, the cold open is actually from the book. No, we don’t know why it sounds like the first draft of the theme song from Friends.

Note 2: Yes, this is a self-help book. No, we didn’t apply our usual rule for judging a self-help book: is this more helpful or less helpful than Ice-T’s twitter account. Is this book more helpful than Ice-T’s twitter account? LOL FOH

Recommendations:

Music:

  • “First Failure” by Gorilla Biscuits
  • “Father Figure” by George Michael
  • “Nothing Can Stop Me” by Heavens to Betsy