How Foreign States Are Controlling Your Mind | Gregg Hurwitz | EP 488

Dr. Jordan B. Peterson sits down with international bestselling author of the “Orphan X” series, Gregg Hurwitz. They discuss the manufactured polarity within the United States, how bad actors and foreign powers are manipulating American thought, the shocking number of data points most people agree on, and Gregg’s newest work, a short film called “Ask An Iranian: The Truth About the Middle East” which showcases true accounts of the terror administered by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Gregg Hurwitz is the New York Times #1 internationally bestselling author of 24 thrillers including the Orphan X series. His novels have won numerous literary awards and have been published in 33 languages. Gregg currently serves as the Co-President of International Thriller Writers (ITW). Additionally, he’s written screenplays and television scripts for many of the major studios and networks, comics for AWA (including the critically acclaimed anthology NewThink), DC, and Marvel, and poetry. Currently, Gregg is actively working against polarization in politics and culture. To that end, he's penned op-eds for The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Bulwark and others, and has produced several hundred commercials and creative content which have gotten several hundred million views on digital TV platforms. He also helped write the opening ceremony of the 2022 World Cup.

This episode was recorded on September 25th, 2024

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(0:00) Coming up
(0:43) Intro
(3:04) A 32 year conversation
(5:34) US The Story - connecting meaning and disparate thinking
(7:06) What it means to be post partisan, how Hurwitz applies this thinking to anti-polarization efforts
(8:55) The dementing of the culture post October 7th
(12:43) Sociological and political studies show foreign influences behind manufactured polarization
(15:11) Two pessimistic outcomes - and how we reach the positive one
(18:00) Foreign psy-ops and the key demographics being targeted
(23:37) TikTok: small efforts can create mass rage and doubt
(27:26) The Islamic Republic is hated by most Iranians
(32:51) How our children’s brains are being programmed
(37:24) Ascendant antisemitism and the links to Russia, China, and Iran
(44:27) The hallmark of postmodernism
(48:24) Bias and grievance narratives across demographics, successful assimilation
(53:49) What the average swing voter looks like through data
(1:00:51) An image of bipartisan optimism, the DNC is stepping back from the far Left
(1:07:36) We need to remove pathology from politics, defending shared principles
(1:13:28) What 80 to 100 percent of Americans agree on, pushing the boundaries in a way that expands them
(1:21:45) Environmental agreement, starting with the right argument to come together
(1:23:43) What happened to our shared vision as Americans? Handling the fringe
(1:33:40) How we move to peace and unity
(1:38:17) A modern transformation in popular thought acknowledges a unifying vision
(1:40:34) What we can do today to rebuild our bridges, transparent algorithms
(1:46:41) Anonymity and the need of conscious regulation
(1:50:04) The difference between a referee and censor
(1:51:35) Pass PATA now!
(1:52:51) Free is the wrong value for online identities
(1:55:03) We must be careful with the immense opportunity available to us

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[JordanBPeterson]

Gregg Hurwitz & Dr. Andy Martin's course
"The Art of Storytelling" as well as my courses, are available at petersonacademy.com

[ChickRussell]

Dr. Jordan Peterson is a positive influence in our society. Love to hear his conversations with anyone

[CJB]

1:02:54 it's not that people think she's an idiot and a genius. We think she's an idiot used by smarter people that have an agenda

[AFringedGentianToEnnien]

I have just finished the Daily Wire section and somehow, hearing about the work you two are doing together, my heart is a bit lighter. I am relieved that you two are all over this issue.
With Ruth Anne’s love and gratitude

[PM-gtmh]

No remote discussion ever comes close to two people sitting in the same room. Lovely!

[lukefleming]

I will decide what access my children will have to the internet. No government needs that power

[monkfoobar]

Carrying water for Kamala. We’ve had a long slow history play out who she is. And it’s not a “ tough prosecutor from Oakland “. She’s sitting on her best asset.

[autumnleaves]

This was a brilliant discussion. Gregg Hurwitz has been doing some great work with these surveys. He went a little too easy on Harris in my opinion, I think she is simply trying to appear more moderate to win votes. Never forget, Harris wrote a letter of congratulation to the 200+ strong gang of bullies who hounded Riley Gaines off campus when the latter was giving a lecture about the need to keep biological males out of women's sport. Riley Gaines mentioned this when Dr Peterson interviewed her last year. The results of Gregg's surveys are encouraging and it is time that the strong centre takes over again. I also think everyone would feel better if they spent less time on social media, and I'd argue that smartphones should be kept away from anyone under the age of 18. Thanks for this fascinating discussion.

[MrDanno]

15:40 - I'm just getting into the video, but this guy comes off as worryingly naive. His heart is in the right place, but he makes too many "kind hearted assumptions.
1.Such as their are only foreign interests/enemy's and not domestic that want to see the end of the west.
2. That we as "ideological camps are merely TALKING PAST each other well unable to or refusing to understand one another.
When there are true ideologal differences when it's "I'm 100% rightand you are wron!"
3. We are merely following human nature, and as animals, we like to push boundaries in the sense that if you'll give me an inch, I'll try and take a mile.
Well whom i would consider ideological enemies haven't merely taken 1 mile they have taken 100, are after 1000, have convinced society it's good, and finally have our worst interests at heart.

Que that same hyde qoute "don't forget at the wnd of all this, these people want you, your family and your way of life dead."

Also, it's easy to stur up hate towards people doing "bad things" by just pointing it out to people who think those things are bad.

Finally, i am very worried about the end state we are heading to. I dread the future these lunatics are dreaming up as they ONLY consider the "positives"...towards themselves.

[Pari-yo]

Thanks for not mixing us, Iranian people with Islamic republic.! It shows your intelligence and knowledge over the history, when I first came to the USA 🇺🇸, I tried very hard to show “we are different from our government”, we’ve got our great kings genes from thousands years ago.!

[believe]

There are huge number of us that are ready for these changes that you speak of especially the indoctrination of our children! It is about time someone addresses issues!! Thank you.

[johnekopy]

Many people are frustrated because it feels like the government is eroding the value of our money through inflation. It’s disheartening when hard work seems to matter less. If people knew their efforts would pay off, they might feel less stressed and more motivated. But rising costs also fuel social division, as people search for someone to blame. Instead of holding the government accountable, we turn on each other, fueled by social media algorithms and political divides

[ReiGunn]

Again, why legislation: if kids are on these devices that is a failure of collective parenting. The government should still stay out of it. It is my responsibility as a parent to guide my kids to be young men and women, and keep them off the platforms that are destructive to them. more personal responsibility, not interference and oversight.

[oliround]

The best part about being a conspiracy theorist is not having myocarditis

The best part about border security is not having high crime

[theBaron]

When Hurwitz' poll asked about investing in communities that have been neglected, does "invest" mean "the State will take money from some people and give it to others, as some agency decides?" And what are the criteria to define a community that has been neglected?

[fredriksjoman]

This is a very inspiring conversation! It's a relief to see Mr. Hurwitz bringing out the centrism that Peterson has in him. Recently Dr. Peterson has focused a lot on right-wing beliefs that alienates both the left and the center, and it makes it difficult to know whether he actually takes them seriously and whether he's a relatively unbiased source. It's also very uninspiring, leaving little hope about a way forward that doesn't end in catastrophe.
Hurwitz may be my new favorite intellectual!

[Beingyourselfnow]

Thank you both for sharing this conversation and bringing Hope and Sanity to our hearts and minds again .The Centre will hold because of all your efforts and the Hope in all our Hearts again our conscious awareness has been realigned and we will all walk towards the Good together ❤❤❤❤

[mrstraighty]

The uptalking is quite annoying. That being said, I really appreciate Greg's approach and the attention to detail on the antisemitism. To insinuate the left is returning to the middle in good faith, and not in an attempt to garner votes, after 4 years of headlong, spearheaded march away from the middle to the extremes, is either painfully ignorant or willfully blind. I assume the latter. It's quite apparent, from the primaries, that there is a puppet and a master. The puppet is interchangeable. I'm not sure how one can have such an analytical approach to the antisemitism that he does, and then swallow the "we're going to return to the middle" load? It's quite a gross failure of objectivity or honesty. Listening to Jewish people, women, and Christians on the left try to justify the policies of the left is like listening to priests talk about pedophilia or a conservative try to reason out school shootings. It's okay to admit that things are wrong and need to be addressed rather than try and reason it out to protect your ideology.

[woodwest]

I appreciate this guys optimism on the DNC I think in a better world that’s what that would mean but she has flip flopped on several issues and to my experience the majority of of low information voters default democrat because it’s trendy if she truly believed the more moderate positions she would try to put those things in action now while the Biden/harris still has guaranteed office but she doesn’t all of her actions say that she’s still going to be just as extreme propaganda driven and wielding different government branches as a political weapon

[TylerMcKenneyMusic]

Only half hour in and this is one of my favorite podcasts from you Jordan