Here's the fragment of Joe Rogan's show where Peterson declares that antisemitism is in the rise because "there is nothing more annoying than a successful minority".
So, it has nothing to do with the fact that the state that declares itself to be Jewish is committing genocide, right? And that is assuming that indeed there is a significant rise in antisemitism, as opposed to a more vocal opposition to Israel, which is mostly what I see.
It's interesting that Rogan makes some questions and comments that indicate he understands the problem much better than Peterson himself. Like, 'it's problematic because Judaism is a religion, but also a race and a government', and it's linked to groups of power that manipulate markets, and it's a 'walled garden' or a 'clan', and then there's the normal Jewish people who have nothing to do with all that. You can see where Rogan was going: Judaism has been presented that way, so that when people (rightly) criticize groups of power or Israel, then it is claimed it is 'antisemitism'. But JP's line of thought doesn't go there, he deviates into 'psychopathy linked to antisemitism on the left but now on the right', etc.
It's kind of similar to that moment when Rogan comments 'well if you live in Gaza you are in the Apocalypse right now', and JP goes like 'yeah whatever, the Apocalypse is always around the corner, blah blah'. It seems to me that Rogan was indeed trying to look at the issue from different angles while being respectful to JP, but JP was subtly trying to 'warn' Rogan of 'right-wing antisemitic psychopaths'. He's almost saying: 'Because of your curiosity, Joe, you've hanged out with bad people'. But he doesn't quite say that, probably because he knows he'll get in trouble, nor does he mention who those 'right-wing psychos' are. (Presumably he's talking about Candace Owens who likes to say 'Christ is King' to annoy JP, and others like her - which is totally ridiculous.) While Rogan just wants to be polite so he doesn't put much pressure on JP to spell out exactly what he's trying to say.
What I found weird is that things makes sense when you realize that one strategy to win is to play both sides. I wrote some summarized ideas about this and sorted them a bit with AI, hopefully this will not be too off topic.
The Dual Tendencies of Jewish Diaspora Politics
Historically, Jewish communities have never been monolithic. Dispersed across nations and eras, they have exhibited remarkable diversity in culture, belief, and political orientation. Yet, a recurring pattern emerges wherever significant Jewish populations settle: a tension between integration and separation, between loyalty to host nations and strategies for collective survival.
Over centuries of persecution and expulsion, Jewish elites—intellectual, financial, and political—developed divergent survival strategies, often polarizing into two broad tendencies:
- Revolutionary-Leftist Activism – Many intellectuals and activists embraced radical or progressive movements (communism, civil rights, multiculturalism), seeking to reshape host societies in ways that would dismantle exclusionary hierarchies.
- Conservative-Zionist Influence – Financial and political elites often aligned with nationalist, pro-Israel, or establishment power structures, leveraging influence to secure stability through state support.
Though these tendencies oppose each other, they paradoxically reinforce one another’s dominance over host nations. Left-wing agitation undermines traditional social orders, while right-wing lobbying bends foreign policy toward Israel and global finance. The net effect is often the erosion of national cohesion—whether through enforced multiculturalism, weakened sovereignty, or foreign policy realignment.
Israel as an Autonomous Power
Israel operates independently, exploiting diasporic networks while pursuing its own strategic interests without sentiment. Intelligence operations, political subversion, and the targeted neutralization of threats (including "beheading" adversarial leadership) are seen as legitimate tools of survival.
This dynamic creates a paradox in nations like the U.S., where free speech is a proclaimed value, yet criticism of Israel is often stifled. This suppression benefits conservative pro-Israel factions—but also fuels left-wing martyr narratives, further polarizing discourse. The result is a system that restricts genuine debate, ultimately diminishing freedom for the host population.
The Unwitting Majority
The vast majority of Jewish individuals live ordinary lives, unaware of or indifferent to these geopolitical machinations. Their identities are instrumentalized by elites on both sides, yet they hold little agency over the larger strategies enacted in their name.
In the end, the diaspora’s dual tendencies—revolutionary and conservative—function as complementary forces, reshaping host societies in ways that often prioritize external interests over national integrity. Whether by design or historical accident, the outcome remains the same: a weakening of the host nation’s autonomy, with ordinary citizens, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, left navigating the consequences.
www.jordanbpeterson.com
