On August 29, 2023, Jordan Peterson talked with Theo Von on Theo’s series “This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von” about the surveillance state in China and how technology poses a threat to freedom.
Video Transcript
Theo Von: Today’s guest is Mr. Jordan Peterson . . .
Jordan Peterson: I am also concerned though, and this is a conundrum, it’s like, if you don’t allow anonymity you have to have verified ID, but if you have digitally verified ID then you run into the problems of digitally verified ID, you know, and they’re running down that road in China now. So, in China for example, God this is going to happen here, I think too, although maybe people will fight it. If a, if a traffic camera catches you jaywalking in China, okay so, the the digital ID system has you, has your blood now, has your genetic code has your photograph, it can identify how you walk, so even if you can’t see a face you can be picked up by gate, it will convict you of jaywalking and take money out of your bank account with no intermediating judiciary at all, and show a picture of you to the people in the neighborhood so they know that you have jaywalked, and reduce your social credit score. And if your social credit score falls below a certain level, then you can’t, you can’t buy drinks from a vending machine. You can’t play video games. You can’t go on a train. You can’t get out of your 15 minute city. All that’s already in place in China.
Theo Von: Do you think that that would be helpful or unhelpful.
Jordan Peterson: Oh, it would be I think it would bring in, and has already in China, I think it’ll bring in a totalitarian tyranny so 100% complete that it would make George Orwell’s 1984 look like a picnic. They’re, they’re microchipping welding machines in China now so you won’t be able to use a welding machine without scanning your face. They have lockdown knives in China. They’re, knives are literally chained to the counter and . . .
Theo Von: Oh, like at the bank or something, you mean?
Jordan Peterson: No no, no no, in your house, knives, it’s the extension of gun control.
Theo Von: Oh so they don’t want you taking a knife and doing something dangerous?
Jordan Peterson: Yeah, they don’t want you taking a knife and doing anything at all, whatsoever, ever.
Watch Full “This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von” Episode #460
Jordan Peterson is a Canadian clinical psychologist and Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto. He is also a best-selling author for his books “12 Rules for Life”, “Beyond Order” and more.
Jordan Peterson joins This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von for a third time to chat about what’s new since their last podcast, why our world view doesn’t have to be so negative, recent controversies, how technology could pose a threat to freedom, turning pride into determination, and more.
