The Education of a Journalist | Rex Murphy | EP 173

On this episode of the Jordan Peterson Podcast, Jordan is joined by Rex Murphy. Rex is a Canadian commentator and author who deals primarily with Canadian political and social matters. He is best known for working on and for CBC Here and Now, CBC Radio 1’s Cross Country Checkup, writing for The Globe and Mail and writing for The National Post. He is a well-recognised and loved figure. Rex Murphy and I sit down to discuss a variety of topics including his impressive career, Canadian politics, western culture, the woke culture wars, changes in universities, the crumbling study of the humanities, New Finland, Toronto, and more. Find more Rex Murphy by searching his name for articles and in his book #JordanPeterson #WokeCulture #WesternCulture #WokePolitics [00:00] Intro [0:18] Jordan introduces this episodes guest Rex Murphy [2:30] Starting in by walking through Rex Murphy’s career progression [6:00] Jordan asks Rex to comment on his experience at university compared to the modern student’s experience [11:30] Talking about the recent case of suspended teacher Paul Rossi and the changing curriculum/attitudes in education in North America [15:30] What did Rex’s education in traditional English literature do to him, and subsequently for him? [21:00] Making the case for the invaluable utility to the individual and society of language and poetry [29:30] Rex’s childhood growing up in a non-reading household. How was choosing English as a career viewed by Murphy’s friends and family? [38:30] Discussing Rex’s parents’ high respect for education while not being highly educated themselves. They understood the bettering of oneself came from being around and immersed in the thoughts of better minds. [42:00] The value of offering someone a path towards the best version of themself. [51:00] Jordan and Rex relate the experience of being around top tier intellectuals [53:30] The next evolutions in Rex’s career involved walking into a radio station, filling in on a request for the show Here and Now, and the rest is history. [1:00:30] Being able to talk politics in the more heated term in Newfoundland on Here and Now [1:02:30] On Being a dramatic character and effectively engaging the audience according to Rex. [1:11:00] Examining the postmodern view of journalism [1:14:00] Talking about the danger of losing the good, great, and better to the mediocrity of pre-programming in modern universities. [1:20:00] Murphy was with Here and Now for 8 years. Peterson and Murphy postulate on the process of thought and discovery. [1:33:30] Brief time in politics that further strengthened Rex’s understanding of both the journalist and politician sides of the media battle. Writing on the intricate details of Newfoundland where Rex spent so much of his life [1:40:30] Writing about the collapse of the fisheries in Newfoundland Canada [1:44:30] What happens when Rex moves from Newfoundland to Toronto [1:50:30] Jordan queries Rex about what he sees happening in the larger Canadian cultural sphere and which way we are headed and negative changes over time in the Canadian country as a whole. [1:59:30] Jordan contemplates the death of the humanities as a study, and inundation of work thinking into schools and businesses going against all the capitalist notions that build the economy in the first place [2:03:30] Bemoaning the disorganization of the conservative party [2:05:30] Back to Rex’s life commenting on the changing style of journalism from his younger years to the present day [2:11:30] Jordan closes out the show asking Rex what makes him optimistic for the future after talking about so many negatives. [2:13:00] Rex gives final advice for anyone looking to become a journalistic writer speaking as one of Canada’s best known and loved journalist of the last fifty years // SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL // Newsletter: Donations: // COURSES // Discovering Personality: Self Authoring Suite: Understand Myself (personality test): // BOOKS // Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life: 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos: Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief: // LINKS // Website: Events: Blog: Podcast: Reading List: Merchandise: // SOCIAL // Twitter: Instagram: Facebook: