Jordan Peterson appears to have fallen for an internet prank, and social media users have been merciless in their response.
The Canadian psychologist has a strong presence online, with millions of followers across various social media sites.His opinions often stir up conversation and go viral, prompting reactions from across the political spectrum. The latest social media fodder has been his response to a tweet from the satirical conservative website The Babylon Bee, launched in 2016.
Disney is rebooting the Snow White story with a new live-action remake, starring actress Rachel Zegler, an actress of Colombian and Polish descent. The casting received backlash when it was announced in 2021, but new details have also been slammed by online users. In the 2024 version of Snow White, the "seven dwarfs" will be played by one actor with dwarfism and six others of varying genders and ethnicities.
The Babylon Bee added to the outrage with a joke about the plotline of Snow White, which Peterson appeared to take seriously.
"Disney to remove problematic kiss from classic movie, Snow White will now remain dead," The Babylon Bee tweeted, joking that the prince from the 1812 German fairy tale won't kiss a dead Snow White in the new version, which is supposed to bring her back to life.
Peterson took the bait. "Looks like @Disney can't stop chasing failure," he wrote on Twitter on Monday. While some social media users were fooled too, others jumped on to mock Peterson.
Peterson has been a vocal opponent of Disney in recent times, as the company publicly opposed the "Don't Say Gay Bill" in Florida, got into a war of words with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and was seen to promote LGBTQ+ representation in their movies.
"You know this is satire right?" Asked @TheWickedZen while @henryfalk said, "This is a joke, not real news."
Others asked if Peterson knew what The Babylon Bee is, while others were quick to defend Peterson suggesting he knows exactly what the site is and that he knows what he's doing.
Another user, @TheOneChaaluna, said while the story may not be true now, it could manifest later. "This is from a parody account, so it's not actually true...it could become true later though. BB is pretty good at predicting the future!"
White it's comedy has been branded as dangerous right-wing misinformation, The Babylon Bee owner Seth Dillon told Newsweek in February 2023 that mocking woke people is the site's "moral purpose." At that point, Dillon had 85 examples of faux stories created by the publication, which allegedly turned out true in some form.
As mentioned, Peterson is regularly outspoken on social media, often receiving backlash for his statements. In recent months, he has blasted Ben & Jerry's ice cream for having a "Budweiser moment" over their Fourth of July message. He was slammed online for tweeting earlier that "trans women are men."
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Jordan Peterson Mocked for Responding to Satirical 'Snow White' Story - Newsweek