The PC era was ‘invented by small group of ideologues’: Peterson & Orban hit it off at first meeting

Controversial author and psychologist Jordan Peterson met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest, the two right-wing figures finding they share a common dislike for political correctness, immigrants and communism.

While Peterson hadn’t seemed too endeared to the Hungarian leader before, once calling him a “dictator wannabe” and a “tyrant,” the two appeared downright amiable during their first face-to-face conversation on Thursday.

They discussed a variety of hot-button conservative talking points. They both agreed, for instance, that illegal immigration is “unnecessary and dangerous.” Orban’s hardline stance on immigration has put him strongly at odds with other EU nations, perhaps more than any other issue.

The newly bonded pair also lamented “political correctness,” which they called “an invention of a small group of ideologically motivated people” that frustrates meaningful debate in society. Peterson’s rise to fame can in part be attributed to his unapologetic hostility toward the expectant liberal political niceties, a perspective which has won him both fans and enemies.

One conversations they both felt had been stifled is the public debate over the “horrors of communism” which they see as being majorly downplayed in contemporary society. They both felt particularly disturbed by European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker’s speech on Karl Marx’s birthday, where he defended the German thinker’s work and legacy.

Peterson was in Budapest for the annual “Brain Bar Festival,” a gathering which has been called “South By Southwest on the Danube” for its combination of art, music and technology. In the past the event has been attended by high-profile figures like PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel and Google vice-president Jacquelline Fuller.

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