I was listening to a podcast and the guy was making a point that the Jedi were just like the janissaries of the Ottoman empire because they “stole children” and I just… got so annoyed that I couldn’t listen to it anymore, even though I kinda wanted to due to the other host.
I know where the argument about the Jedi comes from, which comes from the days of the old EU and Karen Traviss and all that stuff, but I just sort-of had a flash of anger. It’s just a pop culture franchise, right? It’s literally just a story. Hell, The Acolyte was pretty rough on the Jedi’s portrayal and I enjoyed it.
Anyway, I just found it pretty dumb, but for some reason, I found that I couldn’t continue. It’s like I had a mental block.
I paused for a moment but then the Spotify episode remained paused.
I wasn’t even that angry, but I… just found myself not interested in this spiel even though I’m normally interested in the podcast.
It just makes me feel so… Idk, silly? Thin-skinned?
To be fair, there were a few things in the podcast that annoyed me; they berated a person that asked a question in good faith, or so it seemed, and they never seemed to challenge each other all that much.
I don’t even like the Jedi that much! By the Clone Wars era, they had clearly grown dodgy and conservative. Mind you, Anakin Skywalker is or was an abuser who killed Indigenous Tuskens, but, well, you know, some of the rules and how they were implemented in the Jedi Order probably didn’t help his mental state either, though that’s probably more the Council’s doing.
Anyway, I don’t know what came over me and why my anger “paralyzes” me sometimes. I haven’t watched it in a few weeks but might again. But I feel somewhat ashamed because it seemed so, err, small.
Not every couple of people bullshitting about whatever topic they feel like deserves an audience to hear them out. And I put it that way because that’s more or less what a lot of podcasts boil down to. There are some that are more organized and researched, but there’s also a lot that is effectively just “listen to some people talk about stuff.” Since you can’t chime in to the conversation and voice your disagreement, that may make it more annoying to get through. Either way, you aren’t obligated to give it a fair shake.
As far as the anger goes, that may be something to understand better regardless. There’s usually something else behind anger and it’s not just about anger alone. But I wouldn’t be feeling ashamed for not wanting to finish a podcast episode.