Conservative Canadian psychologist and Daily Wire podcast host Jordan Peterson responded to a villain in the new Disney+ “Star Wars” series “The Acolyte,” who apparently quoted him.
Looper first reported last week that in episode 5, Qimir, played by Manny Jacinto, restated nearly word-for-word something Peterson, a bestselling author, said during a 2022 interview.
“Even in the revelation of our triumph, we see the depth of our despair,” Qimir said as the episode came to an end.
During an interview on the British podcast “The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett,” Peterson shared, “Wherever I go in the world people come up to me and … I wouldn’t say they’re happy to see me. They’re often in tears, you know. And they often have a pretty rough story to relate.”
They quickly share it, the psychologist explained, about how they were suicidal, homicidal, trapped, desperate, but his teaching helped them overcome their struggle.
“It’s an awful thing because, you see, even in the revelation of their triumph, the initial depth of their despair,” Peterson added as he began to weep. “So I wouldn’t change that, but it’s not nothing. And it’s certainly not just happiness. It’s better than happiness, but it’s almost unbearable.”
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Peterson responded to the apparent use of his words in “The Acolyte” by posting on X, “I loom large in the imagination of woke Hollywood villain creators.”
I loom large in the imagination of
woke Hollywood villain creators
🙂https://t.co/sqpLGusY06— Dr Jordan B Peterson (@jordanbpeterson) July 2, 2024
Did Disney ruin “Star Wars”?
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The latest iteration of “Star Wars” has received its fair share of criticism for being too woke and weird.
“The Acolyte” creator Leslye Headland, a lesbian, appeared to admit that the sci-fi series has been infused with LGBT themes.
“People have told me that it’s the gayest ‘Star Wars’ ever, and I’m frankly into it,” Headland told Drew Taylor of TheWrap in a recent interview.
“The Acolyte” co-star Amandla Stenberg chimed in to say, “I think that ‘Star Wars’ is so gay already.”
We are happy to report that #TheAcolyte is “arguably the gayest #StarWars” yet. 🌈 Happy Pride Month! 😉 pic.twitter.com/3oJSykc4Kq
— TheWrap (@TheWrap) June 4, 2024
“The Acolyte is a queer, Marxist vandalization of the myth of Star Wars,” The Babylon Bee managing editor Joel Berry wrote in a post on X.
The Acolyte is a queer, Marxist vandalization of the myth of Star Wars. In The Acolyte, the Force is a metaphor for cultural hegemonic power. The Jedi are a metaphor for cisgender white oppressors who hoard the power for themselves. Yes, it really is that obnoxious and stupid. pic.twitter.com/kUOV2CDX15
— Joel Berry (@JoelWBerry) June 5, 2024
“In The Acolyte, the Force is a metaphor for cultural hegemonic power,” he said. “The Jedi are a metaphor for cisgender white oppressors who hoard the power for themselves. Yes, it really is that obnoxious and stupid.”
So it makes perfect sense that the show would take a Peterson quote seeing people overcome emotional despair and make it a dark saying in a villain’s mouth.