If you’re normal you’ve probably watched the Star Wars movies and thought that the Jedi are the good guys and the Sith are the bad guys. It makes sense. The guys dressed in all white are good and the guys wearing all black are bad. Simple. Simple but wrong. Well, not entirely but we’ll get to that. As Anakin says himself “from my point of view the Jedi are evil”. Once you read this article you will also realize that the Jedi and New Republic are the bad guys. Here’s why.
1. The Jedi force children into slavery
Say what now?! Think about it. When Qui-Gon Jinn brings a young Anakin Skywalker to the Jedi council to request that he be trained as a Jedi, the request is refused. On which grounds? Because he is too old. Anakin is nine years old at this point suggesting that recruits are generally much younger than nine. In fact we learn that the Jedi council takes children as young as three years old. THREE?!
Imagine this. You’re a new parent. It’s your son’s (or daughter’s) third Birthday and there is a knock at the door. It is some strange space wizard explaining that he needs to take your three year old to another planet and you will never see them again. The Jedi are a cult. Sure, you could argue that they are doing it for good reason but the ends don’t always justify the means.
If you are any bit familiar with child psychology (I’m not, I just googled it) you will know that ripping a child away from it’s parents at three years of age is a big no-no. Hopefully you already knew that. This can lead to serious psychological issues down the road with detachment and anger issues. Sound familiar? Maybe like a certain Sith Lord – Darth Vader. It really shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone when Anakin turned to the Dark side.
2. The Jedi are told to repress emotion
The Jedi are taught to repress their emotions. This is terrible advice! Ever have a problem in your life that seemed overwhelming until you spoke to someone about it? This is considered good practice amongst mental health professionals today. ‘A problem shared is a problem halved’ and so on.
No relationships. No sharing your feelings. Nothing. The Jedi are ticking time bombs. It’s actually more surprising that more of them don’t turn to the dark side. What is the reasoning behind this? Apparently listening to your emotions is a pathway to the dark side. It literally makes zero sense. Definitely not healthy.
3. They trick people into doing what they want
The Jedi mind trick. Not going to lie, it’s super satisfying to watch Obi-Wan utter the famous line “these are not the droids you are looking for”. However, this is actually very messed up. The Jedi are messing with peoples free will. This seems more like a dark side technique.
When asked how it works, Obi-Wan Kenobi tells Luke Skywalker “The force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded”. So apparently being weak minded is now grounds for magical manipulation of the mind. Makes you wonder what else they have used this for?! Remember, this is from the “good guys”. Sounds more like something Adolf Hitler would say.
4. They brainwash children
Remember all that talk about slavery before? That’s because once you enlist to become trained as a Jedi, there ‘aint no turning back. So children as young as three years old are making decisions for the rest of their lives based on seeing some guy swirl a cool laser sword in their faces.
This isn’t like a boarding school set up. The children don’t return home for the Holidays. They remain at the Jedi temple for life. No breaks. What if they change their mind and want to return to their family? Tough. Too late. Decision made. Once a Jedi, always a Jedi.
5. Anakin’s mother died because of them
When Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi free Anakin from slavery they do not free his mother. They say this is because they do not have money but still do not return at any stage in the future to do so. Considering Anakin was identified as a risky recruit early on perhaps freeing his mother from slavery to allow him some peace of mind may not have been such a bad idea.
Before the death of Anakin’s mother, he senses it happening. He knows there is something wrong. However, he is told to ignore it. He eventually decides to ignore his orders and goes to save her but he is too late. Had the Jedi been keeping a closer eye on the mother of the most powerful Force user in history, the whole empire could have been avoided. Great job guys!
There you have it. The Jedi are a cult that tricks children into leaving their homes at a young age to become soldiers. They force students to bury their emotions deep down and never to share them. They use questionable magic to manipulate people into doing what they want. Their students are forced to stay against their will. They created the most evil, powerful Sith Lord the galaxy has ever seen. Still think they’re the good guys?
