So I often have phone calls with a cousin of mine from time to time. While I don't mind our conversations, there are times where he will frequently interrupt or point out a minor detail in something I just said and deviate from the main point of the thing I was trying to say.
For example, today we were talking about video game movies and the change of popularity of them over time. His argument was something like Pokemon is a video game movie and that was super popular in the 90s, but I was trying to point out that there's a difference between like movies made in Japan versus movies made in the U.S. in terms of context (for example, my understanding was the Pokemon movies were made in conjunction with the Anime, while video game movies in the U.S., like the live-action Mario Bros. movie, were a one-off thing, which could impact how the movie is made and audience expectations). However, before I could make the full point, my cousin interrupts me and accuses me of being racist because he thinks I was dismissing movies in Japan somehow? And of course, I get a little defensive because I was just accused of being racist despite the fact my intention was not trying to be racist at all? My point wasn't about race or anything of that sort, but rather the context around movies in different geographic areas. I admit I could have worded it better and was able to clarify my point later in the conversation, but it does feel a little annoying when pedantic nitpicking gets in the way of the conversation.
How should I deal with this sort of pedantic nitpicking?