Star Wars, like any worthwhile piece of art, will always reflect the tensions of trials of the time in which it was created. This was the case for the original trilogy in a post-Vietnam America, and it was for the prequels during the Bush years and the War on Terror. Star Wars clicked with the mood of the times, because the mood impacted the films while they were made. The Disney Star Wars sequels are no different. Tom Luongo joins Beltway Banthas to talk about the ways in which the culture wars of American politics today can be found playing out in the new Star Wars films, and what that says about both our entertainment establishment and the political climate. We cover Kylo and Rey's tense dynamic in the films, masculinity, femininity and where chaos and order collide in the JJ and Rian Johnson iterations of Star Wars. 

Beltway Banthas: Star Wars, Politics & More

How Star Wars Mirrors The American Culture Wars ft Tom Luongo

Opportunities to discuss morality, virtue, and living well through the lens of Star Wars are all around us. For fans, this is part of what makes the galaxy far far away so special. Today's episode is a somewhat spontaneous look at the subject of Empathy, by way of a piece of writing by David French. A past guest of Beltway Banthas, French has a unique grasp of theology and a perspective on the Christian faith that ties neatly into numerous elements of the Star Wars story. Combining elements of French's post on his Substack, FrenchPress and my upcoming book, How The Force Can Fix The World, this episode lays out why Empathy can be dangerous, but exactly the kind of danger we need to face head on. Get the book! HOW THE FORCE CAN FIX THE WORLD by Stephen Kent of Beltway Banthas Read David French's piece: The American Crisis of Selective Empathy Follow on Twitter @BeltwayBanthas and @Stephen_kent89

In Star Wars, Faith & Life, Empathy Is A Dangerous Necessity

Ever wanted to peek behind the curtain of the making of an Audiobook? Now you can! In this episode of Beltway Banthas, check out what's going on with the making of How The Force Can Fix The World for Audible. Stick around for a preview of Stephen Kent's appearance on the Around The Galaxy podcast to talk about the politics of Star Wars fandom, and a review of the Bad Batch season one finale. Get the book! HOW THE FORCE CAN FIX THE WORLD by Stephen Kent: https://www.centerstreet.com/titles/stephen-kent/how-the-force-can-fix-the-world/9781546000488/ Listen to Around the Galaxy ft. Stephen Kent: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/126-stephen-kent-this-war-represents-a-failure-to-listen/id1460815340?i=1000530039034 Join the newsletter: https://politicizeme.substack.com/ If you like politics, check out Stephen Kent's new show: https://www.youtube.com/c/rightlyaj/

Making "How The Force Can Fix The World" into an audiobook

"Empathy does not make you a good person. Being able to employ it does not rid you of your own basement of horrors. It is a tool to enhance our thinking, for if we know how other people feel, we have a better chance of understanding their thoughts. Hence why it is best used in service of those you disagree with" - Ayishat A Akanbi.  Today's show is about empathy, and what Star Wars helps to teach us about this valuable principle. Star Wars tells numerous stories about the power of empathy to change lives, improve people and open up new possibilities for heroes and villains alike.  Danielle Adams and Nick DiCo rejoin the show to break it all down with Stephen Kent in this opening salvo of a two-part discussion on empathy in a galaxy far, far away.  Get your copy of "HOW THE FORCE CAN FIX THE WORLD": https://www.centerstreet.com/titles/stephen-kent/how-the-force-can-fix-the-world/9781546000488/ 

Empathy is a gift to yourself, Star Wars can help you find it

Hope is like the sun. So says General Leia. This week on Beltway Banthas, some thoughts on why the struggle for hope in hopeless times is the good fight. Logan Albright joins the show to talk about his recent op-ed on the problem of hopelessness & rising deaths of despair, and what it means for our politics and relationships. Of course, this all revolves around the wisdom of the galaxy far far away like any good Beltway Banthas episode would do.  Pre-Order the book! HOW THE FORCE CAN FIX THE WORLD by going here: https://linktr.ee/skentbm Stay in touch with Stephen Kent & the show by emailing BeltwayBanthas@gmail.com or sub to the newsletter @ politicizeme.substack.com Follow on Twitter @BeltwayBanthas and @Stephen_kent89

Tyrants love your despair, but Star Wars is fighting for hope

Banthas! We're back and up and running after a brief disturbance in the Force. On this episode, Stephen Kent breaks down the latest in the journey toward publishing a book based on this very podcast and the life lessons embedded in Star Wars. Here you can listen to Stephen read the draft Introduction to the book: How The Force Can Fix The World: Lessons on Life, Liberty, and Happiness From a Galaxy Far, Far Away.  Announcement! Every Thursday we'll host a Video Hangout for friends of the show. The link is below and it starts tonight, May 27th.  ****BELTWAY BANTHAS WEEKLY HANGOUT @ 9:00 – 10:30pm EST *** Google Meet link: https://meet.google.com/vpr-pkyk-zfh Join us also on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUe4SZeDlA4B6W0axMVHUMA Substack Newsletter: https://politicizeme.substack.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeltwayBanthas Website: retrozap.com/beltway-banthas/

How the FORCE can fix the world, weekly listener hangouts and Star Wars life lessons

This month on Beltway Banthas, host Stephen Kent speaks with writer Brittany Hunter about Star Wars' complicated narrative on redemption. What does it mean to "come back to the light" or to be redeemed in Star Wars' greatest character arcs? As Stephen works his way toward finishing his book, How The Force Can Fix America this conversation is meant to work through one of the most sticky issues in American life...our nation's own redemption story.

Redemption, feeding the Shadow and how Star Wars conquers hubris

Economics is like the Force, it surrounds us, penetrates us and binds the galaxy together. If you've never really been into economic theory, it's okay you're not alone. This episode is your primer on Economics 101 using Star Wars as a guide to powerful ideas such as Game Theory, Supply & Demand, Opportunity Cost and Incentives. Whether it's Rogue One, Return of the Jedi, Solo, A New Hope or Attack of the Clones...Star Wars is chock full of great scenes that have hidden lessons on economic theory

Understanding Economics with the Power of Star Wars

Gina Carano has been sacked by Disney Lucasfilm and will not be involved in The Mandalorian going forward. Today on Beltway Banthas, Stephen Kent speaks with Robby Soave of Reason Magazine and author of Panic Attack: Young Radicals in the Age of Trump. Robby and Stephen generally share the same concerns about what's known as cancel culture, but come down in different places on how we should think about Gina Carano's firing.

Self-own or cancel culture? Gina Carano fired from The Mandalorian

America was attacked on January 6th, 2021 from within. A sitting president fulfilled his many years of promising to not concede a lost election and did so by sicking his craven supporters on Congress. Beltway Banthas is a Star Wars and politics podcast, but sometimes Star Wars is hard to find in the moments when history is being written on TV. In this episode Stephen Kent, Danielle Adams, Nick DiCo and Riley Blanton convene the day after an insurrection at the Capitol building and unload their thoughts.

Searching for Star Wars after an insurrection

Star Wars is all about conquering fear. Naming it. Facing it. It's the destiny of a Jedi after all. This episode is a reflection on fear, attachment and the search for hope beyond 2020. It's okay if you don't feel hope. This year has been hard.  But nevertheless, "hope is like the sun...if you only believe in it when you see it, you'll never make it through the night." Happy New Years everyone. May the Force be with you.

Star Wars on hope, fear and a much needed New Year

Hello Banthas! I hope you had a great holiday weekend. The episode for this month tackles the political intrigue of The Mandalorian, whose recent episode offered some new insights on the troubles of governing a galaxy. There's a lot to chew on and it's important, not just for understanding Star Wars lore but for grappling with our own world's political disorder.  We start off with a talk on government in a galaxy far, far away. After that, Brian Silliman (SYFY WIRE + Jabba The Pod) joins the show.

Outer Rim Elegy & Brian Silliman of SYFY WIRE on The Mandalorian

Election Day is upon us. ALL WINGS REPORT IN! On this months edition of the Beltway Banthas Roundtable, Stephen Kent is joined by Joe Tavano and Gabby Martin to ready for the 2020 election and break down our most recent episode. David French recently joined the podcast to explain why "Federalism" might be America's only salvation as polarization rips the union the asunder, and Stephen likened the stakes of our politics to a Death Star level threat. The panel will discuss this idea in-depth.

Election 2020 Rebel Alliance Situation Room Roundtable

Did you hear? The U.S. presidential election next week is the most important election of our lifetime. Maybe that's true. But it's been said of every election since Reagan and beyond. Why does politics feel this way? Are the stakes supposed to always feel existential, or like life and death? Beltway Banthas explores this through the Star Wars lens with special guest DAVID FRENCH (The Dispatch) author of a new book, Divided We Fall: America's Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation.

How do we dismantle the Death Star level threat of politics?

In this special broadcast of Beltway Banthas, host Stephen Kent and producer Riley Blanton react to Republican Senator Mike Lee's mention of Star Wars' Galactic Senate to describe Court-Packing. Why did he say this? Slate seems to suggest it's a lowkey expression of Lee's disdain for diversity and pluralistic government, but does that sort of miss the point?  We break it down in this short episode of the podcast!

Star Wars, Court-Packing and Mike Lee vs the Galactic Senate

Beltway Banthas is a bi-weekly Star Wars podcast about the intersection of fandom and politics. For hosts Stephen Kent & Swara Salih, one of those things is politics. Star Wars draws from our worlds politics just as much as it contributes to it by influencing policy makers, journalists and thought leaders. On this podcast the hosts seek to understand how Star Wars impacts the world we live in, while also covering the Star Wars news, gossip and hype of the day.

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Beltway Banthas: Star Wars, Politics & More

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