A few weeks ago, Riley and I got together in Northern Virginia to spend some time working on Geeky Stoics’ future. For me, the highlight was taking a morning walk out in the Manassas Battlefield Park and sharing some ideas with each other about why we take fiction so seriously. The goal was a candid conversation.

At the heart of this exchange is a common disagreement between fans of stories like Star Wars, Marvel, or even The Lord of the Rings, which is….are we supposed to take these stories seriously as suggestions on how to live our real lives? Many will argue that Star Wars, for example, isn’t “political” or meant to be taken philosophically. “It’s escapist entertainment!”

Has seeing Luke Skywalker face down Darth Vader in Cloud City ever made a member of the audience more cowardly?

Did anyone ever walk away from seeing The Return of the King and say “I want to be more like Denethor?

I don’t know anyone who read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and then held up Edmund as a paragon of moral virtue which they sought to emulate.

I remember distinctly drawing on the popular anime Dragon Ball Z for courage when I was being bullied in the 5th grade. It was only “escapism” till I went to school the next day, carrying those ideas, battles and character arcs with me in my head.

Stories show us the way. They give us a lens by which to see the world. And don’t get me wrong…stories can offer us quite smudged glasses. They can lead us astray. If you listened to the ideas of George R.R. Martin as expressed in A Song of Fire and Ice (AKA Game of Thrones), you’d walk away believing honor and honesty were for suckers.

Every storyteller gives you a spin on the human experience and what good is. No one is neutral.

I hope you enjoy the video above, which is available in full to Paid Supporters of Geeky Stoics. Below is more reading available from C.S Lewis’ essay on the importance of children’s stories and how to write for kids.

This particular passage is about the cutting criticism of “grow the hell up” when someone wishes to steer you toward proper “adult” literature and stories. Why are you still watching The Empire Strikes Back and revisiting the Harry Potter books when you could be consuming something more elite and “grown-up”?

Enjoy.

On Three Ways of Writing for Children | C.S. Lewis

The modern view seems to me to involve a false conception of growth. They accuse us of arrested development because we have not lost a taste we had in childhood. But surely arrested development consists not in refusing to lose old things but in failing to add new things? I now like hock, which I am sure I should not have liked as a child. But I still like lemon-squash. I call this growth or development because I have been enriched: where I formerly had only one pleasure, I now have two. But if I had to lose the taste for lemon-squash before I acquired the taste for hock, that would not be growth but simple change. I now enjoy Tolstoy and Jane Austen and Trollope as well as fairy tales and I call that growth: if I had had to lose the fairy tales in order to acquire the novelists, I would not say that I had grown but only that I had changed. A tree grows because it adds rings: a train doesn’t grow by leaving one station behind and puffing on to the next. In reality, the case is stronger and more complicated than this. I think my growth is just as apparent when I now read the fairy tales as when I read the novelists, for I now enjoy the fairy tales better than I did in childhood; being now able to put more in, of course I get more out. But I do not here stress that point. Even if it were merely a taste for grown-up literature added to an unchanged taste for children’s literature, addition would still be entitled to the name ‘growth’, and the process of merely dropping one parcel when you pick up another would not.

It is, of course, true that the process of growing does, incidentally and unfortunately, involve some more losses. But that is not the essence of growth, certainly not what makes growth admirable or desirable. If it were, if to drop parcels and to leave stations behind were the essence and virtue of growth, why should we stop at the adult? Why should not senile be equally a term of approval? Why are we not to be congratulated on losing our teeth and hair? Some critics seem to confuse growth with the cost of growth and also to wish to make that cost far higher than, in nature, it need be.

The whole association of fairy tale and fantasy with childhood is local and accidental. I hope everyone has read Tolkien’s essay on Fairy Tales, which is perhaps the most important contribution to the subject that anyone has yet made. If so, you will know already that, in most places and times, the fairy tale has not been specially made for, nor exclusively enjoyed by, children. It has gravitated to the nursery when it became unfashionable in literary circles, just as unfashionable furniture gravitated to the nursery in Victorian houses. In fact, many children do not like this kind of book, just as many children do not like horsehair sofas: and many adults do like it, just as many adults like rocking chairs. And those who do like it, whether young or old, probably like it for the same reason. And none of us can say with any certainty what that reason is. The two theories which are most often in my mind are those of Tolkien and of Jung. According to Tolkien1 the appeal of the fairy story lies in the fact that man there most fully exercises his function as a “subcreator”; not, as they love to say now, making a ‘comment upon life’ but making, so far as possible, a subordinate world of his own. Since, in Tolkien’s view, this is one of man’s proper functions, delight naturally arises whenever it is successfully performed. For Jung, fairy tale liberates Archetypes which dwell in the collective unconscious, and when we read a good fairy tale we are obeying the old precept ‘Know thyself. I would venture to add to this my own theory, not indeed of the Kind as a whole, but of one feature in it: I mean, the presence of beings other than human which yet behave, in varying degrees, humanly: the giants and dwarfs and talking beasts. I believe these to be at least (for they may have many other sources of power and beauty) an admirable hieroglyphic which conveys psychology, types” of character, more briefly than novelistic presentation and to readers whom novelistic presentation could not yet reach. Consider Mr Badger in The Wind in the Willows—that extraordinary amalgam of high rank, coarse manners, gruffness, shyness, and goodness. The child who has once met Mr Badger has ever afterwards, in its bones, a knowledge of humanity and of English social history which it could not get in any other way

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“There’s no difference between responsibility and adventure” is something said by Jordan Peterson in his most recent chat with Joe Rogan. I scribbled that one down as soon as I heard it. It resonated for a few reasons, chief among them that accepting responsibility in my own life around age 20 led me to the life I have now…with a beautiful wife of 13 years and an equally lovely daughter of 13. The adventure has been unbelievable and has taken me in so many directions I didn’t anticipate.

Like most individuals faced with that kind of crossroad moment, I didn’t initially know which road to take. I resisted the path of responsibility, however briefly.

Luke Skywalker had this kind of hinge moment in Star Wars: Episode IV. He had always dreamed of leaving Tatooine. He talks about it with his best friend, Biggs, who is packing his bags to leave and join the Rebellion. Then Obi-Wan Kenobi gives Luke an opportunity when he says “You must learn the ways of the Force and come with me to Alderaan.”

You must. Not should.

Luke evades. “I can’t get involved.”

Yeah right. He was scared of change and more content to dream about leaving home than actually doing it. But fate forced Luke’s hand when the Empire burned his home to the ground, killing his Aunt and Uncle in the process.

Now there was nothing for Luke on Tatooine. He agrees to go with Obi-Wan. Hardly a heroic motivation. He had run out of excuses for doing what he knew to be right.

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Like the Force of Star Wars, God also has a way of compelling proper action and walking the path of responsibility. The whole reason Jonah ended up inside a whale was because he refused to heed God’s command to travel to Nineveh and preach against its evil and corruption.

Moses was commanded by God to be his champion in confronting the Pharaoh of Egypt and freeing the Israelites, but he relented.

“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh —- Please send someone else.”

Jonah fled God and was taken in by a whale till he came to his senses. Luke Skywalker had to lose everything in a very Job-like tragedy.

What are you running from that you’ve been called to do?

It’s true that not all of us are meant to go on grand adventures. We shouldn’t be seeking out what the culture considers “adventure”… mountains, skydiving, cross-country treks, and living off the grid for fun….instead, think of adventure as taking responsibility, or doing what must be done.

1 Timothy 2:2 says “live peaceful and quiet lives” and for some of us, that’s exactly what we’ve been called to do. Raise kids, go to work, love our spouses, and pay bills. Why? It might be your child or their child who God will call on for some kind of dangerous physical adventure….and your job is to feed and educate that person so they can one day do it.

I know of something that I’m running from which I feel called to do.

What about you?

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“What view is one likely to take of the state of a person’s mind when his speech is wild and incoherent and knows no restraint?” The Roman known as Seneca asked this question sometime around the year 50 AD in a collection of letters now published as Letters From A Stoic. It’s possible I like this book more than Stoicism’s seminal text, Meditations. It’s very practical. Seneca was a lawyer, senator, political advisor and philosopher, and his letters are chock full of very strong takes on matters such as public speaking and how to be persuasive.

As a participant in political discourse, both as a commentator and as a candidate for office, Seneca’s advice on communication is something I take seriously. You should too!

In Letter XL, Seneca guides us on everything from the speed and volume of our speech, to the simplicity of the words we choose.

“Nothing can be well-regulated if it is done in a breakneck hurry” (bad news for Ben Shapiro)

“Language which devotes its attention to truth ought to be plain and unadorned.” (Here’s great political slogan that comes from a much more wordy and drawn out concept)

“The other extreme of thinness and poverty means less attentiveness on the part of the listener as he becomes tired of the slowness with all its interruptions.” (Bueller? Bueller?)

In plain terms, Seneca is saying in this last quote to speak with peaks and valleys. Pick up speed and speak with a rhythm, and then slow down at strategic points in your message.

Although I still have much to learn, I do work as a public speaking coach for hire. When I train speakers, this is lesson number one: Variation in your speed.

It keeps the audience engaged. If you talk fast and then slow down, people want to know why. They assume you’re making an important point. It’s like verbally whipping out a yellow highlighter and emphasizing a few words in your speech. Trust me, it makes people listen if they had started to zone out.

I’ll wrap things up with a great moment in communication from The Lord of the Rings. The wizard Gandalf is trying to get his friend, Bilbo Baggins, to relinquish the Ring of Power to him for safe keeping. Bilbo is in the grips of the Ring’s influence, and is starting to become angry and vicious. Bilbo is talking faster and more erratically. Gandalf at first tries to keep up, interrupt softly and with concern. Then he changes strategy.

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Gandalf raises his voice. Quite loudly. In Tolkien’s book it’s even more clear that Gandalf employs some kind of magic to enlarge his appearance and fill the air with almost static electricity. He shocks Bilbo out of his paranoid rant.

The movie dialogue from the Peter Jackson movie is more straight forward than what Gandalf says in the book.

“BIBLO BAGGINS!!!! DO NOT TAKE ME FOR SOME CONJURER OF CHEAP TRICKS. I AM NOT TRYING TO ROB YOU…..I’m trying to help you.”

Bilbo runs into Gandalf’s arms for comfort and help. The Ring has overtaken his mind, and he knows it. Gandalf does not go around yelling at people. He speaks very softly almost all of the time. So when he raises his voice, people listen.

You’ve probably known someone, a parent or teacher or politician, who is always barking and being loud. It’s fascinating. Even in their shouting, it can become like white noise, a static that you barely hear at all.

Variation in speech is key for making your point and having ears attuned to what you are saying.

Be in control. Speaking with great intention is a virtue to Seneca and the Stoics, and it certainly was to Gandalf the Grey. Practice it this week.

After all, Seneca does conclude this letter by saying, “One needs constant daily practice for it.”

ICYMI here is the new episode of the Geeky Stoics Podcast where we talk about Star Wars: The Acolyte

and if you wanna go a layer deeper on Star Wars you simply must watch this video essay by Riley Blanton of Geeky Stoics

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Are Russian bots behind the divide around The Last Jedi? Stephen chatted with researcher Morten Bay to discuss the results of his study on Twitter reaction to the film. Swara and Stephen discuss whether or not Russian bots and trolls amplified the negative reaction to the film. 

Stephen and Swara also hash out their reactions to the new animated series Resistance, dish out their Bantha Fodder, and much more!

Connect with Us

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Welcome back to Beltway Banthas and brace yourself for a ride through hyperspace in higher quality audio with host, Stephen Kent. The show had some hiccups this week with the whole team migrating to new homes and getting unpacked, but Stephen found a closet and an article in SyFyWire about Star Wars politics to review. 

Ana Marie Cox and Cher Martinetti sounded off on how RD-D2 and other characters would vote in a piece titled "SPACE THE NATION: R2-D2 IS A LIBERTARIAN". Naturally, this is provocative but perfect for a spin on Beltway Banthas. Join Stephen for s 30 min review of the analysis with his own spin on the characters signed up by SyFyWire to vote! 

Connect with Us

Join us now on our Discord channel to keep this episodes' conversation going at: https://discord.gg/zYc9uYn.

Please share our show with a friend, review us on iTunes and shoot us some feedback. We grow in quality every time someone reaches out to tell us what they liked.

We want to hear from you! You can send us your thoughts on the show and topics at BeltwayBanthas@gmail.com.

 

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Welcome back to Beltway Banthas! Swara and Stephen are BOTH moving this week to new homes and this was as good a time as any to share some audio from over the summer. Stephen met up with New York Times op-ed columnist Ross Douthat for a discussion on Star Wars and politics. It's a well rounded conversation with a lot of focus on Star Wars strengths AND weaknesses. We hope you enjoy and aren't distracted by the ambient noise of the conference. 

Here are supplemental materials for Douthat's writing about Star Wars

https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/12/star-wars-last-jedi-review-lost-space/

https://douthat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/12/08/the-politics-of-star-wars-2/

https://douthat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/24/the-politics-of-star-wars/

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Bethany Lacina is an associate professor of political science at the University of Rochester and she took a dive into "Star Wars Twitter" to get a better understanding of fandom and why it's so toxic. 

She looked at the vitriol surround Kelly Marie Tran and wrote "How common is such harassment? In my research, I have investigated this phenomenon on Twitter, where offensive language and hate speech have a modest but clear presence — not because of automated accounts (“bots”) but because of humans. People use degrading language more frequently when they talk about women and minorities and when they talk to female fans."

There are a lot of fascinating numbers and takeaways from the study WHICH CAN BE FOUND HERE. 

This interview with Bethany was taped on September 7th and goes over the findings + her broader views on Star Wars fan culture. 

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Hello Banthas! Swara and Stephen are back for Episode 60 to with some exclusive audio from Dragon Con 2018, a great panel on Crime & Politics in Star Wars. We also riff on the bombshell anonymous op-ed in the New York Times by a member of the Trump administration about the work being done on the inside to restrain his worst impulses from the inside. Is there a Star Wars tie-in? You bet there is! And finally, we talk about the Disney union workers vote for higher wages - with a little disagreement to be had on the topic. 

Dragon Con Panelists include Thomas Harper (@thomasLharper) , Matt Rushing (mattrushing02) , Bethany Blanton (@BethanyLBlanton), and Brandy Blanton (@BrandelineB) Swara Salih, Data Analyst at Johns Hopkins' Center for Government Excellence (GovEx)

 

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Join us now on our Discord channel to keep this episodes' conversation going at: https://discord.gg/zYc9uYn.

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We want to hear from you! You can send us your thoughts on the show and topics at BeltwayBanthas@gmail.com.

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BONUS EPISODE! Beltway Banthas Contributor John Liang chats with author Max Brooks about Star Wars and the lessons that can be applied to today's modern military. Brooks wrote "Strategy Strikes Back: How Star Wars Explains Modern Military Conflict"

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The Empire is coming for your moisture farm! Today on the show we discuss politically charged deleted scenes that never made it into the final cut of Star Wars films. Our main focus is a discussion between Biggs and Luke Skywalker about the "imperialization" of industry. Abby Gleason fills in for Swara and we are joined by Brittany Hunter to talk socialism in space, bourgeois Biggs and more.

Also on this episode, Abby and Stephen talk about the latest in Trump drama surrounding Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort. Also, an op-ed from Kelly Marie Tran (Loan) about her identity, race, consumerism and toxic fandom. This is a jam-packed episode you don't want to miss.

Kelly Marie Tran OP-ED (NYT)

Star Wars Deleted Scene Shows Socialism of the Empire (FEE)

 

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Join us now on our Discord channel to keep this episodes' conversation going at: https://discord.gg/zYc9uYn.

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We want to hear from you! You can send us your thoughts on the show and topics at BeltwayBanthas@gmail.com.

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We're back! Stephen and Swara are back to discuss whether President Trump treats the media like Palpatine treated the Jedi Order during the Clone Wars. Both institutions are meant to be a positive check on power and injustice, but has Trump succeeded in changing the public narrative against the media as Palpatine did with the Jedi? Tune in to find out!

We also discuss the state of toxic fandom as reported in the past several months, and how and whether we can take steps to combat it and make fandom a more welcoming place.

Join us now on Discord to keep the conversation going at: https://discord.gg/zYc9uYn

 

Get in touch with everyone on the show!

Leave us a review on iTunes and tell us what you think of the show! Subscribe and connect with us on Twitter: @SwaraSalih1 | @Stephen_Kent89 

Please share our show with a friend, review us on iTunes and shoot us some feedback. We grow in quality every time someone reaches out to tell us what they liked.

We want to hear from you! You can send us your thoughts on the show and topics at BeltwayBanthas@gmail.com.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe

We have a jam-packed episode for y'all before our hiatus! First Stephen and Swara give their review of Solo. We then present Swara's conversation with Matt Rogers (@Politodope) to talk about the politics of the Resistance on the Left and parallels we find with Star Wars, all from the prequels to the sequels. Finally the hosts give their final Bantha Fodders for the season before our two month hiatus!

Matt also discusses his project to get young people involved in politics: "Politodope", Stephen and Swara debate the controversial issues surrounding Solo, and much more!

Join us now on Discord to keep the conversation going at: https://discord.gg/zYc9uYn

Announcement: Beltway Banthas is going to be taking a summer break during June and July with a comeback set for early August. This show has been going strong for two years with weekly episodes and we felt now is a good time to pause, do a summer of research, reading and thinking about what topics to tackle this year. THE SHOW WILL GO ON! We hope you'll stay in touch with us on break on Twitter and Discord, where politics & Star Wars never sleep.

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Mark Hamill is a Hollywood legend for his depiction of Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars movies. He is also a staunch believer in speaking on about politics. In this weeks episode we look at Mark Hamill's public stand on gun control, President Trump and how he balances Star Wars with politics alongside the fans. This is part of a larger conversation on pop culture and whether or not our hyper politicized society has made it harder to enjoy art.

In the intro Swara & Stephen give final thoughts on Solo: A Star Wars Story and dive into the controversy around Lando's sexuality as described by screenwriter Jon Kasdan. We also share Bantha Fodders and make some announcements which are laid out below.

Join us now on Discord to keep the conversation going at: https://discord.gg/zYc9uYn

Announcement: Beltway Banthas is going to be taking a summer break during June and July with a comeback set for early August. This show has been going strong for two years with weekly episodes and we felt now is a good time to pause, do a summer of research, reading and thinking about what topics to tackle this year. THE SHOW WILL GO ON! We hope you'll stay in touch with us on break on Twitter and Discord, where politics & Star Wars never sleep.

 

Get in touch with everyone on the show!

Leave us a review on iTunes and tell us what you think of the show! Subscribe and connect with us on Twitter: @SwaraSalih1 | @Stephen_Kent89 | @AbbyGleason | @Britt_the_wit

Please share our show with a friend, review us on iTunes and shoot us some feedback. We grow in quality every time someone reaches out to tell us what they liked.

We want to hear from you! You can send us your thoughts on the show and topics at BeltwayBanthas@gmail.com.

If you like this episode, check out our previous one!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe

Clive Staples Lewis (C.S. Lewis), known to friends and family as “Jacksie” (or Jack), was a stridently opinionated young man from the earliest age. He was a bookworm, an avid enjoyer of mythology and you could even say he was a bit too pleased with himself for it. During an unpleasant period of Lewis’ life (age 15) studying at Malvern College, a boys’ prep school, Lewis began to form an aspect of his personality he’d work a lifetime to keep in check: scorn.

Malvern valued athletics above everything else. The school aimed to shape the boys through physical competition and sport, something which young “Jacksie” had no talent in or appetite for. He avoided the games whenever possible. But he went a step further and adopted an attitude of contempt for the school’s jocks. I was the same way at 15, despite being good at sports.

Lewis was this classic archetype. The nerd and intellectual who looks down on sports and all his peers who participate in it. Lewis wrote in a letter, “If I had never seen the horrible spectacle which these coarse, brainless English schoolboys present, I might be a danger of my sometimes becoming like that myself.” C.S. Lewis was at least self-aware and seemed to know he had an arrogance problem.

A few years later, Lewis had found himself a mentor in one, Mr. Kirkpatrick, a friend of the family. On a walk one day in the English county of Surrey, Kirkpatrick began to work on Lewis’ snobbery in what can only be described as a Socratic smackdown.

Lewis was Irish and very much hated being in England. He found it ugly, dry, and uninspired. So naturally, he made an underhanded remark about it. Lewis said on their walk that Surrey was “wilder” than he had anticipated.

Kirkpatrick began his pushback.

“What do you mean by wildness?” (I dunno)

“Have you been here before?” (No)

“Have you studied maps of the area?” (No)

“Have you read books about Surrey or seen photographs of it?” (NO!!)

Lewis was caught off guard. His gentle jab at Surrey wasn’t meant to provoke, it was just him making small talk, but it reflected his opinionated nature.

Kirkpatrick put Lewis in his place by asking him questions that would reveal what informed his thinking.

Nothing informed it. Only his contempt for England and romanticization of rural Northern Ireland.

Before you continue with this stoic lesson from the life of C.S. Lewis, open up our new Geeky Stoics video analysis on the closure of the “Star Wars Hotel” at Disney World. There’s another lesson here about opinions, stubborn confidence, and listening graciously to feedback.

Geeky Stoics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

C.S. Lewis had no basis for thinking ill of Surrey or that it would be tame and boring.

Lewis knew then that he needed to develop his critical thinking capabilities. Being taken apart like that over such a simple matter was not something he wanted to endure again.

In Meditations, Marcus Aurelius writes that:

“It is in our power to have no opinion about a thing, and not to be disturbed in our soul; for things themselves have no natural power to form our judgments”

Not being overly opinionated is a pillar of Stoic philosophy. The idea is that you should test every impression and feeling like a shopkeeper tests the currency they’re given by a shopper. Is this counterfeit?

The Roman stoic, Seneca said in his letters that, “Pain is slight if opinion has added nothing to it.”

C.S. Lewis could have used this when watching his peers play football at Malvern College. You don’t have to enjoy sports. You don’t have to have strong opinions about it all. His opinions on the thing were causing him to suffer more than the thing itself.

Our world is driven by opinion and sounding off, more than at any time in human history. It’s amplified and monetized by social media. Look around and you’ll see most people are not too happy about it, but they play right into the hands of the opinion industry.

It’s okay to not have an opinion about this or that. You are not uninformed for having no opinion. Nothing is worse and more cheap than a paper-thin opinion treated as gospel.

Thanks for reading Geeky Stoics! We’ll be back next week with more. I’m in Poland right now on business, but I did have a little excitement on my way here. Here’s that!

I did make it to Warsaw. Here’s the evidence. My daughter sent me here with her stuffed cow named Epictetus. Yes, the stoic…Epictetus.

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The Star Wars franchise has been becoming more visibly diverse on the screen, but will LucasFilm go further on issues of representation? Swara, the hosts of Book Wars Pod and Rebel Grrrl, are joined by Star Wars: Last Shot author Daniel Jose Older and others to discuss this topic. The online campaign that emerged as a result of this effort is called #SWRepMatters.

Come check out and join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #SWRepMatters!

Get in touch with everyone on the show!

Leave us a review on iTunes and tell us what you think of the show! Subscribe and connect with us on Twitter: @SwaraSalih1 | @lu_sitania | @semirose  | @spacejessss | @shannonjoy26 | @djolder | @ohcatrina 

Please share our show with a friend, review us on iTunes and shoot us some feedback. We grow in quality every time someone reaches out to tell us what they liked.

We want to hear from you! You can send us your thoughts on the show and topics at BeltwayBanthas@gmail.com.

If you like this episode, check out our previous one!

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Abby and Swara discuss and analyze the life of one of their favorite fictional politicians of all time, the wonderful and estimable Bail Organa of Alderaan. What drove him to sacrifice so much for the good of the galaxy? How can we learn from his amazing example? Why does he give us so many feels?!? Listen to find out!

We also dig into the Donald Glover's appearance on SNL, his "This is America" music video, the latest in the Trump scandal news, dish out our Bantha Fodders, and much more!

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Beltway Banthas turned two this month! The experiment of blending Star Wars and politics has turned into an adventure the likes of which we could never has anticipated. THANK YOU for sticking with us all this time and making it so much fun. 

We are excited on this May 4th, Star Wars Day, to announce the addition of new hosts to the show: Brittany Hunter and Abby Gleason. On this episode we get to know Abby and Brittany and talk about the past and future of Beltway Banthas. 

 Get in touch with everyone on the show!

Leave us a review on iTunes and tell us what you think of the show! Subscribe and connect with us on Twitter: @SwaraSalih1 | @Stephen_Kent89 | @AbbyGleason | @Britt_the_wit

Please share our show with a friend, review us on iTunes and shoot us some feedback. We grow in quality every time someone reaches out to tell us what they liked.

We want to hear from you! You can send us your thoughts on the show and topics at BeltwayBanthas@gmail.com.

If you like this episode, check out our previous one!

 

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Finally we discuss the man, the Sith Lord, the Emperor, Sheev Palpatine! What lessons on democracy and our political institutions can we draw from our dear Uncle Palpy and his political career? Stephen and Swara delve into the political life of their favorite Star Wars politician to discuss!

At the start of the show we also talk about French President Macron's US visit and the prospect of international war in Syria, Kanye West's apparent support for the President, and much more in this discussion of executive power in the real world and the Star Wars universe! Also a special guest appearance by political scientist Seth Masket (University of Denver, Vox)

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We join our friends at Tosche Station and the Book Wars Podcast to talk about Star Wars Multimedia Empire at Awesome Con! How do the books and comics in the  Expanded Universe differ from the current canon books? Why do we read these books when we have the film? How do the books deepen and enrich politics in the Galaxy Far, Far Away? How can Lucasfilm do better with diversity and inclusion? We discuss all this and more!

The new canon structure for the books may be confusing now, but we attempt to break it all down! We also discuss the degree to which the new books are accessible to new fans, and whether we might see book characters in the films. Enjoy this great panel discussion on all things multimedia!

 

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DJ has a bad reputation after selling out our heroes in The Last Jedi. Some have said he embodies the self interested nature of libertarianism, Ayn Rand and a school of thought known as Objectivism. Today we go into the weeds with Brittany Hunter of FEE to learn a bit about Objectivism, rational self interest and how DJ does or does not fall into that category. 

Before the main topic we talk about Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook and the departure of Paul Ryan from Congress. It's whirlwind episode of Beltway Banthas you don't want to miss.

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This past weekend we were at Awesome Con in Washington DC! Stephen and John join Nanci Schwartz, Brian Larsen and Bria Lavorgna of Tosche Station, and Jay Shah of Eleven-ThirtyEight to discuss the theme of redemption in the galaxy far, far away. If Vader can be redeemed, can anybody? Is Kylo Ren able to truly atone for the crimes he's committed? Tune in for a rich panel discussion of one of the franchise's major themes.

Redemption has been a crucial part of Star Wars since 1983, but how often do we pause to think critically about what it entails? We believe this panel may answer some questions you may have on the topic. Major thank you to Brian of Tosche Station for capturing and sharing this audio, and to Bria Lavorgna for having Beltway Banthas on the panel.

 

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Poe Dameron, beloved ace pilot of The Resistance, is he a sexist as some fans have claimed? Or was it simply his frustration under pressure and Vice Admiral Holdo's secrecy that led him to mutiny in The Last Jedi ? Let's talk gender politics in The Last Jedi! We welcome back our good friend Kate Sanchez of But Why Tho? The Podcast to discuss!

Stephen, Swara, and Kate also discuss the March For Our Lives in DC this past weekend, Trump's attack on Amazon and the Austin TX bombings. We conclude with a lively Bantha Fodder segment from Kate and the hosts. Enjoy!

By Kate on the But Why Tho? blog: Poe isn’t the Bad Guy 

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On this week's episode, we welcome Jon Lovett, one of the co-hosts of Pod Save America and host of Lovett or Leave It. Lovett explains to us how he got into Star Wars with the Special Editions, why he loves Rogue One and what motivates his political activism. Jon also offers his thoughts on a potential Star Wars political drama, that Hagerman dude who went off the grid to avoid Trump and Saw Gerrera.  On Beltway Banthas, Stephen and Swara discuss politics, Star Wars, and all the ways they intersect. On this episode we also discuss the DC snow storm, climate change and how we feel about the March for our Lives event weekend. To close we read and respond to listener email on last week's episode on fascism and the First Order. Get in touch with everyone on the show!

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In a super light and not-at-all serious discussion this week (JK!), we dig into the First Order and extremism! How did George Lucas, JJ Abrams, and others envision the main bad guys of the Original Trilogy and Sequel Trilogy? Have they grown beyond the label of "Space Nazis" at all? Where do communism, fascism, terrorism, and other extremist ideologies come into play? Join the discussion on Beltway Banthas!

Stephen and Swara also talk about trade wars in Star Wars and real life, the President's proposed "Space Force", and have our Bantha Fodder segment with patron and dear friend of the show Connie Shih!

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Yesterday I revisited a Robin Williams classic, the Dead Poets Society. This movie likely inspired a generation of English teachers, based on how many times this movie was shown to me in school by a teacher with a twinkle in their eye. Everyone fancies themselves the Williams character, Mr. Keating, who teaches his students about language, romanticism, and “carpe diem”.  It’s a great movie and aged well. In a sense, Dead Poets is standard fare for the inspirational drama genre. Its main beats include a spunky teacher instilling nonconformity in his prep school students, overbearing parents who won’t accept their children’s passion for art, an authoritarian headmaster, and a bunch of messy boys searching for their identity in a school that takes no interest in the individual.

The movie is pure romanticism, all the way from its high points like the O’ Captain My Captain ending to the low points like the tragic suicide of a main character, taken by despair about his future. 

When you’re young, you see yourself in the boys.

Their hopelessness about meeting parental expectations hits hard.

You love the teacher who sees them for who they truly are. Robin Williams captures the kind of mentor we all wanted at that age. I hope you had someone in your life that was like Keating. 

Dead Poets is chock full of memorable takeaways and bumper sticker wisdom.

"No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.”

“There is a time for daring, and there is a time for caution. And a wise man understands which is called for.”

“Poetry, beauty, romance, love… these are what we stay alive for.”

“Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.”

But what about this one from Mr. Keating’s lessons…..

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One afternoon, Keating jumps up on his desk and proclaims the necessity of seeing things from a different perspective. Have an open mind. Walk in another man’s shoes. Stand on the teacher’s desk where you can look out at the class. The kids and their desks would seem small.

It’s a little goofy and not that transcendent of a lesson compared to some other observations by Keating about life and love. It even feels a bit elementary. 

“After an orange cloud — formed as a result of a dust storm over the Sahara and caught up by air currents — reached the Philippines and settled there with rain, I understood that we are all sailing in the same boat.”

- Vladimir Kovalenok, on seeing the Earth from space

But now as a parent of a 13-year-old, watching Dead Poets as a family last night, I took a new interest in elements of the movie I hadn’t cared about before. It’s like the old saying, “You never stand in the same river twice.” Since the water is always in motion, the river is new every single day. This is the case for rereading books you love and watching old movies again. You’re different today than you were yesterday or a decade ago. 

I was standing on the desk. Seeing the movie as an adult. Seeing the kids not as my peers, but as kids.

“We must constantly look at things in a different way,” says Mr. Keating as the boys climb up on the desk to see the classroom from above.

I felt the pain of the parents who lost their son to suicide. Though their overbearing expectations are what pushed the child to end his life, I actually noticed the offhand detail about the family being lower-middle class and less wealthy than everyone else at the prep school. The parents also felt pressure, and their desire to improve their economic position in society overwhelmed their son. They weren’t bad people. They had developed tunnel vision, and I’ve been there before.

There’s a teacher (Mr. Nolan) early in the movie who questions Keating’s unorthodox methods in the classroom. He’s a bit of a totalitarian himself, and he debates Keating at the lunch table. What I never noticed when I was a kid was that Mr. Nolan does not dislike Keating, he actually quite enjoys him.

They spar, but you can see in a shared smile that they are simply two teachers who love knowledge and sharing it, but in different ways. When you’re young you don’t like Nolan.

Yesterday, I didn’t feel badly about him at all. Weird!

Mr. Nolan is also not a bad man. In fact, he says something true to Keating which is that the romanticism he values will open the boys up to more pain in their lives. This is true.

Keating expands the boy’s minds and their dreams, and when a dream gets crushed, a boy is crushed also, then buried.

It’s this part of the movie, climbing the desk, which is quite hard for teenagers to fully appreciate. They’re particularly self-centered creatures. I know cause I was one.

This is one of the great hurts Robin Williams touched on throughout his career: becoming an adult without losing the child inside. Like in his reimagined Peter Pan story, Hook, “All grown-ups are pirates.”

But we don’t want to be. Our priorities just change. We fall in love. We have kids. We start to need money and then fall for the lie that we always need more of it. Then we alienate those who we love and wonder how we lost our way in the first place. “I did it for them” these characters always say.

Climb the desk. Revisit something you “used to love” and see what you can see. I bet it’ll be different from when you were younger.

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Dan Wallace is the author of beloved Star Wars books "The Jedi Path" "Book of the Sith" and "Imperial Handbook". Now he has penned another behind the scenes manuel for the Rebellion and joins the show to talk about it. John Liang interviewed Wallace last week and got the scoop on what the book reveals about the rebellion, galactic politics and more. 

Stephen and Swara also convene in the start of this episode to review the finale of Star Wars Rebels on Disney XD. It was a whirlwind final episode that left our hearts full and minds spinning. 

 

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Rey and Kylo are seemingly total opposites...until the events of The Last Jedi. Through the Force and circumstance, these two foes connect in a way they never expected. Turns out - they have a lot in common. This week we are joined by Caitlin and Charlotte of the Skytalkers Podcasts to discuss "Reylo" and how it might relate to our own worlds broken politics.  Get in touch with everyone on the show!

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Let's get political! This week on Beltway Banthas we are rejoined by Republican pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson of The Pollsters Podcast. Kristen is a huge Star Wars fan and came on to talk with Stephen about Rotten Tomatoes scores and how trolls factor into public perception of a movie.

In addition to looking at The Last Jedi's scores, we discuss what an ideal method of gauging reaction to a movie would look like. Kristen offers reactions to The Last Jedi as a whole, and we also banter about feminism on screen and how audiences react to messages in film. This is an episode you don't want to miss!

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Swara and guest host Heath Williams of Rogue Podron discuss parallels between US presidents throughout American history and the various chief executives of Star Wars. From Chancellors Vallorum to Villecham, we trace the trends of executive leadership and how they compare to various occupants of the White House.  We also give a reaction to the new Solo trailer and much more.

 

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Hello Banthas! This week we are joined by radio producer and head writer for Glenn Beck, Mr. Stu Burguiere.  Stu is a big time Star Wars fan and all around enjoyable radio personality. We thought you'd enjoy this behind the curtain conversation with a notable conservative radio personality and fan. Stephen and Stu discuss his career trajectory, working with Beck, Star Wars role in his life and how the theme of the new films is exposing frauds. 

Every other week we try to introduce our listeners to people in politics or media for whom Star Wars has made a difference in their lives. This mission spans the political spectrum and we hope you'll check out this interview to learn something new. You check out Stu's take on The Force Awakens and his belief that it is A New Hope rehash here, and then listen to Stephen of Beltway Banthas challenge that theory on his show here.

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In our latest episode delving into the politics of The Last Jedi, we are joined by Entertainment Weekly's Anthony Breznican to discuss populism in the film! Do we use this term correctly? Are we actually seeing what is traditionally known as "populism" in the film? What does it really mean for common people to rise to power? We tackle all these questions and more!

From the children on Canto Bight rebelling against their oppressors to Rey being from "nowhere," we see a rejection of legacy and hierarchy in the latest Star Wars film. What's the history of populism in Star Wars? Is populism a good force in the real world or has it led to more destabilization? In this discussion we hope to find at least some of the answers.

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Hello Banthas! This week we are excited to be joined by renowned science-fiction and fantasy author Ken Liu.  His short stories have appeared in F&SF, Asimov's, Analog, Lightspeed, Clarkesworld and he recently debuted in Star Wars canon helming The Legends of Luke Skywalker. Ken joined our producer John Liang for a call where they discuss his background, Asian themes in Star Wars and the experience of adding to the new universe.

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It's the first of our in-depth discussion on The Last Jedi. This week we discuss the politics of Canto Bight! Joining us to discuss is political scientist Seth Masket! We discuss war profiteering, socioeconomic inequality, whether we think the sequence carries apt allegories, partisan interpretations of the sequence, and much more! Get in touch with everyone on the show!

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Hello Banthas and welcome to our first interview of 2018! This week we had the distinct honor of meeting the real humans behind the curtain of @RealTrumpatine, Twitters most prolific Star Wars and politics account. Every day the Emperor Trumpatine account pumps out amazing comedic content echoing whatever President Trump is Tweeting that day. It has kept us laughing from 2015 to today. This has been a year in the making, so meet Dan Udell and Tom Hunt, the two halves of the Trumpatine brain. 

 

 

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We’re back from our holiday hiatus! Stephen and Swara FINALLY offer their first spoiler-filled thoughts on The Last Jedi. This is the first of many episodes we’ll be having on this deeply layered film. In this episode, we touch all our favorite parts and hangups. We also overview its many political themes and list out what we’ll be talking about in the coming weeks.

In this episodes Bantha Fodder segment, we kick off our new Patreon Bantha Fodder series patron Isaiah Leslie, who sent in his own Fodder from his home out in California. 

 

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Once there was a Gnat who flew over the meadow with much buzzing for so small a creature and he settled on the tip of one of the horns of a Bull. After he had rested a short time, the Gnat made ready to fly away. But before he left he begged the Bull's pardon for having used his horn for a resting place.

"You must be very glad to have me go now," said the Gnat

"It's all the same to me," replied the Bull. "I did not even know you were there."

Ouch! This is one of my favorite of Aesop’s Fables. Like the other stories in this fantastical collection from Ancient Greece, “The Gnat & the Bull” is a reminder to think a little less of yourself. It’s nearly impossible to not think of yourself as the main character of your own story, but trying is a worthwhile exercise.

There’s this great scene in AMC’s classic series, Mad Men, where the advertising executive and playboy Don Draper (played by Jon Hamm) has just hurt the pride of one of his employees, Michael Ginsberg. This young man is a starving artist type. He’s brilliant, but a tad tortured inside. His creative work matters a lot to him. In a pitch meeting for a client, Ginsberg’s idea was supposed to be front and center. Last minute, Don Draper changes things up and pitches his own idea instead.

This is what happens…..it’s 50 seconds and worth watching.

So often we are of greater importance in our own eyes than in the eyes of our neighbor…..

This fable and the scene from Mad Men are instructive in a few ways. First, as I said above, Michael Ginsberg has never considered that his hot-shot boss gives zero thought to his existence. As a great artist with a wild mind, Ginsberg is very pleased with himself and his creations for the ad firm. He is watching others very closely, studying rivals, and thinking about how other people carry themselves. He’s more empathic in that way. But the problem with empaths (I am one) is that we also start to think everyone else is like this.

“I’m constantly wondering what this person is up to…..I bet they're thinking about me and my struggles…”

Do you see how this is both a gift and a curse? This kind of mind is hyper-aware, but one step away from being self-centered at all times.

Don Draper is not a nice guy. He’s got a huge ego. He’s the Bull, a heavyweight in his field, and a very self-centered man.

But….as a boss in a big office, Draper is 100% correct that in this dynamic….Michael Ginsberg works for him. Ginseberg’s ideas are his ideas in a pitch meeting. If you have a boss, you work for their glory. Your job is to support them, help them succeed, and see them recognized. This means doing your job diligently and adopting a service mindset. Of course, this has limits. A good boss who keeps employees around knows that glory and recognition have to be shared, and underlings have to be given opportunities to rise in the company based on their performance.

Don is not great with this. However, every time he says to Ginsberg, “I don’t think about you at all” I want to break into applause for Don here, even though he’s not a great guy.

Two things are true here in the case of the Gnat and the Bull, AKA Ginsberg and Draper.

One: Draper does in fact think about Ginsberg, a lot. His career is sputtering and he feels very much that his position in the company is threatened. He’s lost a little of his creative edge. Ginsberg has it. He sees it. He wants it and also wants to snuff it out. Draper will not be eclipsed by a young upstart. So what is doing isn’t fully sincere.

Two: Don simply wants to deny him the satisfaction when Ginsberg says, “I feel sorry for you.” He shuts it down with disinterest and walks off. He won that standoff. Ginsberg is convinced, and frankly, he kind of needed it. His boss has a life and big problems, Ginsberg should think that Draper isn’t thinking about him that much. There’s ego going both ways here that need to be put in check.

The people you are trying to keep up with, the folks whose stuff you envy….they likely aren’t thinking about you at all. That Facebook or Slack post you edited 10 times to get the wording just right so you didn’t offend anyone….no one saw it in the first place. When you spend twenty minutes picking the right outfit or tie to go to a party, you imagine this scenario where everyone is watching you and judging your outfit. In reality, hardly anyone will notice you. Their faces are in their phones or in conversation with people they already know.

Uncenter yourself a little bit from the narrative. If someone else wants to make you the star of the show or the main character in a story, let them do it. But as much as you can, resist this impulse.

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less.”

― C.S. Lewis

This is a great analysis of the scene for Mad Men fans. Enjoy!

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Beltway Banthas is all about bringing people together - so this week we did just that. Past guests of the show, GOP pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson (host of The Pollsters Podcast), Ben Domenech (The Federalist), Tamara Keith & Scott Detrow (NPR Politics) gathered at the Arlington library in Virginia to share their love of Star Wars.

This was a live show in front of an audience. We recorded the the program for you to enjoy! The group discusses the politics of Star Wars, some polling by the Morning Consult of fandoms politics and we celebrate the launch of The Last Jedi.

 

 

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@BDomenech | @TamaraKeithNPR | @ScottDetrow

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What did the Empire do in the days and weeks following Return of the Jedi? It's not a simple happy ending. The Emperor left orders for Operation Cinder, a brutal campaign that would leave countless dead and the groundwork laid for the First Order. This week we discuss Operation Cinder and real world parallels. 

Also! We are joined for a special segment by David Mark of the Morning Consult. They released a poll this week on American's opinions about Star Wars politics. The results are intriguing. We also discuss the most favorable characters and movies found in the poll. You won't want to miss this!

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The galaxy is total upheaval! The events of Episode VII left the political order of Star Wars in a fascinating state of disarray. This week on Beltway Banthas the crew looks at The Last Jedi and it's political questions. This is an episode of speculation, intrigue and analysis about a movie we are all dying to see. 

Swara, Stephen and John Liang also banter about Thanksgiving, Star Wars Battlefront 2, EA Games big controversy and much more!

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Happy Thanksgiving! Beltway Banthas is taking this week off to connect with family & friends, but we did want to speak to you on this holiday. First, we want to thank you! This audience is amazing. We also share things we are thankful for in Star Wars and politics, as well as read your Tweets. Finally...some important announcements about the future of the show. Stick around for those in this holiday broadcast. 

 Get in touch with everyone on the show!

Leave us a review on iTunes and tell us what you think of the show! Subscribe and connect with us on Twitter:

@JuanJohnJedi |@Stephen_Kent89 | @SwaraSalih1 

Please share our show with a friend, review us on iTunes and shoot us some feedback. We grow in quality every time someone reaches out to tell us what they liked.

We want to hear from you! You can send us your thoughts on the show and topics at BeltwayBanthas@gmail.com.

If you like this episode, check out our previous one!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe

Clayton Sandell is a digital news reporter and correspondent for ABC News. You may know his work during the launch of Rogue One: A Story Wars Story when ABC went behind the scenes to see how Tarkin was brought back to life.

Clayton is a deep fan of Star Wars and someone who has been working in news for decades. It was really awesome to speak with him about his career, Star Wars fandom and how he managed to professionally merge the two. This episode jumps right into the interview and we hope you enjoy it and draw some inspiration for your own life and fandom.

 

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Follow Clayton Sandell on Twitter @Clayton_Sandell

Leave us a review on iTunes and tell us what you think of the show! Subscribe and connect with us on Twitter:

@JuanJohnJedi |@Stephen_Kent89 | @SwaraSalih1 

Please share our show with a friend, review us on iTunes and shoot us some feedback. We grow in quality every time someone reaches out to tell us what they liked.

We want to hear from you! You can send us your thoughts on the show and topics at BeltwayBanthas@gmail.com.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe

It's treason then! This week we discuss how the Jedi botched the removal of Chancellor Palpatine. Had they done it more carefully, maybe the Empire would have never risen. Stephen is joined by guests Josh Gilliland of The Legal Geeks and Kate Sanchez of the But Why Tho Podcast. 

Also on this episode, Stephen and guests discuss the indictments made by Bob Mueller in the investigation into Russian collusion with the Trump campaign. Josh explains the charges made against Paul Manafort and more. Later, we share our week in bantha fodder and read a bunch of awesome listener email. Lots of treason this week!

 

Get in touch with everyone on the show!

Follow Josh and Kate on Twitter @BowTieLaw and @OhMyMithrandir 

Leave us a review on iTunes and tell us what you think of the show! Subscribe and connect with us on Twitter:

@Stephen_Kent89 | @SwaraSalih1 | @JuanJohnJedi |

Please share our show with a friend, review us on iTunes and shoot us some feedback. We grow in quality every time someone reaches out to tell us what they liked.

We want to hear from you! You can send us your thoughts on the show and topics at BeltwayBanthas@gmail.com.

If you like this episode, check out our previous one!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe

In this episode, Tricia Barr (@fangirlcantina) of the Fangirls Going Rogue podcast and founder of Fangirlblog, along with contributor John Liang (@juanjohnjedi), joins Beltway Banthas for a spoiler-filled discussion of one of the most recently released novels: Claudia Gray’s Leia: Princess of Alderaan, and what we learn about the politics of the Rebellion.

The topics we discuss include Alderaan’s role and the politics of the Rebellion; Breha and Bail; Mon Mothma, leader of the Rebel Alliance; Leia’s links to her mother Padme Amidala; the Apprentice Legislature; and Leia's interactions with Grand Moff Tarkin. We also talk about the most recent behind the scene trailer for the The Last Jedi, the return of Star Wars: Rebels, and much more!

 Get in touch with everyone on the show!

Follow Tricia on Twitter @fangirlcantina  | Follow Fangirls Going Rogue on Twitter @FGGoingRogue

Leave us a review on iTunes and tell us what you think of the show! Subscribe and connect with us on Twitter:

@JuanJohnJedi |@Stephen_Kent89 | @SwaraSalih1 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe

Dr. Annalise Ophelian, the driving force behind Looking for Leia, joins us for a discussion on women in fandom, sexism, social movements, how to ensure fandom is inclusive.

Looking for Leia is an upcoming documentary film that "features interviews with an intergenerational and culturally diverse group of female fans" who discuss entering Star Wars fandom, what Star Wars has meant to them, and the continuing trends of sexism they face. We also talk about her career and background, how Star Wars has informed her politics, social movements, why people misinterpret Saw Gerrera and the Partisans, and much more!

 

 Get in touch with everyone on the show!

Follow Dr. Annalise Ophelian on Twitter @Dr_Ophelian | Follow Looking for Leia on Twitter @LeiaFangirlFilm

Leave us a review on iTunes and tell us what you think of the show! Subscribe and connect with us on Twitter:

@JuanJohnJedi |@Stephen_Kent89 | @SwaraSalih1 

Please share our show with a friend, review us on iTunes and shoot us some feedback. We grow in quality everytime someone reaches out to tell us what they liked.

We want to hear from you! You can send us your thoughts on the show and topics at BeltwayBanthas@gmail.com.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe

In this jam packed episode, we seek wise counsel from The Legal Geeks podcast. Jessica Mederson and Josh Gilliland run The Legal Geeks blog and podcast, where they break down the burning questions of law in sci-fi. They joined Beltway Banthas to address droids rights, liability for the Death Star, Han's right to stand his ground and much more. 

The Last Jedi trailer dropped this week! Our team also digs into the trailer and offers their takeaways. Swara and John also share their experiences from New York Comic-Con. Stephen & Swara share thoughts on Breitbart, the alt-right, Harvey Weinstein and sexual harassment and also a new metal band that plays Star Wars music. 

We love to hear your thoughts on the show! Shoot us an email to be read on the show at BeltwayBanthas@gmail.com. Chat with us on Twitter @BeltwayBanthas, Stephen @Stephen_Kent89, Swara @SwaraSalih1, John @JuanJohnJedi

Our special guests The Legal Geeks are worth following and listening to. Check them out: http://thelegalgeeks.com/

On Twitter

@BowTieLaw

@eDiscMatters

@TheLegalGeeks

 

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Chuck Wendig is author of The Aftermath Trilogy, a series of stories that take place in the tumultuous time after Return of the Jedi. For our 40th episode, we chatted with Wendig about the politics of the era and how a Star Wars author learns about the galaxy in which they are writing. 

Also on this episode, Swara and Stephen give their quick thoughts on JJ returning to Star Wars as a director, Roger Stone and his meeting with House Intelligence on the hill and of course - Bantha Fodder! Thanks for joining us for this special episode and for sticking with the Beltway Banthas podcast!

 Get in touch with everyone on the show!

Leave us a review on iTunes and tell us what you think of the show! Subscribe and connect with us on Twitter:

@Stephen_Kent89 | @SwaraSalih1 | @JuanJohnJedi

Follow the author of the Aftermath Trilogy on Twitter at @ChuckWendig

Please share our show with a friend, review us on iTunes and shoot us some feedback. We grow in quality everytime someone reaches out to tell us what they liked.

 

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Nothing is worse than losing your sense of who you are. That’s what Riley wrote about for Geeky Stoics just a few days ago. C.S. Lewis worried about this too. He had this sense that Satan himself would love nothing more than to alienate the individual from the person in the mirror. That horrible, empty feeling when you look at yourself and don’t like what you see. The hatred of your own unique voice or reflection.

That’s part of what we discussed in today’s Geeky Stoics Book Club!

C.S. Lewis writes from the perspective of a demonic force preying on human beings…

“You should always try to make the patient (human) abandon the people or food or books he really likes in favour of the “best” people, the “right” food,” the “important” books.”

This letter from C.S. Lewis was about more than just liking what you like, but also dealt with liking things for the sake of gaining attention, glory, or appeasing vanity.

We struggle with this at Geeky Stoics, because in essence, Lewis’ idea is to NOT read great books and then share their insights for the purpose of impressing friends or sounding smart in a newsletter……(uh oh)

We do a lot of reading and synthesizing here, but the goal of Riley and myself is you make it all for your benefit.

C.S. Lewis wants you to know the person in the mirror and guard that person’s heart and mind with prejudice. Don’t lose yourself.

In the video ABOVE, we and some supporters of Geeky Stoics share our simple loves….things we enjoy for the sake of enjoying them, and nothing more. We hope it brings you some joy! Leave your simple pleasures in the comments section.

Geeky Stoics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

In the video BELOW, which is premiering on YouTube right this very moment, Riley continues his series on how “focus determines reality”.

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Holy Star Wars Batman! Stephen was interviewed by Jason Flatt about defining redemption through the lens of Christianity. Together they apply this conversation to Star Wars and also our worlds nastiest politics - the politics of hate. 

This interview originally appeared on the Holy Star Wars podcast. We felt it was an awesome enough conversation on relevant topics to Beltway Banthas to share with you. Jason and Stephen go through the definition and cultural understanding of redemption. Next they tie the theme through Star Wars and also the film American History X, a dark tale of a mans descent and escape from dark well of racism & hate. 

 Get in touch with everyone on the show!

Follow Jason Flatt on Twitter @FlatterYou | Follow Holy Star Wars on Twitter @Holy_Star_Wars

Leave us a review on iTunes and tell us what you think of the show! Subscribe and connect with us on Twitter:

@JuanJohnJedi |@Stephen_Kent89 | @SwaraSalih1 

Please share our show with a friend, review us on iTunes and shoot us some feedback. We grow in quality everytime someone reaches out to tell us what they liked.

We want to hear from you! You can send us your thoughts on the show and topics at BeltwayBanthas@gmail.com.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe

This week on Beltway Banthas we discuss Inferno Squad, the new Star Wars book by Christie Golden. The story takes us inside a faction of Saw Gerrera's Partisans with Iden Versio, an undercover Imperial with the elite - Inferno Squad.

We talk about political violence, legitimate forms of resistance and how it's not always if you fight that matters - but how you fight. This was a timely book to say the least. It took us to talking about groups like Antifa and how they play into the #resist movement. Our team hopes you enjoy this conversation. Email us or Tweet your thoughts about the episode.

Get in touch with everyone on the show!

Leave us a review on iTunes and tell us what you think of the show! Subscribe and connect with us on Twitter:

@Stephen_Kent89 | @SwaraSalih1 | @JuanJohnJedi

Follow the author of Inferno Squad on Twitter at @ChristieGolden

Please share our show with a friend, review us on iTunes and shoot us some feedback. We grow in quality everytime someone reaches out to tell us what they liked.

We want to hear from you! You can send us your thoughts on the show and topics at BeltwayBanthas@gmail.com.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe

Eleven-ThirtyEight is a living journal of news and opinion dedicated to producing analytical pieces on all things Star Wars. In this week's interview episode, we talk to the creator and Editor-in-Chief of the site, Mike Cooper! We talk about the political message of the prequels, the creative process for Star Wars, his vision behind the website and much more!

Eleven-ThirtyEight avoids reactionary takes and instead has a keen focus on long-form analytical pieces on characters, politics, filmmaking, canon and virtually all the aspects of Star Wars. In many way Beltway Banthas is has the same mission, to promote deeply thoughtful and analytical discussion and it was a delight to have Mike on.

 

Get in touch with everyone on the show!

Follow Mike Cooper on Twitter @NoTheOtherLeft | Follow Eleven-ThirtyEight on Twitter @eleventhirtyate

Leave us a review on iTunes and tell us what you think of the show! Subscribe and connect with us on Twitter:

@JuanJohnJedi |@Stephen_Kent89 | @SwaraSalih1 

Please share our show with a friend, review us on iTunes and shoot us some feedback. We grow in quality everytime someone reaches out to tell us what they liked.

We want to hear from you! You can send us your thoughts on the show and topics at BeltwayBanthas@gmail.com.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe