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 Ross Douthat 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.
Below 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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Politics and Star Wars fuse together on this unique and fascinating show! Beltway Banthas is your place for insightful political commentary featuring the galaxy far, far, away. Beltway Banthas is a Star Wars podcast about the intersection of fandom and the things that drive daily life. For hosts Stephen Kent & Swara Salih, one of those things is politics. Star Wars draws from our world’s politics just as much as it contributes to it by influencing policymakers, journalists and thought leaders.
On the show, you’ll learn about the politics within the Star Wars universe, from Alderaan & Naboo’s monarchies to the function of the Senate on Coruscant. In between episodes we feature interviews with real world change-makers, and talk with them about how Star Wars impacted their lives and view of the world.
Stephen Kent lives outside of DC with his wife and daughter. He works at a political non-profit that does outreach to millennials. He enjoys political podcasts, cosplay, and making jokes that only he thinks are funny.
Swara Salih is a true believer, in both The Force and the importance of politics. As an activist, writer and aspiring Jedi, Swara came to Beltway Banthas as a listener and is now with the show full time. He’s a Data Analyst working to get city governments to use data better.