May the Fourth Be With You! Star Wars Day is coming up soon. To mark this occasion, the team at Students For Liberty invites you to join us on Instagram Live for a special event on Tuesday, May 4, 2021, at 1PM EST.
Our panel of Star Wars fans will discuss the issue of ‘Real-life Sith Lords: emergency powers and authoritarianism’. This special event will feature Stephen Kent, a political commentator, entertainment writer, and podcast host; Matt Kibbe, the President and Chief Community Organizer at Free the People; Russell Coates, our Content Marketing Specialist, and Darjan Minov, our Social Media Marketing Specialist.
Passionate about the crossover between Star Wars and politics, Stephen Kent covers this topic extensively in his podcast, ‘Beltway Banthas’. A Public Relations Consultant at Young Voices, Stephen Kent recently launched a show, ‘Right Now,’ where he explores the place of classical liberalism within the present political climate. He makes regular media appearances and has featured as a speaker and panelist at Comic Con.
Matt Kibbe is the Co-founder of Free the People, an organization aiming to promote the ideas of liberty through activism and storytelling. He has a keen interest in the crossover between liberty and pop culture. Matt Kibbe is also a Partner and Co-founder at Fight the Power Productions and the author of a #2 New York Times bestseller, Don’t Hurt People and Don’t Take Their Stuff: A Libertarian Manifesto.
Tuesday’s special event will consider the influence of Star Wars on pop culture as well as how it portrays politics and power. One particularly relevant aspect of the Star Wars political landscape is the rise of authoritarianism during times of crisis and the fall of the Galactic Republic.
An important part of the conversation will center on the parallels that can be drawn between the emergency powers granted to Supreme Chancellor Palpetine and abuse of emergency powers in the real world. Clearly, whether on Earth or in a galaxy far, far away, there is a clear precedent for crises and emergency powers being used as a means for authoritarian rulers to consolidate their grip on power or for governments to gain ever more power at the expense of individual liberty.
Our panel will also discuss Star Wars trivia, how they became fans of Star Wars, as well as the multi-generational aspect of the Star Wars franchise and the nature of its enduring popularity.
To join in with our Star Wars Day celebrations and hear our panel discussion on the fall of the Galactic Republic, the rise of authoritarianism, the abuse of emergency powers, and real-world parallels, make sure to tune in for this special event.
Be sure to follow us on Instagram so that you’ll be notified when we go live on Tuesday, May 4, 2020, at 1 PM EST!
