Maybe Escapism is Good, Actually

The State of Star Wars

We are witnessing the decline of Star Wars’ cultural dominance. In this week’s podcast, we’ll explore the current state of Star Wars, from its cultural impact to the storytelling challenges, and speculate about how the franchise might revive itself. We have a book coming this year!!! The Great Escape: 30 Reflections on Stoicism, Faith, and the Wisdom of Great Stories. Be the first to get early access, bonus content, and updates: The Rise and Fall of Star Wars Star Wars was more than movies; it was a shared cultural language. But since the end of the prequel era, its position in the cultural mainstream burst forth with the hype of The Force Awakens, then waned slowly but significantly. I’d argue that Star Wars has faded back into the niche. Not unlike the “Dark Times” of the late 80s and 90s, or even the post-Revenge of the Sith Clone Wars era. The explosion of Star Wars back into the zeitgeist after the Disney purchase showed its potential for a return to mass appeal. (Baby Yoda’s popularity is Exhibit A) Yet, the declining box office performance reveals a stark reality: audiences are less engaged, and the franchise struggles to resonate as it once did. (The decline in interest in the Baby Yoda movie is Exhibit B) The decline isn’t a death knell but an inflection point. The sheer mismanagement and lack of strategic storytelling have pushed Star Wars below the cultural radar. But I might be ok with that. Geeky Stoics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Can Star Wars Rise Again? While the franchise faces cultural fatigue and spaghetti-on-wall mismanagement, I still have hope. IF. And it’s a big if… There’s a willingness to learn from the mistakes of the Disney era and start over fresh. Star Wars’ comeback depends on returning to its storytelling roots rather than propping up a failed era of postmodern, nihilistic storytelling. 00:00 Introduction04:07 Mandalorian and Grogu11:41 Star Wars Heresy vs. Bad Films15:10 Cultural Impact of Star Wars22:40 Optimism for the Future of Star Wars27:56 Crisis of Credibility in Star Wars30:56 Star Wars as an Underdog33:57 The Impact of Marketing on Star Wars35:47 C.S. Lewis and Star Wars40:56 Upcoming Star Wars Projects46:03 Stoicism and Christian Philosophy 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 [https://www.geekystoics.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Unmasking Toxic Empathy

In this week’s live stream and podcast, Geeky Stoics is exploring the concept of toxic empathy, its implications, and how it influences society, politics, and relationships. Riley and Stephen delve into the nature of empathy, moral virtue, and the importance of balancing compassion with discernment. Chapters: * 01:08 What Is Toxic Empathy? * 04:33 Empathy in Literature and Media: Star Wars and Narnia * 08:04 Moral and Cultural Relativism in Empathy * 15:13 Empathy in Justice and Punishment * 20:23 Evil and Moral Clarity * 27:27 The Limits and Risks of Empathy * 30:15 Advice for Self-Discovery * 37:17 Balancing Career, Family, and Personal Purpose * 43:30 Watchtower Intel * 48:02 Community and Future Retreats * 54:18 The Power of Storytelling and Shared Values Resources: * Gad Saad’s book ‘Suicidal Empathy’ [https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Suicidal+Empathy] * Paul Bloom’s book ‘Against Empathy’ [https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Against+Empathy] * C.S. Lewis’s ‘The Four Loves’ [https://www.amazon.com/s?k=The+Four+Loves] * Orthodoxy by GK Chesterton [https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Orthodoxy+GK+Chesterton] * Watchtower Intel on Substack [http://watchtowerintel.substack.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 [https://www.geekystoics.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

The Stoicism in The Screwtape Letters

Today’s reading of The Screwtape Letters focuses on Chapter 3, a letter about personal/family relations and the importance of managing your impressions regarding facial expressions, tone of voice and other mannerisms. Things can break down rapidly when a relationship drifts toward enmity and assumed bad faith, and Lewis’s warning here is to reflect on how you let yourself off the hook for grating mannerisms—while scrutinizing those of everyone else. When two humans have lived together for many years it usually happens that each has tones of voice and expressions of face which are almost unendurably irritating to the other. Work on that. Bring fully into the consciousness of your patient that particular lift of his mother's eyebrows which he learned to dislike in the nursery, and let him think how much he dislikes it. Let him assume that she knows how annoying it is and does it to annoy — if you know your job he will not notice the immense improbability of the assumption. And, of course, never let him suspect that he has tones and looks which similarly annoy her. As he cannot see or hear himself, this is easily managed. It’s a distinctly Stoic letter, almost like Lewis drew directly from Epictetus. It is not the only time Screwtape Letters offers blocks of wisdom that parallel the Stoics. In this video, I also draw on a book called Jesus & Stoicism [https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Stoicism-Parallel-Brittany-Polat/dp/1646048806] by Brittany Polat, which compares Bible verses with lines from the Stoic philosophers, to show where these “virtuous pagans” were on the right track when it came to ethics that Christianity made mainstream in the West. I highly recommend it for your bookshelf. You can buy it at the link above. This video is free for everyone to enjoy as a thank-you for being on the newsletter. We’re glad you’re here, and every subscription helps us keep Geeky Stoics going. 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 [https://www.geekystoics.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Mind Your Own Business

Good morning! At our recent retreat, I came across a wardrobe with a semi-magical tea room inside… so naturally, I decided to crawl in and record a video podcast (typical). This was filmed by Jon of First Time Readers [https://www.youtube.com/@firsttimereaders/posts], a truly great channel for Tolkien analysis, and it focuses on a passage from C.S. Lewis’ Narnia books that I enjoy and return to often. By the way, we are now signing people up for the waitlist to pre-order our new book: GREAT ESCAPE: 30 Reflections on Stoicism, Faith and the Wisdom of Great Stories. Coming December 1st from Post Hill Press. 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 [https://www.geekystoics.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

All Men Have Something To Teach

Behind the scenes of the first Geeky Stoics retreat 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 [https://www.geekystoics.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]