The Clone Wars Was a Warning For the Western World
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- Опубліковано 10 січ 2024
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The political storyline in the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy remains one of the most pertinent messages that George Lucas has passed on to his fans. The Galactic Republic was at its height before the Clone Wars engulfed the galaxy in war and horror. Its leaders failed to see the coming conflict, sometimes a thousand years of peace can can rot away the defense mechanisms designed to protect a political system from malcious actors.
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Meh 😑
Accusing the chancellor of being an evil wizard. Well actually we'll part of religious cult evil wizard's accusing the chancellor of being part of dangerous ideology. Like Saying the government multiple governments are run by Satanist. Or the president of being a secret ☪️ . Witch is not illegal itself.but if there only 2 in hole world Mainladen and his coe conspirator
Better Help has been proven to sell customer's private data. I wouldn't partner with them if I was you.
Except the Republic had no high principles. It LITERALLY allowed SLAVERY on its worlds. Palpatine didn't grow because The Republic worked, he grew because it was riddled with hypocrisy, slavery, rampant crime lords, corruption and contradiction. The New Republic that followed still hasn't fixed any of this.
We are the pharaohs now..
I realized this when Darth Maul was talking to Ahsoka in season 7 and said “Too late, for what? The republic to fall? It already has and you just can’t see it. There is no Justice, no law, no order, except for the one that will replace it…”
That scene showcases Sam Witwer's acting range- from that statement to the moment he's screaming to let him die instead of capturing him sent chills down my spine. Kind of reminded me of Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2 trying to convince the psychiatrist and staff that skynet was about to start a nuclear Armageddon, or Sigourney Weaver trying to convince the company of the reality of the xenomorph (Aliens)
As a Gulf War vet I identify very closely with the clones... even if they are not real.
I think any vet after WW2 could definitely identify with the clones. Especially with how they're dehumanized by the general public.
@@Baldwin-iv445 everyone gets dehumified
Thank you for your service
@@Baldwin-iv445you’re confusing WWII with Vietnam… should we ask George what he thought of the VC?
@@chazblank2717 I don't think he meant ww2 vets were dehumanized. I think he meant any soldiers/vets involved in wars after ww2 were dehumanized by the general public. could've been worded better and is easily misunderstood.
One of the best warnings he gave was the idea that the same person could be backing both sides of a war as a power play. Very bizarre how frequently we send guns and money to the same groups we send troops to fight against.
The banking clans will sign
A number of US "enemies" are people the US put in power in the first place, including Saddam Hussein.
@jde-jj1lu stop with the anti-munnitic remarks human
Sad but true.
@@XantaliX
So, the dictator managed to keep things all together better than the sides that arose after him?
Yoda, as old as he was, was born around 100 years after the supposed extinction of the Sith. Even he was subject to only hearing stories of the conflict.
Given the lifespans of Yoda's people, he may have heard the stories from those who lived some part of the experience. It would be more "real" to him. Survivors help to keep the memory of the terrible tragedy alive, but once they're gone it's much harder to keep the determination necessary to maintain the peace alive.
@@schroecat1 But even he had never experienced the events himself.
@@walnzell9328 yes but he lived with people who did, which is a much better position than hearing it from a recycled source.
Just like the Force, politics are best when balanced. Not too naive, but not too pessimistic. Just cautiously optimistic.
Couldn't have been said better
Agreed, only problem is, that politics right now isn't in balance because of crazy and incompetent people like politicians and the people who voted them in.
Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst
Nah, left is best.
@@m1903rotcshut up commie you dont know anything go to north korea 🤡
Iv always said people choose to ignore Clone Wars cautionary tale of politics and bureaucracy & Hollywood has definitely chosen to ignore it.
What I love about the buildup to the Clone Wars is that the Trade Federation, and the other monopolies didn't come about as a result of natural means, or more effective strategies, but through well intentioned, ultimately failing, systems set by the Republic that led to it.
We have a tendency to look at failures in history as idiotic preordained blunders, but for the vast majority of of cases, they were made by well intentioned , intelligent people that for one reason or another, made the world a worse place.
So many of those in the lead up to ww1
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."
The price of freedom is fools using their freedom to destroy their own freedoms.
The events leading up to January 6, 2021 remind me of this quote.
I mean, technically we’d be a mid rim planet if the Milky Way was the Star Wars Galaxy, which kinda adds up. We have plenty of industry and potential for growth, but we’re nowhere near as stable as we could be. We also like to dress up and pretend we’re more important than we are which fits
Eriadu…
We're arguably much more Outer Rim or even close to Wild Space.
the elitards will not survive what is to come they will just die last
@@SockieTheSockPuppet That depends on the country and by extension even the region/province/state.
I live in São Paulo, Brazil. Not gonna pretend horrendous and violence crimes do not occur pretty frequently here, but on the district I live and the many I've visited, life was mostly peaceful. Even boring. That said, it's undeniable that we paulistas as a whole can be quite... stressful. And dry.
More akin to a Core world like Coruscant by comparison.
In contrast, there's São José do Rio Preto (or just Rio Preto), a countryside city but which is relatively big for its size. And yet there's very little tall buildings and skyscrappers outside of downtown, every stabilishment and building is obligated by the local goverment to plant at least one tree or group of plants, the overall attitude of the population is very welcoming and solidary... it's a whole different culture altogether. And though I'm sure Rio Preto does undeniably has its issues, they definitelly seem to pale compared to São Paulo's.
Overall, I guess you _could_ label it a Mid Rim world similar to Naboo, a very prosperous place with a mid technological advancement, but which still feels better to live than in "super cities" like São Paulo, the Coruscant by comparison.
And I have no doubt somewhere in Brazil, there must be indeed a region more akin to the Outer Rim worlds, almost lawless, almost controlled by local gangs and organized crimes, where people mostly have to look out for themselves.
And these are all examples I'm giving from my country. ONE country. God knows how different each region in each country is, to the point I don't think it's fair to try and label AN ENTIRE COUNTRY under the Star Wars galactic labelling, simply because... _there's too much diversity._
@@MrDibara I meant where our planet is in IRL relation to the Star Wars Galactic equivalent.
Plus George Lucas loved old westerns and Samurai movies so he combined them!😊
Once i was fan of star wars
But after seeing that both lucas and disney keeps the star wars galaxy in a libertarian/anarchy mode, even long time after the empire, plus the new bad movies or series, destroying the original expanded universe, i became a fan of star trek, at least a little.
I prefer a commie galaxy with more peace and less greed than a a galaxy where monks are idiots who earned that purge
Just as u seed there is nothing new under the sun
Somewhere in the afterlife, Neville Chamberlain is wiping away a tear and saying, "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said about me."
Well, in his defense, memories of The Great War lingered. A war where 876,084 British men, 6% of the adult male population, died.
It's interesting and a bit sad that the older I get, the more I can imagine a near future where the things we take for granted today no longer exist. Stay vigilant, my friends. Don't assume that other people will step up and get involved to preserve the things that we value.
I think it wiser to assume they will not.
The folly of western utopianism, whether liberal or Marxist, is thinking that history is linear and not cyclical. Our past is our future. The future will not look modern like Star trek said it would be, it will look ancient or medieval, like Dune showed it to be. Western liberal man not only cannot stop the changing of the ages, but he is blind to it. Blinded by his own arrogance.
That's because when you look at the whole world. All you see is Western nations trying to put there knee's on the neck of non-Western nations. It's been going in for centuries, and the west think they can do that in perpetuity. But that's not how things work. Change is a fundamental part of life. And afrika and the rest of the world will superpase the west. The West has been declining for years.
IF this was ANY sorta warning... safe to say the message has been corrupted, on top of being lost in translation from Lucas to Disney, an completely misunderstood when not outright ignored either way..
On top of having apparently forgot half of everything the previous generations learned the hard way
I've been watching this channel for sometime now, and I really enjoy the way you make your videos, you combine star wars with current world problems. Keep up the great work!
Great episode, Alan! I enjoyed the wide-ranging coverage of different elements, and you said something I've told other people (but they give me uncomprehending looks): "We're living in a golden age. Right now, you are alive in one of the highest points in human history."
I'd disagree on this being a high point, but we do have many advances to be grateful for in medicine alone.
@EthanKironus8067 In terms of general standards of living? It is absolutely a high point in history. Not necessarily everywhere, and I'm not saying that there haven't been higher points in some parts of the world, but today, it is generally better than the past.
I would even go so far as to suggest this would hold true if “society” as we know it collapsed literally tomorrow… even a major calamity can result in long term progress… the middle-class wouldn’t exist without the black plague… the invention of the printing press sparked a period of increasing literacy rates, groundbreaking religious reformation but also heinous religious wars in Europe. And for all the senseless wasting of life, these wars were fought by some of the first “volunteer” armies, consisting of free citizens rather than conscripted farmers with feudal obligations to a lord.
@@EthanKironus8067 Mileage will vary (1st World vs. 3rd World, poor vs. rich, etc), but that has always been true. I consider a golden age for the overall standard of living, the capabilities/possibilities afforded to the average person, and the level of security/health for the largest number of people.
You can adjust things to other age's standards (19th century, Pax Romana, 13th century Middle Ages, etc), but I think it stands up to or exceeds all of those, even leaving aside things like antibiotics air travel, and internet.
If this isn't a golden age, I would be interested in your view on what is.
@@MM22966
Even the lowest now is the best it's ever been. In most of the world you won't end up in state sanctioned forced labor if you're poor anymore. Or worse.
My childhood in Russia in the 1990s was similar to life on Tatooine. On very cold Tatooine. The same garbage was happening throughout the post-Soviet space. What eventually gave rise not only to dictatorships and wars, but also to people who were ready to support them only for the promise of minimal stability
Are you tatar?
@@Bobsbugsbegone1971 No, I'm Russian.
@@beautykat4519 oh you look similar to me and I’m ethnic Russian with tatar heritage. Very beautiful
Always enjoy your intelligent thoughtful content, using Star Wars as an analogy for history and current events. I also always enjoy seeing the Hudson River! Keep up the good work :D
The Trump supporters remind me of those hapless congresspeople who want to protect their wannabe king
His pro Western bias is a tad too much.
@@megaponful yeah the praise for free market economics and the “dont tread on me” line made me recoil a bit. He had such good takes on Andor.
Alan, this was a poetic analysis and speech using Star Wars as a backdrop. Love those through-lines from fantasy to reality to draw the relevant lessons from one to inform the other. Keep it up!
Alan you are SPOT ON! I really appreciate how you’ve acutely tied our history with the Star Wars universe. Art imitates life.
?!?!!
Allen ive been watching you for almost a year now and i have to say, i am very impressed with how deeply your thoughts go into the content that you put out. Also the ability to make so many real life issues relevant to the starwars galaxy. Keep up the awesome original content.
The problem with the masses is they suffer from stagnant lethargy till something motivates them to move. The direction this movement goes is often guided by a few or even just one individual whom often guides the mob to their own ends not the peoples. The people thundering out towards whatever direction they choose have no more choice in their direction then that of a stampeding heard of cattle. Now, singular events that are large enough can alter that stampede of change or even stop it but it requires something that was stronger or louder than the source of the stampede in the first place. American politics has become focused on keeping the masses in a state of stampeding in the direction these mobs are dividing into. A person can make individual decisions towards a better future, a mob can barely stop themselves from trampling children if someone yells fire.
I disagree everyone has to take responsibility for their choice we make we are not masses
Do not hide behind excuses, mobs are made of thinking human beings and their own personal actions leading up to that point and within that moment are their own fault. You must take responsibility for your actions because they are yours to take and no one else's
Found Dooku’s account
@spazemfathemcazemmeleggymi272 mob mentality is s a well documented phenomenon that is preexisting whether you dislike the concept or not. Humans are pack animals by nature and evolution with a type of pack style alpha leadership caste. Even in America, the best candidate (i.e., the alpha) Is voted into office by the majority. A person is smart, and people are stupid.
@guapocat203 truthhurts those most fragile in society. Despite his failures,that were many, Dooku had several good points. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to form the seperatists in the first place. Enjoy your day of not actually saying anything
When I first watched Star Wars as a kid in the 80s for years I believed the stormtroopers were robots. I could not understand how Luke and Han even fitted into those suits. Ps Simon Pegg wrote his dissertation on Star Wars he thought it was a story about the U.S.A =The Republic v the Empire which I hope does not need explanation.
I'd like to hear the explanation.
Well, it was, Lucas based the empire of the Us and the rebels off the viet cong
You have by far the best Star Wars UA-cam. I love the thoughtful and educated deep dives into these real world parallels and the nuace George built into every layer of his universe.
There's no other SW channel that comes close to the flavor you put on it, that I have ever seen. A truly unique creative and analytical path taken in a massive sea of samey content.
Never go away as long as you love what you're doing.
Great subject Allan! You're channel is one of my favourites. I get to geek out and have fun, whilst simultaneously get really important thoughtful, philosophical, enlightened idea's to consider. 👍. 🤘😁🖖🇨🇦
This is such a great channel. You do a great job, man.
This is a video politicians need to watch. It may give some of them a reality check, and something worth fighting for
Not like they'll listen. It'll take a lot more than a simple video or speech to get them to listen.
No it won't lol
there is a reason some other movie franchise declared that 1999 ( or the late 1990's anyway ) was the height of human civilization
Which one?
Matrix
So you’re just gonna do, “the west has fallen” shit? Without any other work done? Awesome dude!! You added nothing to the conversation and just went real life = matrix, as if that exact fucking observation hasn’t been made millions of times before. Anyways the real reason it was set in 1999 is because after that, the robots were made, and humans would eventually wise up to what happened all over again, blah blah blah.
It doesn’t really matter because you’re trying to analyze a movie franchise that is allegorically about trans issues with cool robots as a commentary on society itself
I always see the Clone Wars as a warning against over-inflated beaurocracy and self-important centralization.
Palpatine didn't just build a war out of nothing. You have a Republic that is primarily concerned with the will of the highly populated core worlds over the rest of its members. Add to that a sluggish system and you have created a situation where the Mid-Rim feels more like they are ruled over than that they truly have a seat at the table.
It really reminds me of rural America. Ruled over by the big cities that see them as inconsequential, or even backwards. Their needs and values rejected for the whims and preferences of the "Core Worlds". Practicality is cast aside by moralistic sentiments from those detached from rural life. There's absolutely a will to separate, and like the Republic the urban core would rather fight a war than let them govern themselves. All it takes is for a Palpatine figure to set things in motion.
Lmao you really went “Star Wars is about those stupid city folk and their rejection of the good old fashioned rural values” no, it’s about how fascism doesn’t have any actual friends, whether you’re a corporation, a soldier, a member of the clergy, a politician, or if you help them get to power, you’re just a means to an end to fascism and will be disposed of the millisecond it is politically expedient for them to remain in power. Your life *will* get worse under fascism, even if you’re a hardline believer in all or even one of the tenets a person like palpatine would run on, he will say anything that gets him in power, so the best thing you can do is deprive people like him of your support, even if you agree with him, your life will get worse, his life will get worse, but less worse than yours does, and ultimately that’s what matters to him, he doesn’t care if he’s hated or scarred, as long as he dominates you, he’s won.
And we did get a figure like that, or damn close to it. Along with others who people blindly think are gods gifts to humanity, like Elon, who are mere pretenders, they didn’t invent anything! We do need more young people in power as the old seem content with letting the masses suffer all the bad laws they make with no resistance. We need to change that fast.
I don’t like being overly pessimistic but… in the words of Maul “Too late for the Republic to fall? It already has you just can’t see it yet…”
Various Palpatine figures have in my opinion, been moving things along for a while now. While it’s not absolutely impossible to prevent things from exploding it’s getting more unlikely by the day. At some point in the not too distant future we’ll see our battle of Geonosis, and all hell will break loose between our Separatists and our Republic.
Edit: I should add that like the clone wars, this eventual conflict will be pointless. Neither side will actually win and all it will do is open the door for an autocratic dystopian regime to rise out of the ashes of the fire it started. Our Separatists who were “fighting for independence against the metropolitan tyrants trying to crush them.” And our Republic who were fighting for “Freedom and Democracy against the evil fascistic rebels” will have all been pawns in the game of pure evil men who only wanted power for themselves.
I mean American political parties are sort of based off of the urban rural conflict.
You have the Democrats standing for the cities and the Republicans standing for the farmers and rural regions.
From what I am seeing, the Republicans no longer stand for the rural regions and farmers.
They stand for the churches, and corporations now, while the Democrats stand for the cities and corporations.
Both are also unanimous in treating their military as the clones were. @@affordablex4914
This is a fantastic video. Jessie Gender actually did a very long and in depth dissection of both the OT and PT (and the failings of the Sequels) and discusses how modern western politics are cyclical and how Lucas’ Star Wars shows how neoliberalism (the Jedi and Republic) is symbiotic with and feeds into fascism (the Empire and the Sith) and vice versa, and how the Jedi were naive to think their brand of “new” neoliberal ideals would be enough to break the cycle, when in reality they directly played into the Sith’s plan.
Fascism and socialism are the same in collectivism.
Tell me what neoliberalism is, to know if you know it or if you just repeat without knowing what it really is.
@@asm7406I suspect you mean communism rather than socialism, and specifically Marxist communism. Socialism is a very nebulous concept that exists on a spectrum, and collectivism isn’t really included in any definition of it. I wouldn’t call fascism collectivist either, except in a very broad nationalist/regionalist sense.
Neoliberalism is essentially modern free-market capitalism. It’s the concept that society and culture can be predicated on and maintained by values that govern economic liberalism and the expansion of the private sector. In a nutshell, the failings of the private sector leave everyday people disenfranchised, and the disenfranchised then flock to leaders willing to buck the system and who blame all societal woes on convenient scapegoats. The failings of neoliberalism lead to fascism.
Good video today Allen. I've long thought the pinnacle of fiction was its capacity to hold a mirror up to reality and allow us to contemplate the problems we face both now and in the near future, freed from the preconceptions that cloud our judgement.
Dear Mr. Allen,
I found your video to be incredibly impressive and well-crafted. Your work is truly making a positive impact in the world, and for that, I am grateful. Please continue to advocate for worthy causes with your powerful platform. Best wishes and continued success. May the force be with you, always!
wages are plummeting, the average retiree makes 3x more income than the average worker. Something is seriously wrong with a society where young folks struggle to start a family while old folks live in luxury
Freakin' love you man! 😎👍 Your perspective on Star Wars vs the real world is most excellent. Keep up great work!
Yep, so was episode 1
I honestly do not know how the whole western world watched the prequels, and other dystopian movies, but in real life let Klaus Scwabb (real life palpatine), the WEF, UN, WHO and globalist elite tromp all over us
I was thinking the same thing. Schwab is a wannabe Palpatine
Impressive! Holy crap brother! I'm only 2.5 mins in and I'm already highly impressed wiry the level of thinking that you are presenting! This is Grad School caliber dude! Shared to Facebook!
This video is a good food for thought about humanity being quite open-minded to the different philosophies and using Star Wars as an analogy or even allegory to the shifting nature of human society. A mere reflection.
Haha, as a Russian it's very funny to hear you talk of the 90's as a happy, carefree time. Once again proves how everything is but a matter of perspective, "from a certain point of view". For our country it was essentially hell, it was the dark times, it was the age of absolute and total collapse and degeneration in everything, it was a setback the consequences of which we are still trying to overcome over 30 years later. Many people suffered, starved, died of gun violence on the streets (which was a phenomenon unheard before or after the 90's in Russia). One of my teachers at school told me how he once entered his apartment building to see a dead body lying on the floor, and he didn't even bat an eye as it was such a common occurence at the time. I heard you mention Yeltsin, for you he's probably just some funny drunken dude who helped totally disarm your greatest adversary, but for us he was a source of constant shame, and, at the same time, he was a brutal tyrant desperate to hand on to power even as he was about to die from illness, going as far as shooting up and illegally dispersing an elected parliament using tanks in 1993. You know, I love your videos, I've been watching your channel for a long time, but in the past couple of years you've become very vocal about your political stance, which has inadvertently showcased how small your viewpoint of the world is. You say you are pro-humanity... but it seems to me that you are only pro-humanity as long humanity lives according to the Western way of life.
I understand what you're saying, I do, but don't think Yeltsin's failures clean up the failures that the Russian state have been up to afterward.
With Yeltsin, the bodies were laid on the streets for all to see. With Putin, there's the same amount of bodies-they're just buried better. Out of sight and out of mind.
Russia deserves better than what it has had, that's for damn sure. It deserves better than tyrants, criminals and oligarchs, past or present. It deserves a genuine and true democracy as determined by all of it's own people and its interests, free from a foreign power and/or those who would prey on fear and resentment to divide and shackle.
Between "create economic ties and friendship" then thinking 2014 Ukraine color revolution wasn't the result of the usa... this dude makes good star wars videos but is kind of naive
@@wtchnwsnw2100Another country can’t start a revolution without the support of the people.
No matter how hard the US tried, the colour revolution would have never happened if the Ukrainians didn’t want it.
Russia is far better now under Putin's government than under Boris Yeltsin after the fall of the Soviet Union.
There's one important thing you seem to miss: Palpatine was not an outside force.
Grave danger for democracy can also come from within, masquerading as benevolent. Palpatine's rise is modeled closely on that of Hitler, so that is not a mere worldbuilding excercize or plot convenience. Democracies die when those killing them pose as their saviours, shifting the narrative of what even is democracy over decades until finally, nothing of the original concept is left and the senate is disbanded in favour of systems directly under the new rule's control and all those still fighting for democracy are declared rebels.
The thing is that for this to happen, the system is not even worth fighting for at that point.
The content you've been putting out man, fantastic on top of fantastic. You're a boss
I've been so fascinated with the politics of the clonenwars since being an adult, and when you incorporate the prequels and the clone wars cartoon series, theres so much we can learn to protect what we have, and what to expect when it begins to tumble down.
Really spot-on presentation today!!
Man, it's hard to remember that golden period between The Wall coming down and 9/11.
Now we have fundamentalized vast swaths of the Middle East, Russia is rampant again, and the Corpos have eliminated the middle class. I feel like we ALL are the Outer Rim right now.
Actually there really are some shady, shadowy, but insanely powerful Sith like figures in real life behind the scenes pulling the strings over Wars, global finance, and many other things.
George soros = palpatine
Google = general grievous
Zuckerberg = kylo ren
Jp morgan bank = galactic empire
Clinton foundation = Separatists
Bill gates = count dookoo
Epstein = darth plagueis
Anyone left with morals and a brain = rebel alliance
✡️
Very profound thoughts Alan. Well said, stay vigilant, stay involved, don’t be complacent. Peace and stability are fragile and need to be worked on…constantly. Stay optimistic!
These though-pieces are sooo good. Keep 'em coming!!
Galactic Empire: "We are the n*zis of this universe!"
Rakatan Empire: "Ha! Don't make us laugh! We are clesrly the n*zis of this universe!"
Pius Dea: "How cute..."
By the way, the word "anarchy" means "without rulers" it does not mean without rules or structure. Or if you like, it means no masters and no slaves. Anyone can feel free to look that up, don't take my word for it. A free for all of chaos and lawlessness is not anarchy. Anarchy requires social contracts, just like everything else does. Without a social contract, you have no society. And thats for any type of society, be it anarchism, statism, or straight up totalitarianism. The people need to agree to participate, otherwise it doesn't work. This is also why most of the time, agreement to participate is a result of indoctrination that is used to manufacture consent. When someone is born into something, and its all they know, and all they think there is -- they have a tendency to go along with it.
Anarchy means no ruler and no government, and without a government laws don’t exist.
Whose going to enforce the countries laws without somewhat of a state.
@@affordablex4914 Anarchism is a political and social ideology. It's based around non-coercive civil organization. I'm not an Anarchist, but to claim it means no ruler no government is not only false, but very telling of your lack of knowledge on the topic.
@@uriustosh Real the original comment.
I enjoy the change in tone and subjects in the channel exploring more mature and real concepts that tie into the universe we all love. Thanks Ben
Props to you and your team, Alan. You have shown us that Star Wars is not just a kids show, but entertainment that is also a commentary on real life and history.
My fear is that things are going to get much worse before getting better...
Unfortunately that’s usually what happens. Even in physics. The law of entropy: eventually things always degenerate into chaos or disorder.
Why The hell are you sponsoring better help haven't you looked into at All how better help operates and how borderline illegal they are with selling PRIVATE INFORMATION to places like Facebook so that they can advertise to mentally unwell people please tell me you guys have?
This, is your best and most consequential video yet. Bravo.
This is absolutely the best video that you have ever created. I watch a lot of your videos, and don't like as many as I should, but this one is on point. Well done!
There is no light without dark. There is no good without evil. Evil will always be with us whether it be external or internal, and our price for freedom is eternal vigilance. We miss you, never ever ever ever ever forget the lessons in the past
Great analysis as usual, thank you Alan!
Another great vid, vod 😊 your analysis abilities never fail to impress me.
Everyone is mistaken in thinking democracy doesn't need us to work for it, but it does, in demanding we get educated to make informed decisions and elect informed representatives, and it also demands we watch our supposed representatives and hold them to account, but we ALL just vote and then do nothing after!
Lucas suffered for giving the world this warning-the warning of the Clone Wars and how tyranny and war go hand-in-hand. Tons of normies and critics wanted another boom-fiesta and didn't like the politics that Lucas put in the Prequels, they didn't like the fact that the Prequels spent time warning people about the abuses of power in the government and how war can be used to mask a naked grab for power. They started whining about how Lucas raped their childhoods and how it was the worst thing ever. But now, we can look at the warnings of the Prequels and say the truth about them; Lucas put a mirror to America's face, and they smashed the mirror.
I never hated the Prequels. I never understood the bottomless hate that people like Red Letter Media and others like them had for these films. They were fun as a kid, and prophetic as an adult. They were fun, innovative, and most of all, had a relation to the modern world that many action films did not. The fact is, the Prequels had substance in terms of its content, more so than other empty blockbusters like Michael Bay's Transformers and the later MCU films. And now, people are beginning to see that. Too bad they saw it long after Lucas left the house and sold it to a corporation that doesn't give a wet fart about substance.
Andor is literally proof that the last sentence of your comment isn’t true. The fact of the matter is that it’s far more complicated than “Disney bad” there’s a lot of moving parts inside Disney and market factors outside of that, if you want good content that is given the time it needs to be good, consistently (as in not just at companies and studios that run the tightest of ships) you’d have to argue against the idea of markets, and thus the profit incentive for the creation of art under capitalism, which is guess is what Lucas probably would want you to do considering he’s an old school communist.
@@FloofMother Looks like someone forgot that Andor didn't do so well in terms of views. Critics loved it, but the average viewer got bored after the first few episodes and left. Also, Andor is your typical "fascist man bad" story where the battle lines are drawn and you have clear-cut villains that need toppling; far unlike the Prequels which taught that a democracy's worst enemies are inside the system, not outside. Also, Lucas is libertarian, not Communist. Communism argues for a strong state, Lucas argued AGAINST a strong state in the Prequels.
@@HolyknightVader999"Communism argues for a strong state" idk what George Lucas's beliefs are but this is only really "true" in the sense that "communism" in the West, whenever it's actually used with a coherent freaking definition by an average joe that is, has been made synonymous with the Marxism-Leninism that took Russia and its offshoots that spread out from there.
A communist society is moneyless and classless, like Star Trek, bare minimum in the sense that money isn't needed for basic necessities and you're not defacto ruled by those born into more power coupons than you. *Any* philosophy however authoritarian or anti-authoritarian in its methods that makes that the end goal is communist rather they say it or not.
Side note: originally, libertarian was coined as an alternative term for anarcho-communists and anarcho-socialists, and still is often used that way outside of America.
@@HolyknightVader999Your thinking of Marxist leninists, not communists bro. Communists don't argue for a strong state, and Anarchists generally abhor the existence of the state, and oppression as a whole. There's a lot of theory out there, so I don't expect anyone to know much of any of it. Just thought I'd let you know.
@@DanielBranigan-cn3nz Even so, whenever they gain power, Communists always revert to a strong state with state capitalism. All their high-minded dreams fall apart, and they're forced to compromise with capitalism or create a dictatorship, like what the Chinese and Lenin did. It's all just theories until Marxists actually succeed in taking over a country, then when those theories fail them, they revert back to predictable patterns of nepotism or dictatorship.
I really love these starwars/real world politics videos that you do.
Man I really wish more people would see this video!
Awesome work! As always.
Great video! A lot of the American issues in politics go back to Reagan in the 1980’s when deregulation came along and hasn’t stopped since. That is why the Padme episodes in the Senate & the Mandalore episodes with Satine from the Clone Wars are so important (imo).
2:51 that’s not how Russia sees things in context to the Ukraine war and NATO increasing leadership. Not saying Russia is right, but that how they feel.
NATO was nothing more than another European colonizer similar to the Soviet Union, but worse.
Why are Russia's feelings in any way relevant? Russia's war with Ukraine is an attempt to force Ukraine to stay in it's sphere of influence against that country's will. It's basically an imperialist land grab.
Crazy how he was able to make a fall of an empire (the republic) so relatable
That was one of the bestest, and most pertinent videos of your content that I have sen so far.
Thank you.
Please continue to do what you do.
My allegiance is to the republic, and to democracy
I always hear people say how America is the Empire and groups like the Taliban are the Rebels. I have always disagreed with this surface, though Lucas himself compared the Rebels to the Vietcong . As much as I love Lucas, I disagree as well. I think America is the Republic, albeit, we have been infiltrated and undermined, on the verge of collapse, to go the way of Rome, from Republic to Empire. Mark my words, the same story will play out in real life at some point. May the Force be with us all.
I agree with this statement.
generations tech when do you think you can make more Star Wars fan fictions what if we miss you doing them like making what if Anakin Skywalker reached his full potential? What if the clone army was force, sensitive and many more to come a friend you can do it we all know you can✌️🤙😀
Of all of your episodes, this one has been the one I'd enjoyed the most. As a retired ARMY veteran, I agree a 100% with you. Good job.
One of your best videos yet Alan! Really enjoyed this one
You're a little misinformed about Chamberlain. My Nana lived in the UK during World War II and personally survived the Blitz. She lost her brother and favourite cousin to the war. She told me that when the Nazis first started their oppression, there wasn't a single gun on the coasts of Britain that could fire. What Chamberlain did wasn't to truly broker peace with a monster like Hitler -- he was no fool. No, Chamberlain's strategy was to buy Great Britain time to arm itself. Churchill is a hero for seeing Britain through WWII, but Chamberlain should not be vilified. He did his bit, as Nana said.
Exactly. Chamberlain bought Britain time it desperately needed.
Democracy is not a economic system,, it's how we elect our leaders.. capitalism and socialism are economic systems.
Your most thought provoking video I've seen. Well written and presented. Dangerous times.
I’ve been thinking about this lately it’s cool that this dropped a few days ago.
What a great video! Historically speaking, i think it’s really fascinating seeing corporations become more apart of our politics. Could easily see them becoming the Trade Federation at some point. Which is really just shameful on these corporations because at the end of the day, what should be their goal is to create a product and sell a product, not trying to get involved in politics or getting involved in every social issue that’s occurring. Looking at you Disney 👀
I think you meant to type Heritage Foundation, not Disney. 😅
@@Exspazamentno he didn’t
@@Exspazamentliterally true that “think tank” says the most insane shit that was disproven 3 months prior. Are they even still relevant at this point? It’s not like they’re unique in that regard, plenty of shit like prageru does the same stuff as them, though I guess when you’re getting Murdoch and PAC money you don’t have to worry about things like profitability and the free market
@@Exspazament
Right, because the Heritage Foundation has effectively been able to run an independent city state for the past several decades, right?
@@grimjoker5572 the Heritage Foundation is literally going to dismantle the constitution, round up and imprison immigrants, take away rights for anyone other than stright white males, ensure a single party rule and make christianity the mandatory religion if a Republican takes the white house. Project 2025, the blue print for the next conservative administration, look it up, read through it. If that isn't evil then i don't know what is. So yeah, Disney may be evil sure, but it doesnt even hold a candle to the evil that is the Heritage Foundation.
One of your more persuasive "soapbox" segments...and perhaps it contributes to a better society. One can hope.
Sadly, I think his "soapbox" (that's a new term for me, but I looked it up), are placed in a too sparse cornor of the internet
As usual love your point of view on mythology, finance and the military industrial complex and society in general through the metaphorical lens of Star Wars. Came for Star Wars stayed for the connection to our real life.
Thanks for this interesting video with my meal here in Budapest:3
I'll echo a comment from another analysis of George Lucas's work (I believe entitled How Liberty Dies: the Politics of Star Wars). George Lucas put a mirror in the face of America (and the west at large) and we all collectively chose to not look into it. And now the world is increasingly on fire for all the sins and excess we allow ourselves at the cost of other's necessities.
Sometimes I worry that all we can hope for is that something better will rise from the ashes of the current world order...... though if we could get some awesome spaceship battles out of the end, it'd be nice.
Is there a link to George Lucas's work? I'd be interested in reading it.
I don't think it's ever going to stop being weird seeing my name or the names of my projects in random UA-cam videos and comments sections.
This was incredible. Thank you for writing this. While I disagree with some of the points, it's still a rhetorically powerful piece.
Would you like to talk about the points you disagree with? I'm all for a civil discussion
Thanks Donovan!
Thank you Allen, this was a great post. 😎
I have tried to explain this to my friends since the prequels first came out. Very well said.
Capitalism was never meant to be corporate feudalism. The point was competition to allow small entrepreneurs to grow their own businesses. Some government control is needed to protect competition, but not so much that it controls the means of production. Another form of checks and balances is between government, corporations, and entrepreneurs/individuals. None can have too much power.
A return to feudalism I think is the way forward economically speaking.
@@CommanderAbe Could you elaborate, because my first reaction is that instead of tyrannical government we would have tyrannical lords? For example greek city states or early American colonies?
@@GAJake I think our reliance on cars and other modern transportation has taken us far from home and family. We have replaced the nobility with economic bosses. We look to celebrities, politicians and businessmen as examples to aspire to as Tolkien warned.
@@CommanderAbe I see, so not a return to feudalism but a return to smaller self sufficient agrarian communities rather than our large scale industrial/corporate society?
I think one of the biggest problems with our current version of capitalism is that it does not consider the individual as consequential unless they have wealth and power equal to that of a corporation or its most wealthy investors. I'm not talking in terms of basic rights - more that an individual is burdened with the responsibility of absorbing the variances created by shifts in resources and economics. When we hear about inflation - we see the burden is applied to the daily lending rate - this makes things more expensive across the board with the intent of driving businesses to cut employees in order to maintain profit margins. However, individuals always absorb this cost because the real response is both a reduction in available work and of compensation paid for that labor. It also increases the costs of goods and services, quite often almost instantly before the economic policies can even affect the market - leading corporations to posting massive quarterly profits and individuals struggling to deal with suddenly rising costs, resource unavailability, and a lack of opportunities for career advancement.
It creates fear, uncertainty, and doubt.
Meanwhile the forces that Lucas was warning about - those that tend towards fascism and authoritarianism - *thrive* in this kind of environment. And the reason for that is as simple as it is avoidable: these forces depend on their people being full of fear, anger, and hopelessness. They need people to look out from their communities in terror so that they'll be open to manipulation. Willing to listen to those claiming to have "the solution" for them - no matter how insane or unrealistic that claim may be. Desperation driven choices - often in the last moments before important choices... before a vote. It is often a grift, a lead in to getting those people to cough up more of the money they need to survive... it is ironic actually. Those who do not have resources, who are afraid of poverty and see their own ability to determine their path being eroded, who see their values and ideals in terms of what their community leaders and political representatives decide for them... they are especially susceptible to this kind of trap.
I am not against capitalism - just the current system as it is playing right now - where complete idiots and monsters can obtain billions of dollars... and control critical infrastructure and production while creating stressors that affect the political choices of the people they supposedly depend on for their profits and business. I believe very, very strongly in democracy. You cannot have democracy if there is a group of wealthy people who live above the laws of the land. We are testing this right now. You cannot have democracy if the people chosen to lead instead destroy the systems that create equality and level playing fields for the population. Economic systems need to be flexible, but they also need to be managed and regulated - if only to prevent gross inequity.
There should not be billionaires in a democratic nation where *any* children starve and people have to choose between eating and having a roof over their head. Right now our only way to peacefully challenge this is through our laws and taxes on extreme wealth. Our most prosperous era as a nation was where the wealth tax on people who were in the top 0.01% of earners in the country was near 95%, and the top 1% was taxed at 50%. More importantly, business governance and social mores (if not laws) required that there be some balance between the highest paid workers in an organization and the least paid - usually no more than 10x from the top of the scale to the bottom. Right now? We have organizations where the top earner on the scale makes 435x (without counting bonuses and incentives) compared to the *average* worker in the organization... not even the lowest paid worker. It is easy to see where one person might be worth 10 others. But I cannot imagine a situation where one worker is worth more than over 400 others - not even a CEO.
We need a government that is driven by workers, not just corporations. That is driven by social welfare (and no I'm not talking about "handouts" here, I'm talking about the state of the nation and ensuring people have the tools and systems necessary to achieve their long-term goals) and fiscal responsibility. That government does not interfere with the lives of individuals (traditional small government) but also protects individuals from the tyranny of those with excessive wealth and resources. The rich do not have a right to dictate to and control the relatively impoverished. The government should exist to prevent wealth inequality and remove barriers to advancement and achievement imposed by that inequality. The best way to ensure this is with democracy across the board - free, open, fair, elections where every person born to this country has an equal voice. And one where the voices of corporations and the most wealthy are no louder than the poorest soul from the sticks. I am against authoritarianism and fascism. I believe that people can be intelligent and capable enough to be responsible with that kind of voice. Fear is crippling, hate is destructive, and suffering is unacceptable. Hope? Hope is far more dangerous - but far more likely to end in a world of positive advancement rather than regressive decline.
You say you aren’t against capitalism and then you go on to describe communism in a positive light without saying the word “communism”. And I’m not talking about Stalin and Lenin’s bullshit, I’m talking about straight up Marx theory. Capitalism will always incentivize bad behavior as long as the market deems it profitable, which it always will be without massive reform across the world, and even then, there would be nothing to stop people who have accumulated capital from stopping reform efforts or even rebuilding the old system with their social and economic status. You can’t solve the issue within the framework of capitalism, you have to think outside the box and reform it from there (revolution is a horrible idea almost every time)
@@FloofMotherAdmittedly I only glanced through this comment but I only seemed to see allusions to what might be a form of a "true" socialism not communism.
I haven't read it thoroughly though so I'm just gonna drop definitions as I understand them, just for clarity's sake:
Capitalism: private individual/s own a business hierarchically and undemocratically and (in its "purest" form) have absolute control over said business, outside of however supply and demand may force their hands.
Socialism: (in the original sense) workers own the means of production democratically; every workers coop you've seen from your local farmers coop to Ocean Spray are therefore "socialistically" modeled businesses, technically. This gets muddied when an only ostensibly democratic state nationalizes an industry then claims the workers therefore indirectly own the means of production.
Communism: moneyless, classless, stateless; in other words your worth isn't determined by a wage, society isn't ruled by an upper class, and "the state" as we know it has become irrelevant. All the "communist" countries I've seen claim this as the ideal utopia they claim to work towards rather than what they *are* right now. Even China I think actually admits to being state capitalism and promises "real socialism by 2050" or something like that
1. A system without the problems of capitalism would be unrecognizable as "capitalism."
2. "Ensuring people have the tools and systems necessary to achieve their long-term goals" _requires_ "handouts" in most cases.
3. "Small government" and government that "protects individuals from the tyranny of those with excessive wealth and resources" are mutually exclusive to an extent.
That said I broadly agree with what I take to be your sentiment.
@@fluffly3606 I suppose on your #3 point there'd need to be some clarification on what's intended by a "small government," but broadly I'd say I'd agree it would take something in the in between to actually balance and mitigate all kinds of tyrannies.
The one and only way I think you can have truly small government in all senses of the word *and* keep corporations in check would involve a very strong labor movement and some kind of regulatory and constitutional framework in place to keep the corporations from highjacking said small government in their own favor. But to have that and *maintain* it I've got a feeling the unions would have to be so powerful and so capable of strong arming corporate themselves that it'd just be worker cooperatives with extra messier (ala labor strikes) steps, and therefore just market socialism with extra steps.
But then you'll need a strong labor movement in either case or crooked corporations and crooked corporatist oligarchy in the government is just gonna be inevitable regardless, no matter how pro-worker the government claims to be (cough cough China, cough cough basically every supposedly communist country ever)
Who has intent to drive workers into layoffs?
Brilliant analysis 🧐! It’s very true how Palpatine simply exploited the worst of humanity/ other species for his own benefit and people just walked right into his plans without much resistance.
Wow, this was a very insightful video. Good analysis
Allen is ok but his worldview is biased. He espouses neoliberalism and shows Western exceptionalism a bit too often. Neoliberalism has been discredited for decades, yet Yanks keep spouting off these tropes that just sound absurd to much of the world.
Actually, the only thing the West has over its past self is technology. Everything else is getting worse. Under monarchies, peasants had half a year off from work thanks to saints' holidays. Nowadays, you can't even get a month off without your boss giving you the side-eye. The transition from monarchy to democracy in the 1800s actually created a lot of pain and grief, and that caused many communist and anarchist movements to rise as feudal lords were replaced by factory owners who worked their peons even harder than slaves and paid them pennies on the dime, not giving a damn if they fell sick or died, unlike feudal lords who cared for their peasants because they valued the labor the same way a farmer valued his cows. Feudal lords treated their peasants like barnyard animals, but factory owners treated their workers like disposable machines. Farmers valued their animals, but disposable machines are quickly tossed aside when they stopped working.
The only thing we have going for us is that technology made things easier, but that's all thanks to centuries of trial and error. People today still struggle to find jobs and provide for their families, whereas in the past, there was no such struggle; you just walked up to a rich noble or churchman and offered your services, and they provided for you in exchange for you doing your job. Nowadays, businesses fire thousands of workers at a whim even when the product they sells succeed, and you have more poverty and homelessness going around than the world had before. Everything said about Putin here could be also applied to many business leaders in the free world, where they're free to fire workers at a whim to save money, while doubling the load of their existing workers with barely a pay bump to compensate for it. They do not care about the people under their employ. Whenever a company burns down, the CEO gets a golden parachute while the workers get a pink slip.
Also, the entire galaxy didn't rebel against Palpatine. Only a few people did. Most of the galaxy was content and happy under the Empire, either because things were safer, or they got a job from the Imperial government. People only turned against the Empire when they started civil-warring themselves to death after Palpatine died, that was when the Alliance started to get more support since they weren't some warlord state fighting another warlord state for power.
There's also the fact that Neville Chamberlain began preparations for war after making that handshake with Hitler. He knew Hitler couldn't be trusted and so used the ''peace'' he secured to buy some time and prepare for war.
Yes, I agree. Morality is a major issue of today. Technology has outpaced morality.
@@CommanderAbe That, and morality is dead in the modern capitalist world. Businesses fire workers even when things are good. So just imagine what will happen when a real tragedy hits. They'll pink-slip half their workers then burden the other half with twice the burden and half the pay to ''maximize profits''. It's one big fat joke.
@@CommanderAbeBosses fire people at a whim and replace them with AI. Morality has been abandoned for profit.
I love how we've all held back for so long. And now its finally time for us all to let everyone know enough is enough
Alan, this is without-doubt the best video you've ever done. Bravo, Sir.
Put hasnt just ended the war .yet because he doesn't want his own people as camone faughter
11:03
The thing is he does understand them; frighteningly well. He knows them because Ukraine was - for the longest time - a part of Russia. He knows Ukraine is a divided nation, which was manufactured by the Soviet Government and artificially expanded through Soviet-era policies.
Euromaidan made it clear that half of the people in the country did not want to go with what Kiev wanted, which is why there has been an ongoing conflict since 2014.
It’s naive to think Putin does not know this. What’s more important, however, is to understand that NATO effectively bred the situation in Ukraine through its meddling within the western portions of the country and the constant drive by NATO to bring Ukraine into its sphere of influence.
He is totally blinded by his pro western bias
Amazing work. Thank you for posting this
Best video you have ever made sir. Well done!
Holy shit, I don't think I've ever seen somebody miss the point of a film so badly. "There are evil forces we must destroy" is *literally* Palpatine's justification for seizing power. He's explicitly a critique of the late Clinton and George Bush era neo-imperialism that you're praising! Like come on man, seriously? Did you not put any thought into this at all? Did you not do any background reading into George Lucas' politics?
He didn't and is obviously leaving out the fact that George Lucas calls The West the Empire specifically siting Vietnam and Afghanistan as parallels where the gurailla fighters are the rebels and good guys.
NOTIFICATION ⚠️🚨SQUAD😎😎🙌🙌REPORTING IN SIR ‼️‼️🗣️🗣️
Hands down, this dude is what the world needs more of. Props to you Mr. Alan.
Thx for the video!
I hate wannabe philostrophers 💀
I feel like George was a genius, but also a moron at the same time.
He had some incredible ideas but had a lot of blunders in presenting them, and some terrible ideas that he was too good at getting put in.
The prequels, people hated them for a long time. I'm glad people are starting to see how much of a rough gem they are. They are good, but just not presented very well.
Keep in mind, Star Wars was not George Lucas, one man, doing everything. There were so many other people giving their input and using their skills to make the best product they could.
You are so correct and I would love to see more videos like this one.
While I would love a 5 hour chat over these topics with you. I don't think I have the time to address every point, but i will say this.
When the money supply or blood supply is poisoned, don't be surprised when major functions start convulsing or rot away.