Star Wars and Our Common Language for Doing Politics

In today's Akron Beacon Journal there is a great commentary from a theologian arguing that as our common language for doing politics--for public debate--is eroding, Star Wars stands as one counter-example worth thinking about,  because that story continues to bring people together.

Here is a link to the commentary at the ABJ.  

First, I like using pop culture texts like Star Wars to help us sort out real world challenges. And I enjoyed reading this one very much.

Second, there is data showing that the divide Camosy points to here (polarization causing us to lose our common language for talking about politics) can be seen as a much more significant gap at the elite level. Average Americans still tend to be more moderate and pragmatic.  See Morris Fiorina for more on this.  This matters because framing this problem as an elite leadership failure directs us to very different solutions than framing it as a culture-wide problem (which Camosy at times seems to suggest is a problem with democracy--here I could not disagree more).

Third, the author's comment abouy sensitivity to race and gender undermining our capacity to use the ideas from our founding era seems wrong to me.  Yes, we can now see our framers were wrong on slavery, but our greater sensitivity to race and gender subordination today is (in my view) a reflection of how authoritative these founding ideas remain today--too often as more aspiration than reality, but that is a different point.

Fourth, the law is one of our most important common languages for 'doing politics.'  While we have always disagreed on the precise meaning of due process, equal protection, and free speech and religion...we still (following our founders) argue about these using the language in the Constitution, Supreme Court decisions, and laws passed by Congress and States.  

Our disagreement is certainly deep in some cases, but we are still using a common language...at least enough to wonder if the central argument in this piece requires us to look at some data before we conclude that "our growing commitment to freedom" is driving a "disintegration of our political culture." As much as I like this piece, the central claim might be more a 'vague sense' than an actual observation.  

So, in this sense, watching (and discussion) Star Wars is yet another public sphere where we are all doing politics, participating in the ongoing struggle over the meaning of the law.  I do wish that the previous Star Wars episodes had included women and non-whites of the stature of Yoda or Obi Wan, but perhaps the new one will take a step from our founding era to today and beyond.  

Don't miss the movie as yet another opportunity to come together over the holidays!