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Starship Troopers (1997 – dir. Paul Verhoeven)

Published by USC Bedrosian Center on

The 2020 Presidential Election brings us to an important tipping point in the American experiment.

In July 2020, the New Yorker ran a piece called “How “Starship Troopers” Aligns with Our Moment of American Defeat,” by David Roth. We thought that it would be a great excuse to revisit the 1997 film directed by Paul Verhoeven and the question of fascism in our time.

“The anti-Fascism of ‘Starship Troopers’ is mordant and merciless, but Verhoeven advances his argument by making its every frame lavishly, overbearingly Fascist.” What can the fascism of “Starship Troopers” tell us about autocracy and community? Do we fight for democracy or give over to the Federation?

Host Jonathan Schwartz is joined by Alex Ago, Aubrey Hicks, and William G. Resh to think about the film and the question of fascism in our time.

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