Politics V: Black Panther & The Origins of Executive Power | Running The Game

If you get a sense of deja vu watching this, it’s because we originally covered this in a livestream, but I thought it deserved a real video with a script and everything.

Coming back after a bit and Matt talking about how if you subvert the right people elections don't matter is scaryely real thinking what happened 6 months later in the US

Love love love this analysis. Thank you!

One point you didn’t touch on that I think bears discussion: M’Baku’s stated reason for giving T’Challa the herb is to save his life, because M’Baku owes him a life-debt. I think that accords with M’Baku’s personal philosophy of honor, but I think there’s also a subtext here that’s related to the Paul Atreides gambit: T’Challa was not willing to throw away M’Baku’s life - his strength, his wisdom, his value to the tribe - for the sake of a bloody circus. Killmonger obviously has no such scruples.

A tangential point: Paul was able to pull off the succession move with Stilgar because he had access to an alternate source of authority, specifically his inheritance of the Atreides duchy, legitimately conferred on his father by the Emperor and passed by descent to Paul, the Atreides heir. Stilgar does not concede the leadership of the Fremen to Paul, but rather, in his (Stilgar’s) capacity as leader of the Fremen, acknowledges Paul’s right to rule all of Arrakis and his submission to that authority. Paul formalizes this by swearing Stilgar to allegiance in front of the assembled Fremen, using the ritual forms of the Atreides.

If it were really a chaotic society then they wouldn't have let killmonger take over. Obeying the forms even though they see killmonger is a psychopath is the hallmark of a hidebound lawful society. Not a chaotic one.

I thought this came out after the election based on the ways it seemed to reference that but apparently not. If you know the origins of power it all becomes obvious, and terrifying.

This video is so good. I'm trying to use this kind of thing in my games and this is a phenomenal example

Ok, what if wakanda didn't have a Black Panther? Would it still work?

Sure! I'll rewatch this entire great series years later. I knew there was a reason I saved the playlist. Good stuff!

Seeing Matt call Black Panther good and brilliant is killing me.

Tuchalla's father being king when he certainly was not the best warrior kinda of undermines this video.

"Because he can only see the world as masters and slaves."

Ah yes. That ol' dialectic. Oppressors and the oppressed. A useful Marxist lense, but when that is your only way of seeing the world...well....

Rewatching this now rings even deeper…thanks Uncle Matt for your wisdom.

I wonder what Matt thought of the writing

black panther is mid AF. calling it brilliant is a fuckin stretch Matt.

Preparing for my first time DM'ing a 4 hour one-shot.. watched 89 Running The Game videos.. almost through the curriculum ;)

Wow, watching this in 2023 is slightly chilling after seeing trumps attempt at taking over the 2020 election

my players are currently attempting to stop a civil war inside an HRE analogue of mine, and it was all their idea! you made that possible Matt. thanks homie

This one has greatly informed my own political understanding, and for that I thank you.

This is non-sense. This was not a sofisticated political movie; they undercut the most advanced human society by saying that the standard American doctrine of "banana republics" can overcome even the most sofisticated society. This is drama made for a 5 year old to understand :/

This is also not how executive power is generated. You have to declare yourself king and defend it. Does not matter if you have a legitimate claim or not if you can defend it; this is how new kings are made.

This is very American centric and has Saturday morning cartoon level of complexity writing. It is an OK sci-fi movie, but it says about as much of governance as The Muppet Movie....

Ok, i usually try to avoid multiple comments on one video but daaaaamn, i had to double check the date stamp on this video. Zero surprise that it was from mid 2020. Well done, sir.

Ghost Dog shout out! Love it!

Damn... You were describing the movie so well, I decided to wait to watch that, before watching the rest of this video 😅

Brilliant video!

This says it's the 5th episode. I watched the 1st 3: politics 101, why is there peace, and the politics of war. Where is the 4th?

I would love to see Matt's take on 40k lore.

Always remember, if someone tries to politically convince you of something by saying "you are being oppressed," even if it's true, they are only looking to become the new oppressors.

I do not necessarily completely agree with the fact that a chaotic society would by essence base its ruler selection on might and strength alone, because after all, if you determine that this is what matters to select a ruler, than it makes it a rule de facto, therefore a law. I agree that it's probably one of the most natural states of ruler selection that has ever existed, but ritual by combat already narrows down greatly the qualities upon which a leader can emerge, and a ritual itself, is tradition, and tradition, leads to force of law.

In an actual chaotic society, you'd see various types of leaders emerge, some by strength, some by other talents like charisma, or even intelligence or cunning. Or a mix of all of those. Since there is by definition very little law, then it is only logical that no real criteria proves deterministic enough to be the only one that matters every time.

The CPG grey video "rules for rulers" is also a really excellent example of how there are stakeholders. Rulers only rule when those that run the government say they do.

I think this may be one of the greatest pieces of content you have ever created.

Something I realized while watching this is that Killmonger ultimately failed because he didn't understand Wakanda as well as he thought he did. He ignored the Jbari and Dora Milaje as legitimate threats to his throne, and in the end that's what unseated him.

Gods damned I am glad that you were not consulting Trump leading up to the 6th.

Going to have the ruler of the eternal forest (and their wives, it's a power trouple thing) be overthrown by their brother while away campaigning. By threatening first Chelsy, then her kids in order to get the controlling majority of votes.

Nothing like throwing your in laws in jail after pysically threating them and stripping them of their political power in order to stir up some family drama.👍

I'm writing a novel right now, I fucking love your videos. I know this is an old video and you might not see this, but I just wanted to say that I really appreciate your content on stuff like this, and I wish you well.

Do we ever learn where the tribal chiefs get their power from? One suspects it's aristocratic succession modified by occasional popular revolt.

I like the idea of clans as the basis of a medieval culture. Land held by a collective which chooses its chief executive by some form of popular election. It makes for more levels of political activity without the 'aristocratic' people getting the idea they have any right to be in charge.

I always come back to this video.

So much of gaming is understanding our world. Sure, it's make believe, but the themes are the same. Brilliant video. Very impressed.

This is my most favourite video yet of the ones I've seen so far of this channel. Just brilliant and so insightful!

This makes me more optimistic about this world 😭
I feel like this is cure to my deppression
That humanity has future

I loved that movie 😍
And I love Matt Colville for making BOTH the movie and DnD better!

I'm gonna probably re-watch this a bunch because I'm trying to build a campaign using the English Civil War between Matilda (Richard the Lionheart's grandmother) & Stephen (Matilda's cousin who decided he had a stronger claim than Matilda or her son, Henry II.

Also, how did you go a full video about supreme executive power & not use the Holy Grail scene?

I am a teaching student in College right now and for the longest time I was lost and had no aspirations. watching this channel and learning to DM has enriched me and guided me over the years to the point where I know how I want to live my life. I want to be a river to my people. thank you Matt Colville. you inspire us all.

Yesterday I watched Black Panther and the latest January 6th Committee hearing… so watching this today was a wild, wild ride.

Amazing series!

The oligarchy legitimizes the form of government.

Interesting to examine these ideas in the light of the disputes over the 2020 election. You could say that Biden has executive power right now because political leaders and media elites accepted his claims over Trumps (whether that was right of them to do so or not is not what this post is about, so don't make it a partisan flame fest). If those same people accepted Trump's claims instead, he would still be president. The actual votes themselves are not as relevant as we tend to think. It is not who votes, but who counts the votes.

Wow. A lot of American politics being talked about in a D&D video featuring super-hero movies.

While i did not enjoy the movie, i'll probably try to rewatch it, you made extremely interesting points

I would love to see a video on his views of from software lore and storytelling