It seems you either love or hate Yellowstone, and often those viewpoints are established based on geographical location or politics. At least one critic has jokingly referred to Yellowstone as a “red-state show,” which has ignited a firestorm of debates considering its validity.
In the past, series creator Taylor Sheridan has downplayed the accusations that Yellowstone leans toward conservatives or neglects to satisfy the appetites of more high-brow audiences in the coastal regions of America.
He’s defended the show as being “anti-woke” and not presented with any hidden agenda. In fact, Sheridan has gone as far as to suggest Yellowstone is a TV show for the ordinary, every day, working blue-collar American.
The only problem with that perception is that many feel Yellowstone is not a true representation of midland America or white society. Furthermore, some accuse Sheridan of undervaluing and demeaning indigenous cultures by failing to produce an accurate portrayal of their distinct, unique way of life. What’s more, is that Yellowstone fails to account for the working class it’s supposed to represent.
“This is what rubs me the wrong way about [Yellowstone],” one Redditor responded to a post considering whether the show is watchable. “[The producers] try so hard to have this image of hard-working, blue-collar Americans, but the reality is the Duttons have more in common with any Dictator overseas th an a regular American.”
The Redditor makes a valid argument. Since season one, the Duttons have been labeled as the ultimate example of what an individual earns when they work hard and strive for great things, chasing the American Dream for all it’s worth. The problem is this representation is far from accurate.
The reality is that most Americans do not inherit a considerable chunk of land and incredible wealth from birth. The reality is that most hard-working, everyday Americans do not commit the atrocities the characters do in the show in order to preserve that wealth or protect their own self-interests. Nor do they attempt to sabotage family members or secretly connive ways to murder them in cold blood.
The Duttons might make for entertaining TV, but that doesn’t necessarily define them as American folk heroes.
The Duttons do not observe law and order. Furthermore, they utilize fear and blackmail to demand what they want and violence when that is not effective. What average, typical American do you know that can get away from committing serious crimes or using intimidation without repercussion?
The Duttons are not only bad people but poor Americans. They represent the stereotypical image of a western outsider, but not the characteristics of the American fabric of society. It’s undeserving to attribute a family to something it doesn’t deserve when much of its power and wealth has been obtained by evil pursuits or the hard work of previous generations, not their own. Thus, many find this a cruel parody of what Sheridan falsely perceives as the blue-collar American.