How Yellowstone portrays the American creed

Popular neo-western series yellowstone launched its fifth season with a remarkable viewership rating over 12 millionwhich is a great achievement considering it started off without much fanfare in 2018 and season 4 left some feeling hurt in 2021.

According to Kevin Costner, executive producer and star of the show, Yellowstone’s popularity has been achieved “on your own termsThe same can be said about his characters. The series has several storylines linked by blood ties and life on the ranch, but each character is truly different, even if they are closely related. Brothers and lovers have no influence on the paths each person chooses.

At its core, the show shows how important it is for people to find their purpose and the place they belong. In Yellowstone, work is seen as a privilege, not a right, and life on a ranch is far from what many today expect from their chosen profession (of course, there is no staffing firm that promotes work-life balance, or a mentoring program that ensures job satisfaction).

Recruits roam the ranch in need of a job and some choose to become lifelong like tear as well as Lloydwhile others beg to belong despite terrible experiences such as Teeter. The ranch is seen for what it is, a place to earn and learn, and no one understands this better than the character known as Jimmy.

Jimmy faces mental and physical challenges due to Yellowstone, but the opportunity to gain work experience and learn from the best is ultimately worth its weight in gold. Facing his own demons, discovering his unique talents, and developing a tenacity far beyond what he could have imagined, he is able to start a new life for himself. Initially, Jimmy had little to offer and suffered a lot, but his character, the words Thomas Sowell certainly rings true: “Experience over genius.”

Before Yellowstone, Jimmy was a bum. After that, he became what Ayn Rand would call an honest man. “An honest man is one who knows that he cannot consume more than he has produced” and he is one who prides himself on being “the owner of his mind and his efforts.”

Pride and purpose are powerful themes throughout the series, and while there is a hierarchy, status isn’t the right thing to do. Ranchers, for example, make the most of their core competencies and work within their competencies. They never give up on the fact that it is their work that allows Kevin Costner’s character to John Duttonto support his lifestyle.

Dutton’s big house and personal chef are irrelevant compared to their shared living quarters and meager food. Dutton built a life for himself and his family, and they were hired to help him support it. tear as well as Lloyd don’t be jealous of him and Dutton never belittles their role they play.

Like any founder who builds a corporate empire, we’re better off for the opportunities it opens up, and we’d be worse off if they didn’t have a choice. If profitable alternatives emerge, we should be free to follow them, as Jimmy does, or strive to build our own empire, as the Duttons did.

As the series progresses, the success of the Dutton family shows the best sides of capitalism (a system based on incentives, compromises and transactions) and the worst sides of nepotism (a system based on the pursuit of power and politics). political preferences). Yellowstone perfectly illustrates in season four, and now season five, the two-stroke factors of a mixed economic system and the dangers of having business and bureaucrats in the same bed.

Capitalism and the free market give rise to a “system of natural freedom,” as Adam Smith, but blat gives rise to a system of sycophants and bandits. In Season 5, we may find that the Duttons continue their political prowess, not for the sake of notoriety, but to lessen their sense of captivity through the state. For John Dutton, his property is of paramount importance to his personality, so he will do his best to keep it under control.

Overall, the Dutton family has an intriguing appeal. They are impenetrable and imperfect; they are devoted, but far from dependence; they are uncompromising and insidious; and perhaps most importantly, they are aware of their vulnerability, but would rather die than be seen as victims.

The reason we are drawn to the Duttons is not because they embody the American dream, but because they remind us of the American creed.

I don’t choose to be an ordinary person.

It is my right to be unusual – if I can.

I’m looking for opportunities, not security. I do not want to be a supported citizen, humiliated and blunted by the fact that the state takes care of me.

I want to take calculated risk; dream and build, fail and succeed.

I refuse to trade stimulus for unemployment benefits. I prefer the challenges of life to guaranteed existence; a thrill of satisfaction to the musty calm of utopia.

I will not exchange freedom for good deeds and my dignity for alms. I will never cringe before any master or bow before any threat.

This is my legacy to stand [tall], proud and fearless; think and act for yourself, enjoy the fruits of your creations, boldly look the world in the eye and say: “I did it.”

“American Creed” by Dean Alfange

Kimberly Josephson

Dr. Kimberly Josephson is Associate Professor of Business at Lebanon Valley College and works as an adjunct researcher at Consumer Choice Center. She teaches courses on global sustainability, international marketing and workplace diversity; and her research and reviews have appeared in various the shops.

She holds a PhD in Global Studies and Trade and an MA in International Politics from both La Trobe UniversityMaster’s Degree in Political Science from Temple Universityand a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a specialization in Political Science from Bloomsburg University.

Follow her on Twitter @dr_josephson

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