Mackubin Owens, “‘Yellowstone: A ‘Conservative Fantasy’,” has given a critique of perhaps the only conservative TV show, Yellowstone. This is a modern day Western, dealing with the struggles of the Dutton family to maintain their vast ranch from all sorts of threats, mainly the developers. The patriarch, John Dutton is tough, if not ruthless, in fighting for his family ranch. He places honour and old school virtues above profit, so he runs counter to the corrupt values of today. He is not afraid of a physical fight if needed, and he has his strong man, the loyal Rip Wheeler, to help fight his battles. He is very much a development of the John Wayne man. The actual Dutton family is more divided, and hence a source of on-going problems for John Dutton.
Owens thinks that John Dutton eschews conservative values, as he places family above general interests. Apparently, Owen thinks conservativism is about universal interests, when in fact, a concern with the particular was a founding idea of conservativism. Owen seems to be more along liberal lines, where the family and particular interests are put behind support of the universal. That is not how non-Anglo-Saxon groups, like the Chinse operate, so why should Anglo Saxons, when such a philosophy has been an extended form of racial suicide for their ethno-racial group? John Dutton shows us the way to go, family, manhood and honour.