The Genius of 1923

Taylor Sheridan is the Reality Check for our Times

The legendary Four Sixes

In my post on the series Yellowstone, I took to task many cosmopolitan alt-right twatter poasters who write like they have never bucked a bale of hay. Their ignorance showed; their so called hot takes were bereft of reality. Touch grass guys.

Taylor Sheridan is probably the best anti-woke (overall) movie producer/storyteller in the business these days. He is from Texas, and, carries with him a lot of populist political opinions. Just watch his interview with Joe Rogan—a lot of people on the alt-right ate crow on that one, and I warned them they were making a huge mistake critiquing Sheridan unjustly, then he essentially stated he was not a leftist woke nut on Rogan’s show. The entire interview is fabulous:

Sheridan was also behind the most excellent anti-woke series, Landman:

Ever been face-to-face with a rattlesnake? I have. And scorpions too.

1923 just concluded in a bloodbath. One of Sheridan’s great virtues as a storyteller is he kills off the most beloved characters. The state of nature takes men and women, and reminds us, as much comfort as we pine for, is not strong enough to thwart the realities of life; Nature always has her way and we must submit to it.

Yet, Sheridan strikes right hard at cosmopolitan man—who is, to put it nicely, a pussy. Note this scene from Season 2, episode 4 of 1923:

The message Sheridan wants to convey should be obvious, but let’s spell it out.

The greedy aim to take over the hard working man’s property, and they use the government to do it—that is what is going on in the scene above. They are thieves, literally.

OK, so what? Same as it ever was? Certainly. Corrupt and evil politicians and their pay masters have always been in cahoots together stealing from the men who make their lives better.

But then, Sheridan runs through the reason the greedy are able to achieve their theft of property. It’s us—the people who strive to live a life of comfort. This is, frankly, unnatural.

Note the dialogue: people who become wealthier and used to the conveniences of life, forget what it takes to really live life. Cosmopolitan man learns to forget that it takes real work, real effort, and ingenuity of how to live off the land. The knowledge that comes from hard work is for lesser men who toil; the rich cosmopolitan man is the leech that sucks from those men all their hard work, and takes from them their wealth and knowledge and transfers it to themselves.

In this process, we forget how to do things, real things, and we become slaves to those who know HOW to do things.

This is a sad state of affairs for man, and it has led to all the problems we now have in modern society. It is not that conveniences are bad per se, but it is bad when THAT is all we do—consume those conveniences without knowing HOW to provide those conveniences for ourselves.

To Sheridan, this is fucked up. Men lose their manhood, and we lose real knowledge. Our character suffers as a result.

For those who want the text of the 1923 script I posted above, here it is:

Donald: It's a rich man's world now. The one thing you cannot buy in a store is the euphoria of peril. I can sell that for a fortune. ( men laughing ) But that? That's just the beginning. America is awash with wealth.

As people flee the tedium of the countryside for the opportunities of the city, their pockets fill and their station in society rises.

Modern conveniences have eliminated the monotony of daily life.

No more cutting wood for heat.

No more a servant to fields and livestock.

If you wish heat, you turn on the boiler.

If you wish water, you turn a faucet.

Americans no longer rely upon their hands for money.

They use their minds, their imaginations, and they are getting rich from it.

But... what are they going to do with their new money and all their free time? What do they do in Europe?

Hm? They travel.

Travel? Where?

Wherever they can experience a world opposite of their own. Montana is the opposite of their convenient lives and their concrete world. It is wild. It is untamed.

Uh, silver has made me rich, but mines run dry, prices fluctuate. Selling an experience is an infinite resource that costs nothing to create because it already exists.

( investor clears throat ) Your invitation offered an investment opportunity. I see the opportunity, but not the investment.

The investment is in bringing them and entertaining them once they arrive.

There are three phases which must begin at the same time. Phase one. Last spring, the first transcontinental flight left Long Island and arrived 27 hours later in San Diego.

A century ago, that journey took a year. Flights from New York could reach Bozeman in under 12 hours, and from Chicago in under eight.

Second...We push the state for funding to pave the road through Paradise Valley, making automobiles a viable means of transport to the park.

And this... keeps them coming year round.

investor: What is it?

It is a winter park resort where one may ice skate, toboggan and ski.

Alan: Who wants to suffer through the hell of winter only to vacation in the snow? ( chuckling )

Ever vacationed at a beach, Alan? Of course. Why? Why travel all that way? Our lakes have beaches. Our rivers have shores.

Alan: It's not the same. Not the same? How? I can't explain it. When you see it, you understand.

Huh. ( chuckles ) ( men laughing )

Investor: How much will this new infrastructure cost and what type of investment are you seeking?

The state will pay for the infrastructure once we convince them of the tax revenue Montana stands to gain.

Our investment will be the resort community. I'm offering 100,000 per. I'll take five. ( overlapping clamor ) I'll take five. I'll take four. Four. ( chatter, clamoring continues )

Henchman: That resort sits in the middle of Yellowstone. That's Jake Dutton's land.

Donald: Time to build that army you promised me.

Have a great week.