A Dyed-In-The-Wool Outlander by Willard Thurston
Have you ever watched the wildly popular Outlander series and thought, does it have to be this graphic? Did you read Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and question the merit of the construction of Gilead’s fascist regime? Are there any number of increasingly popular opinions in today’s “woke” culture that you find yourself at odds with, one way or another?
If any of the above resonates, it may be worth cracking open A Dyed-In-The-Wool Outlander by Willard Thurston, which offers a blunt introspection on a variety of topics that have permeated our cultural consciousness in recent years. But do be warned, this collection of essays is not for the easily offended reader; “only the fearless or daring might hang in there.”
ALTER EGO VENTURES INTO PROVOCATIVE DISCOURSE
At the start, Thurston frames the collection as a series of editorials penned by the Alter Ego of a man named Tim. This choice could be merely an amusing setup, or perhaps it serves as a commentary on the divide between public-facing and private opinions — that one might feel the need to protect oneself from the ire of the majority should one’s ideas surrounding a particular topic contradict whatever’s currently in vogue.
Tim, unlike his Alter Ego (referred to as AE), doesn’t get too riled up about “rapt sexual intercourse … the news and entertainment media avid showcasing of violence (a seemingly growing devotion to turmoil), public education (which seemed bent on assuring youngsters that gender didn’t exist and that intelligence, as measured by things like IQ, was as mythical as beauty), and culture (essentially the recognition that being white was more or less unforgivable).”
Nevertheless, Tim decides it’s best to hear AE out, and should the reader continue onward, they’ll both learn just how much AE has to say about “love mongers” (the antithesis of recognized hate mongers), the pervasive inclination to contradict or ignore some measure of established knowledge in favor of one’s own agenda and much more.
THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT MEDIA AND HISTORY
While the essays in A Dyed-In-The-Wool Outlander ruminate on some popular pieces of media, such as the Starz adaptation of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series and Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility, the reader does not have to be familiar with these in order to understand AE’s arguments. Amidst his debate, he provides the necessary background information and definitions to accommodate the uninitiated. Of course, readers who do come to these essays armed with prior knowledge of the media and concepts AE laments may walk away with a new perspective on them.
Whether or not readers agree with AE’s conclusions on what he’d describe as “woke liberal politics” may not matter as much as the overarching theme of the essays. While AE himself is certainly bothered by the numerous topics on which he speaks, the work as a whole seems more concerned with readers’ ability (and the ability of the human population as a whole) to think critically about everything from the media they consume to history, rather than accepting it or any interpretation thereof at face value. It’s a skill that AE would likely argue many lack.
COLLECTION REWARDS LOVERS OF LANGUAGE
One of the most rewarding aspects of this collection is the writing. Those readers enamored with language itself will find Thurston’s writing most pleasurable — a sentiment that reviews of his other works, Anastasia: An Enduring Dream and Cherry Bomb: Explosive Reckonings, also share. His robust and deft use of vocabulary allows words that do not often get their day in the sun to shine. Additionally, those well-read and educated individuals who pick up A Dyed-In-The-Wool Outlander will find mentions of texts from a variety of minds — those with whom AE seems to agree (Stephen Pinker), as well as those whom he critiques (Naomi Wolf).
Examining multiple arenas that influence current cultural perspectives, from the academic realms of philosophy, literature and science to the more widely accessible realms of pop culture, A Dyed-In-The-Wool Outlander posits a complex and wholly provocative assessment of many hot-button issues that will leave readers with much to consider.
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About Willard Thurston:
Willard Thurston lives in British Columbia. One of the Sixties “floaters” … eventually a photographer and printer (retail advertising), illustrator and writer. He holds a degree in English and Early European History from the University of British Columbia.
