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Is ‘Alaskan Bush People’ Secretly Right-Wing Propaganda?

By Toni Matthews
Published on: 03:33 PST, Jul 24, 2016

There’s something I’ve noticed about Alaskan Bush People that I’ve been hesitant to comment on as I am trying to avoid getting too wrapped up in politics. With the season now over, I feel free to focus on takeaways from previous episodes.

One particular observation I’ve made I have yet to see anyone else really mention about Alaskan Bush People, so I think I’ll go ahead and ask the question.

Is Alaskan Bush People quietly far-right propaganda?

Before you inundate me with comments that this is reality TV, and no one takes it seriously, you should remember quite a few loyal Duck Dynasty viewers took patriarch Phil Robertson’s pro-Christian, anti-gay (anti-black) rhetoric seriously — seriously enough to stand by him in the face of criticism. Fan support even kept the show on the air, despite many calls for A&E to cancel it.

Of course, Alaskan Bush People hasn’t experienced that kind of a controversy, but the Browns have weathered their share of scandals recently. The fraud scandal, long-lost family awkwardness, and Matt Brown’s televised struggles with alcohol all took a toll on the “Wolf Pack” — and their public image. Ratings are down from last season, and disillusionment could be the reason.

But what about the people who stayed: why do they feel such a strong connection with the Browns and their alleged way of life?

As other Inquisitr writers have noted, the show is rather inoffensive. Any American of any age can watch the series and not get offended. Unless you’re an animal rights activist or dedicated vegan, you probably won’t see anything too upsetting. There’s also positive messages of family, and togetherness, and never giving up on your life goals.

These are certainly powerful reasons to recommend a show, and these qualities are almost unheard of in reality TV.

And yet, I also noticed that the show leans heavily on imagery and words that are more appealing to the far-right American crowd than any other.

First, there’s the inarguable gun porn. When you live remotely and have to hunt for food (or make sure a bear isn’t going to creep up on you), it makes sense you have an arsenal. The episodes featured a lot of hunting and also a lot of target practice. The Browns used this as “bonding” throughout the season. Including shooting with Twila and Noah attempting to impress his actress/date.

With so much anti-gun control talk and fear of the government “taking away guns,” seeing a family of pioneer-like people justifying the right to bear arms might be regarded as a comfort. If it were just the “gun porn” on Alaskan Bush People, it would seem like a nifty coincidence and little more.

But it isn’t.

As I mentioned, anti-gun control is an ultraconservative political stance that is tied closely with fear and mistrust of the government. Despite the fact that the Browns intentionally misrepresented themselves and stole money from Alaska, the narrator and Billy Brown himself were careful to imply that the Alaskan government was after them because of “their way of life.”

This claim that the Browns would never do wrong isn’t backed up by facts. They did lie about being outside of the state. They did take thousands of dollars of Alaska’s annual oil revenue shares — money to which they were not legally entitled. But, the conversation on Alaskan Bush People was never about admitting wrongdoing or even learning from one’s mistakes.

Instead, there were repeated attempts to shape the Browns’ case into a narrative where more conservative Americans would likely be more sympathetic: God-fearing, gun-toting Americans being put down by government types who want to tell them what to do.

We saw a bit of this in the earliest episodes of Alaskan Bush People, where the family claimed that the U.S. government burned down their old home because they allegedly didn’t have the right to be there.

Pro-gun, anti-government views are almost enough, but there’s one more element that nails the trifecta of the intended audience.

Throughout the Alaskan Bush People series, whenever anything bad happens, Billy repeatedly references God or the “Good Lord,” which is clearly meant to imply strong Christian values. What’s interesting is that aside from these statements, I’ve never actually seen anything pro-Christian. No crosses or pictures of Jesus. I can’t even remember anyone praying or saying grace. It could be that prayer is very private to the Browns, and they request not to be filmed during these moments.

Given the Browns’ less-than-honest, and therefore, less than “Christ-like” behavior, this feels rather disingenuous. However, if the goal of Alaskan Bush People is to appeal to an audience that appreciates far-right propaganda more so than critical thinking, it makes sense to attempt to come across as highly religious.

Do I think Alaskan Bush People is right-wing propaganda? Well, no. Having said that, I do believe the Discovery Channel knows its audience. Given the location and themes, the loyal viewership (this doesn’t include people who genuinely hate Alaskan Bush People, by the way) is likely to skew conservative, Christian, white, and be pro-gun and also have a deeply rooted distrust of the government.

On that note, I can’t tell you how fun it is to be an outlier.

But what do you think: Is Alaskan Bush People far-right propaganda? Is there anything nefarious about the program or is it just wholesome television taken way too seriously? Share your thoughts below!

[Image via the Discovery Channel]

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