Outlander, Culloden, respect, and perspective

If you read many of the headlines that exist out there pertaining to Outlander, you may already be well-aware of some of the headlines: Concerns over whether or not some fans are abusing the opportunity to visit the harrowing site of the Battle of Culloden. Are some of the finer details within some of these stories true? It’s hard to question that. Just like any other destination there are going to be people who abuse the right to be there and disrespect it in some way — it’s also true that the site of the Battle of Culloden is an increasingly-popular place for Outlander fans to visit, especially when it comes to the gravestone for Clan Fraser.

Here’s where the debate and the discussion of the story starts to take a little bit more shape: What can really be done to stop the overzealousness from happening? We appreciate some of the work that is being done to get the word out there about this; after all, it may help to better ensure that there are no problems taking place at the location. If the presence of these stories from multiple outlets ends up helping to turn the tide in any way, you have to consider the decision for many outlets to write about it a success.

Yet, we do also feel like the biggest thing that can be done here to preserve the pace happens at a local level, including hiring more people to watch the grounds and to approach anyone who may not be exhibiting the best of behavior. We hope that this is considered at the location as much as anything.

Related – See some more discussion on Outlander and its male support base

One of the other unfortunate parts of this story comes via the way in which some outlets are choosing to cover this — and, in turn, how many are choosing to paint all of the show’s fans with one brush proclaiming that they are all obsessive, or interested in turning up at Culloden for a playful romp through the gravestones. The vast majority of Outlander fans who attend Culloden are likely self-aware and respectful and these stories are intended to be about a select few who were in violation of decorum. Yet, isn’t there a better way of speaking to a few without generalizing the many? Our fear is that some outlets, especially overseas, are going to start crafting a narrative that Outlander fans are a destructive, obsessive bunch that can’t be trusted at historical sites. That’s inherently unfair; there is a chance that any person at any location could have destructive tendencies.

Places like Culloden deserve the utmost respect; we want to heed attention to that and whatever issues are happening there. Yet, at the same time we also want to contend that there remains a necessary amount of nuance that goes into reporting. Lumping too many Outlander fans into the same category eliminates whatever sort of good that could have been done spreading the message in the first place.

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