Cowboys
In the west the cowboy became the figure of a great American hero, when in reality he was the great American zero. The cowboy was portrayed as a rugged, hard working, honorable, chick magnet, however this is not the case. In reality they were low paid young men who weren't very good with the ladies. Well, most if them were young, some of them were just strange old men who wanted to be around cows all day. To be honest, cowboys were looked down upon. I find it interesting that they were so heavily romanticized. It would be like if we took garbage men and turned them into pop culture icons. Its pretty funny to think about.
Due to the fact of the over idolization, there have been several realities of western life that have been overlooked. For example, someone with such a low status as the cowboy would not have a gun at their disposal all the time. A gun would most likely be out of a cowboy's budget. Even if a cowboy did have a gun, it would definitely not be for fighting Indians. Society has gotten so wrapped up in cowboys that the other situations in the west have been overlooked. The real fight was not between Indians and cowboys, but between Whites and Asians. That's where the real violence and action was. Also, the Mexicans were fighting for a political voice and women were starting to vote. All these aspects have been "swept under the rug" because of the obsession with cowboys. However, its easy to get lost in all the hype with cowboys when there is so much influence coming from art and entertainment.
The influence of artwork had caused people to romanticize the west as a great beautiful landscape and people began to think of cowboys as the heroic men who roamed these vast areas with great authority. Also, books were a huge factor. People all across the United States read about cowboys and they believed what they read and had no reason not to due to their lack of knowledge of cowboys. Movies also had a great impact because they allowed people to see cowboys in action. When the Virginian became a movie, people go to see a cowboy in an action packed adventure. This was perfect because it was appealing to men and women. Women were given a tough, honorable, attractive man to dream of and men were given a rugged, tough, violent action hero. The western shows, ran by Buffalo Bill, gave the same opportunities to the audience except they were live action! These shows spread the great image of the cowboy all around America.
Due to the fact of the over idolization, there have been several realities of western life that have been overlooked. For example, someone with such a low status as the cowboy would not have a gun at their disposal all the time. A gun would most likely be out of a cowboy's budget. Even if a cowboy did have a gun, it would definitely not be for fighting Indians. Society has gotten so wrapped up in cowboys that the other situations in the west have been overlooked. The real fight was not between Indians and cowboys, but between Whites and Asians. That's where the real violence and action was. Also, the Mexicans were fighting for a political voice and women were starting to vote. All these aspects have been "swept under the rug" because of the obsession with cowboys. However, its easy to get lost in all the hype with cowboys when there is so much influence coming from art and entertainment.
The influence of artwork had caused people to romanticize the west as a great beautiful landscape and people began to think of cowboys as the heroic men who roamed these vast areas with great authority. Also, books were a huge factor. People all across the United States read about cowboys and they believed what they read and had no reason not to due to their lack of knowledge of cowboys. Movies also had a great impact because they allowed people to see cowboys in action. When the Virginian became a movie, people go to see a cowboy in an action packed adventure. This was perfect because it was appealing to men and women. Women were given a tough, honorable, attractive man to dream of and men were given a rugged, tough, violent action hero. The western shows, ran by Buffalo Bill, gave the same opportunities to the audience except they were live action! These shows spread the great image of the cowboy all around America.
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