Claire Fan - Week 6: Welcome to the Wild, Wild West
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Today, one might think of the United States as a diverse population with a vast amount of viewpoints to match. There might not be a single quintessential “American,” but there certainly was before the contemporary period. During the era of rapid westward expansion in the United States, a new lifestyle emerged: that of the cowboy. At first glance, the Old West is perhaps the most undistilled and emblematic of truly American ideals—freedom at any (and all) costs, offering the unrestrained life of the rebel.
Ironically, this idea of the Old West that we collectively hallucinate—a picture so commonly associated with “America”—would probably be exactly contrary to what the Founding Fathers intended for America. The United States of America isn’t actually a pure democracy; instead, it’s a representative democracy. Technically, the president is decided through the Electoral College rather than being voted in by U.S. citizens in a convoluted process most people don’t understand. The Founding Fathers recognized the dangers of mob rule and took the necessary precautions to safeguard the country’s future prosperity. The lawlessness of the Wild West is exactly what the Founding Fathers didn’t want America to fall into. So how did we get here? And why does my heart lurch towards these (probably unhygienic, if I’m being honest) outlaws?
At least for me, I find myself particularly enamored with the theme of independence being underscored in these tropes: the rugged individualism and questionable morals that grant absolute freedom, where you answer to nobody (not even the law!). To eight-year-old me beholden to my parents, cowboys struck straight to the heart of the matter, speaking directly to my soul like wind blowing through the old, rickety wooden gates of an abandoned saloon.
And of course, it can always be left to Hollywood to romanticize the aesthetic; I’ve lost count of the number of movies I’ve watched with the suave, lone wolf main character who has a gun, a cool hat, and a horse. Ghost towns and pistol duelling are what it’s all about, yee-haw!…cue tumbleweed blowing across the screen. The plot didn’t matter so much as the image of America that was imparted on me. From the repetitive narrative of starting from nothing (immigrating) to chasing reward money or some other miscellaneous quest (finding a job) melodramatically (fulfilling a dream), the American Dream is present all the same in these aspirations.
The idea of the Old West is simply proof that no matter the shape or form, the American Dream has always endured, shifting like the transient state of water. Perhaps the American Dream didn’t even start in America. Perhaps the American Dream began in Europe or Asia. Or maybe even Rome. All roads seem to lead there anyways.
Hi Claire! Even though I have also seen many movies set in the “Wild West,” I think I always thought of cowboys more as people looking for a kind of fresh start, or a new chance to achieve the American dream in a different setting. I don’t think that I’ve ever really thought of them as symbols of independence and unrestrained freedom, but now that you point it out, I can definitely see the connection. I think the association with independence also has something to do with the fact that during the time of the United States’ westward expansion, cowboys were relatively isolated from the rest of the U.S., and they had to rely on themselves in order to prosper.
ReplyDeleteI love how you point out that Hollywood and media culture have a tendency to romanticize the Wild West, as I think this is a major reason why people are so charmed with the concept of cowboys and their culture. Popular media, especially the kinds of films that you mentioned, loves to depict cowboys as adventurous and individualistic, representing the kind of freedom that so many in America dream of.
I also just want to say that I love how layered your blog is, and I love the way that you draw such strong connections between the ideals of the Founding Fathers, as well as your own personal fascination with the individualism of the Wild West.
Cowboys and the Wild West… what a staple to American culture. I couldn’t agree more with this blog; cowboys feel like the embodiment of the American Dream, living with a life of freedom that not everyone can enjoy.. Sure, the Wild, Wild West in reality was dangerous, chaotic, and had people living life in fear, as kids consuming content about cowboys and like you said with movie romanticization, you really only see the good stuff. Putting on the rose-colored lenses, doesn’t the whole “Wild West Town” seem pretty nice? Cowboys can head over to a bar after a long day of herding cows and chat it up with fellow comrades. Even with the lawlessness, there’s still that organization and mutual dependence amongst the civilians of the Wild West. Down the street from the saloon is the Sheriff’s office, which is adjacent to the post office—a small town with a very present sense of community is right there. A chill place to live if we just… ignore the violence…. There may be no honor amongst thieves, but the cowboy code of conduct of integrity and loyalty at leas prove they’re better than hooligans.
ReplyDeleteI’ve only ridden a horse a grand total of two times in my life, yet the feeling of freedom from sheer exhilaration as you can feel every up and down with the horse’s gallop is something I would like to try again. Although it definitely wasn’t as fun for the cowboys, who probably didn’t have as comfortable saddles and had to ride horses for their job which I can’t imagine would be good for their spine, I associate that personal experience of freedom with the whole cowboy aesthetic.