P.1 The Cowboy Motif

What is the essential essence of the cowboy? I don’t mean the prototypical cowboy who herds cattle, I mean the sensationalized cowboy of the wild west. The cowboy that the youth looked up to through the 50s.

Consider these characteristics: (The Cowboy Motif)
1.) Drinker
2.) Gambler
3.) Murder (killer over games and heists)
4.) Womanizer (he always got the bar whore)
5.) Thief, back robber, train robber

This is the picture of the cowboy which kids knew and loved. He represented a kind noble western freedom, he was a hero, he was wild, he was untamed. To countless young he was an idol. Little kids ran around with guns in they’re play holsters, pretending to rob banks, fight with Indians, you name it.

As a culture we never saw a problem with this. Little boys grew up in cocnservative Christian homes where the model for living was right there in front of them. As a result it became obvious that what was before they’re ears on the radio, and eventually before they’re eyes on TV was just fantasy.

It seems that this motif has is now gone from society, but is it.
Consider the motif again, but with a few modern tweaks:
1.) Drinker, (marijuana user)
2.) Gambler (Dice player, bones player, card player)
3.) Murderer (at least sensationally)
4.) Womanizer (in this case for bitches and ho’s)
5.) Thief

This is the motif of the modern day gangster rapper, and parents are afraid to death of it. White suburbia blames this culture for all sorts of downfalls. (not to mention the fact that they're black, which has to scare whity even more. Perhaps the table would be turned if these where white folks, but's that's realy beside the point)

(Does this picture below depict "cowboys" on they're hourses, guns drawn and ready for action?)


The problem today isn't so much that this motif is a bad influence, or is in itself responsible for the degredation of society as much as what's missing is that houshold which maintained a strong enough image of reality that left the motif to fantasy. Today kids are raised in poverty within single parent households where right outside they're door the motif of the cowboy is playing vary powerfully before them. It certainly must be a powerfull alure and an easy way out of they're struggle.

Due to high rate of poverty in this country this motif still lives on, the west in many respects and in many neighborhoods in still wild. But whity in suberbia fails to see this and keeps they're eyes and ears shut to it........