Couch Cowboys

October 2023

I am not a real television guy.  I watch my share, but that adds up to only several hours on a normal day. If that.  In the summer when there is an abundance of other things to do, far less.   However, if I am sick, sad, bored, or just looking for some mindless release, I head to the couch, grab the remote, and find a good western.  My kids have teased me about this for decades. Yet, I get a warm and fuzzy feeling from so many of them. They just make me feel grounded. Better. Even though I have seen most of them about a million times.

I love old Western movies and shows for a variety of reasons. But when I truly ponder this, it is my belief that they are enduring to me because they are a part of my own personal history.  My dad watched them. I watched them with him. I remember the thrill of seeing them for the first time. Yes, that excitement is gone, but I remember the feeling.  And, like old shoes, they are still very comfortable.  I can sit back and let them wash over me. Bathing me in nostalgia.

It doesn’t hurt that they are simple stories. Nothing is over-thought.  So, in turn, it doesn’t take much thinking to enjoy them.  I also like clearly defined villains and heroes.  Yet, heroes with flaws. In many cases within the western genre, the heroes were excessively imperfect, and some of the villains had clear virtues. Or the villains are excessively self-centered and evil.  Either case creates a circumstance that allows for a compelling story to be told.

And that’s the heart of it.  They are just fundamentally good stories.  Stories that are told in a non-complex way. They are tales about rogues.  About scoundrels with a good heart.  That’s what a cowboy embodies. Someone with a very well-defined character and with his own story. The embodiment of both the good of humanity, and the not so good.  Someone trying to overcome the flaws in their character within an adventurous framework. But someone that lives in the moment and doesn’t dwell on the past, or the future.  Something I always wished I was better at doing. I grew up imagining myself as a cowboy. A simple, unlikely hero, just trying to be a good man.

These stories also capture my own adventurous spirit, within a style that is very predictable. As I said, making them incredibly easy to watch. Additionally, their portrayals of the American West during the 19th century bring me a vicarious sense of adventure. The themes of individualism, the immediacy of justice, and the struggle between good and evil are often the critical motifs.  And these have a high level of appeal to me.

One of the things that do not drive my love of older westerns is historical accuracy.  The fact is, we must face a somewhat disturbing realization.  These stories are mythological.  Fantasies.  Because if you investigate it, the west was really nothing like it is depicted in these films and shows. Other than the amazing geographical backdrop, which is core to a good western, the rest is quite fictional.  Nowadays, modern westerns are making moves in a more historically accurate direction.  But the old classics did not endeavor even to try. They were just designed to entertain.

There is a great deal of creative license that goes along with this. For example, the way the cowboys acted, dressed, and the number of guns and constant gun usage are all embellishments. It was not the lawless place so often illustrated. Guns themselves were not always worn, and they were rarely allowed once you entered a town.

Also, the fact that most cowboys are portrayed as white, or older, is certainly flawed. The entire genre within the framework of film and television has hardened us to believe that all cowboys were white. When it is widely known that at least a quarter of all cowboys were black.  While even more were Mexican.  Their average age was somewhere south of 25 years old. They were cow “boys” after all.

Drinking and prostitution are often shown and were generally not as ubiquitous, nor conducted as depicted. And finally, the Native American threat was much, much less severe. Yes, it is certain that some tribes took advantage of the naivety of those involved with western expansion. There were many known to steal from settlers traveling westward through their lands. But documented cases of violent attacks and theft were few and far between.  Murders even less so. At least the murder of settlers by natives. 

I am confident that these facts are likely to bother some people.  And that’s ok.  The inaccuracies can be interpreted to denigrate the impact of other races and ethnicities regarding a significant part of our history. This is probably true. But I’m from a unique, less sensitive era.  To me, unless you are looking for an accurate history lesson, versus just being entertained, none of this really matters.  As I said, it is mythology.  Which by its very nature is supposed to be exaggerated and fictitious. 

The fact is, they are fun stories and leave us with the spirit intended; That our great land was tamed by heroic people, courageously conquering the unknown.  And doing so in a way that has allowed their memories to prevail even now, hundreds of years in the future.  They represent an old way of thinking about America, exemplifying the spirit of our manifest destiny toward greatness.  They also depict that there can be quick solutions to problems through thoughtful application of force.  Something necessary in the anarchic environment of the times.  Again, pure fantasy. But a very appealing one for certain.

Today, the Western itself has nearly disappeared. It’s been replaced largely by other genres that have more contemporary appeal.  What viewers like my kids would consider more modern themes.  But if you think about it, what has changed in these new varieties? It is still good versus evil.  It is still heroes conquering villains. Heroes working to overcome their flaws.  It still provides inaccurate descriptions of real life, done in a way to accentuate the storyline. Usually using violence and mayhem to create the “Edge of your seat” satisfaction that people nowadays seem to crave.  Not me.  I want to keep it simple. 

In truth, the old west and our expansion across the continent was not as simple as we are led to believe. I’m sure if these stories were told in a less mythological way, based more on fact, they would have been equally interesting.  At least now. But regardless, the simple power of nostalgia is the key source that keeps old Westerns appealing to me.  And likely lots of others.  Given the fact it is impossible to turn on the TV without having dozens of options within this genre to view. A testament to the enduring nature of the classic Western.

So, with that, I think I will head to my couch, grab my remote, and see what I can find. Let my kids laugh. I can already hear the comments.  “Not John Wayne again!” “Don’t you ever get sick of that stuff?” I don’t care.  I feel better already!