Cowboy Stereotypes

The Untold Truth About Cowboys
How can someone wrongfully label another for no particular reason at all? Stereotypes and misconceptions are used by all kinds of people to describe groups that people identify as being a part of, rarely are the labels ever positive. A stereotype is labeling every single person in a group a certain way just because an individual or a small number of people have done something to give them that reputation. Misconceptions are just complete misunderstandings of a group because of wrong information that was perceived. Stereotypes are learned from parents (who are the first and most influential teachers), friends, and the media. In most cases, people who hear these stereotypes believe them to be true for every member

The western movie star John Wayne is a perfect example of what people imagine and expect cowboys to be, because of his manly mannerisms and rugged features when acting. In the past, as cowboys, these men were seen as resilient and patient men who had good work ethic. Nowadays because of all these old-fashioned wild west hollywood movies, cowboys are labeled as being courageous and tough because of how it portrays acts in the movies instead of being recognized as courageous and tough for making spontaneous acts for the safety of animals and other people. In a personal interview with Jerry Cook, a well-driller and part time cowboy, he clarifies that the stereotypes of cowboys have some truth, but are mostly exaggerated because cowboys are manly, but a nurturing/feminine side is needed when taking care of the precious animals. In the interview, Jerry states that, “Cowboys… They always act so cool as if they don’t have a care in the world. I wish it were like this, it’s more like tending to our animals all day and getting dirty while doing so”. The responses given back in this interview back up the idea of how authentic cowboys do not act or do things as depicted in famous Hollywood Wild-Westerns. There also people who identify as being a rodeo cowboy, or also known as arena cowboys. Most of arena cowboys aren’t real cowboys at all, an act is put on for show when

This exposure of the truth about how cowboys really don’t act like how cowboys are portrayed in the western movies, most likely disappoints a large number of people who expected a courageous, manly man. People should take the time to actually go out and see what cowboys do in a day’s work, instead of believing the stereotypes promoted by movies. The idealistic cowboy figure was not used to promote big time corporations like Marlboro cigarettes, until about the 1960’s. The main purpose for advertising the image of a rugged cowboy with a cool demeanor, was to persuade mostly little boys to go out and beg parents to buy the product. According to The Guardian’s online extract from the book, The myth of the cowboy, the late Eric Hobsbawm states, “The cowboy tradition was reinvented in our times as the established myth… For instance, cowboys did not become a serious medium for selling things until the 1960s, surprising though this seems: Marlboro country really revealed the enormous potential in American male identification with cow-punchers, who, of course, are increasingly seen not as riding herd but as gunslingers”. In this quote, Hobsbawm makes a great point. He explains to the reader when and why cowboys were used for