Westerns

• About this book
• MythologyReality was different from the myth.
• GunsEveryone didn’t carry a gun.
• BeansPacking dried beans was a lot easier than packing canned beans.
• Being aloneThe openness of the space is a big factor.
• Big sky countryWide open spaces create the illusion of a big sky.
• Roughing itFor newcomers, it was like a camping trip.
• Indian actorsItalians could play the parts.
• BelongingOther people had been living in the West for thousands of years.
• SuccessionEventually, the result of the devastation seems normal.
• Non-native grassesCalifornia’s golden hills are covered with European grasses.
• Comedy or romanceFor Europeans, the West was just an exotic backdrop.
• CharactersStock characters populated the genre.
• HorsesEveryone in the West can ride a horse.
• Wild WestEveryone assumed that the West was wild.
• CostumesStock characters wore stock costumes.
• ButteThe butte is an iconic backdrop.
• Gold rushGold became more important than individual lives.
• ProvisionersMost of the profits went to the provisioners.
• Lone RangerThe Lone Ranger is an iconic hero of the West.
• CrueltyCruelty characterizes the Western villain.
• DifficultiesLife in the West was difficult for people who didn’s understand it.
• Wild West showsRomantic stereotypes were entertaining.
• The myth of the IndianIt was useful to disregard what Native Americans really were.
• American frontierI thought of it more as an invasion.
• CowboyBeing a cowboy has hard work.
• Civilization and wildernessBringing civilization to the wilderness was a fantasy.
• Cattle rustlingOwnership had a higher value than human life.
• Range warsThe concept of public land is not well understood.
• MisogynyRescuing a woman from a Native community often wasn’t for her benefit.
• Rugged individualismWe overlook the negative aspects of rugged individualism.
• ExploitationThe myth is that exploiting the land is the primary good.
• Morality dramaThey say that civilization wins when it’s a battle between civilization and the wilderness.
• CoyoteAs a symbol of the West, the coyote is highly simplified.
• SaloonSaloon scenes need many stuntmen.
• StagecoachDesperation and danger tell a good story.
• Romance and violenceRomance and violence drive the plot.
• JusticeEvil people suffer the consequences of their own evils.
• Unhealthy desiresSome tragedies are simply inevitable.
• Rope tricksHandling a rope used to be a practical necessity.