Episode 14: Myths and Reality in the American West

[00:00:00] Welcome to English, please, the podcast where we explore captivating topics and under 10 minutes in clear intermediate English. I’m your host, Christopher. I live and work in New York City, and I’m a language enthusiast who has always been interested in the most effective ways to learn a new language. Thank you for joining me for another episode, designed to help you improve your English listening skills and vocabulary. 

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve received several interesting emails about a recent episode of English, please, in which I talked about the American West (episode 12, in case you missed it). Listeners were asking about the real West, beyond some of the stories [00:01:00] and movies out there. Essentially, what’s the truth about the west? What’s the truth about the people who shaped this remarkable region? I’m excited to dig a little bit deeper. In this episode, we’ll examine some of the popular stories and contrast them with the actual history. And as always, thanks for your messages! 

Okay, let’s get started! 

The lives of cowboys may look exciting and the movies. But the lives of real cowboys were often quite different. For a long time, people have imagined cowboys as tough loners riding horses across wild lands. Oh, a “loner” is someone who prefers not to associate with other people. If you look at the word “loner,” you might see that it comes from the word “alone.” This gives you a clue to the meaning. In addition to the common belief that cowboys were [00:02:00] loners, there is also a belief that cowboys spent a lot of time in gunfights with each other. 

The truth is quite different though. Cowboys generally were more like ranch helpers. Their job was to take care of animals like cows or horses, a job that could be boring and also dangerous at times. They didn’t get in fights very often. Instead they spent their days fixing fences, moving herds of cattle and living through whether that was frequently extreme. 

Movies also like to glorify outlaws, portraying them as charming bandits in the mold of Robin Hood, committing robberies with skill style, and a strong sense of justice for the oppressed. In truth, most outlaws were driven by complete desperation. Often, it was due to poverty and the lack of opportunities on the [00:03:00] frontier. Their crimes were often small thefts, and their escapes were far less clever or exciting than what you see in the movies. Billy the Kid, for example, was a famous outlaw in the American West, and he is often seen as a sort of folk hero who was charming and admired. History, however, tells us that he was an orphan as a young child, and he drifted into trouble, ultimately becoming a ruthless murderer. 

We also almost never see the racial and ethnic diversity of outlaws. For example, Juan Cortina was a Mexican American figure in the West, and he fought against exploitation and discrimination. Chinese immigrants were also involved in outlaw gangs, a fact that is often disregarded in popular stories. 

Movie’s depict frontier towns as busy and [00:04:00] exciting places, full of bars, gambling halls, and live shows for adults. While some towns certainly were rough and wild places, the reality is they normally were small, dusty villages struggling to establish themselves. There wasn’t really a system of laws in these places, but things weren’t always as violent as the movies show. In general, these towns were places where people from all walks of life came to build a new future, facing the challenges of a difficult and unforgiving environment. 

Perhaps the most concerning and honestly, terrible, aspect of wild west mythology is the portrayal of Native Americans. Films historically have depicted them as ruthless warriors who were constantly at war with white settlers. 

The truth is far more complicated. Native American tribes in the American West had diverse [00:05:00] cultures, languages, and social structures. They weren’t a single group. While conflicts over land did occur when settlers came to the West, many tribes co-existed peacefully with the settlers, even engaging in trade and cultural exchange. The forced removal of Native Americans from their ancestral lands by the U.S. Government was brutal, and was a horrible part of American history. This is frequently ignored, or worse. Sometimes it’s actually celebrated in westerns. 

The portrayal of women in the American West is also mostly inaccurate.. In classic westerns, you will often see women working in bars, needing cowboys to protect them. This image, of course, is ridiculous. And it erases the important roles women played in front of your life. Women ran businesses, managed land, and provided [00:06:00] essential support for families and for communities. They defied the limitations placed on them in other parts of society at the time, and women became entrepreneurs, teachers, and even doctors. Their stories deserve to be told and celebrated. 

So why are all these inaccurate stories so common? One purpose of these stories is to offer a very simple way of seeing good versus evil, or order versus chaos. We are able to see a time when hard work and dedication truly could lead to a better life, and this is a powerful message that audiences want to hear. The stories also evokes a feeling of nostalgia for a simpler time, even if it truly never existed. 

The problem with continuing to portray the American West in these simple and inaccurate ways is that there are negative [00:07:00] consequences. It erases the experiences of those who were marginalized or oppressed during westward expansion, such as women, Native Americans, and Mexican Americans. It creates unrealistic expectations about the realities of rural life, painting a picture of adventure while ignoring the difficulties faced by those who settled the West. And finally it completely ignores the environmental devastation and cultural destruction that happened with westward expansion. 

To gain a more complete understanding of this complicated and fascinating period in American history, we need to approach stories of the American West with a critical eye. We can appreciate classic westerns for their entertainment value, but we must acknowledge the historical inaccuracies. The good news is that there are some great stories of the west that avoid the stereotypes [00:08:00] and accuracies. Modern westerns and television shows like Deadwood or Unforgiven show the West as a difficult and less overly simplified place. I recommend watching both of these productions. The English sometimes isn’t easy ,and there are elements that aren’t completely accurate, but both provide a more balanced view of the American West. 

And that’s important. 

As an episode 12, there were some words in this episode that were specific to the American West that I just couldn’t avoid, but I hope you were able to understand most of this episode. And don’t forget as always, there’s a transcript available to help you with your understanding. You can find the link in the episode notes. I recommend listening again with the ,transcript to help with anything that wasn’t clear. 

Again, I’m Christopher, and I want to invite you to join me in future episodes of English, please [00:09:00] to hear about a variety of topics, all focused on helping you with your English. Subscribe now, wherever you listen to podcasts, and let’s embark on an adventure together in clear, understandable English. I also encourage you to visit comullen.com/pod for more information. 

Thanks for listening. See you soon.