Reclaiming the culture of cowboyism and revolutionising buckaroos, cowpokes, and Canucks
Everybody wants to be a cowboy. The culture of cowboys has become an overwhelmingly prominent trend in popular media over the past decade, with stereotypical western faux prints and cowboy boots dominating the masses. This upper-class phenomenon of ‘playing pretend’ tends to glamorise the blue-collar community without fostering meaningful dialogue about the historical or modern significance of what being a ‘cowboy’ really means.
What is seldom discussed or even realised is the basis and ancestry of this culture. The roots of country music—including its sound, dressing, slang, and demeanour—have been built on the beauty of oral speech, storytelling, practicality, and small communities, recounting the stories and culture of the South and the ‘Wild West.’ This lifestyle spread through the southern states of the US, making its way through the mountains and plains of the north, eventually reaching Canada, where we have our diverse ranching and farming culture in vast provinces such as Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. Derived from the Mexican ‘Vaqueros’ and Indigenous hunters, the tradition of Western ‘cowboys’ was established on the edge of Texas in the 1820s and often led to an isolating career. Eventually, this cow wrangling work demonstrated its positive impact on the economic and agricultural development of various states, becoming an iconic symbol of the Americas and, later on, of Hollywood.
This culture’s unique ability to progress and transform through different geographical locations and contexts, despite its genealogical roots having come to an end, proves how significant its effect truly was and continues to be. In the twenty-first century, the term ‘cowboy’ has lost its original career connotation and has instead become a mindset, a lifestyle, and perhaps a way of being and way of being raised. Through decades of imperial and industrial development, the spirit of the cowboy stayed alive because it rejected socio-economic norms. It is the cowboy’s quiet choice to revolt against the conventional class system, which gives them the power to choose a life of hard work, honest living, and isolation in the beauty of North America. The essence of the cowboy is inspired by the simplicity and empowerment of work, the beauties of rural life, and oral storytelling. Due to the consumption of this culture as an ‘aesthetic,’ the value of this character is cheapened.
This very piece was inspired by the Brudi Brothers song “Me More Cowboy Than You,” which evokes the idea of cowboy culture being used as an exchange for validation and as a means to display wealth and style through cowpoke clothing and music. Foundationally, this wave of competition over displays of ‘cowboyism’ obviously spits complete irony, as the culture itself enforces humble and modest lifestyles built on trade labour.
Nevertheless, the true spirit of ‘cowboyism’ will prevail, as it carries the torch for quiet revolt through its music and community. To be a ‘cowboy,’ you do not need a pair of expensive leather boots or a custom hat; you need only know the meaning of hard work and the value of a dollar. You must cherish connections with others and yourself, enabling the common touch wherever you go. You need only read one book—that is, the book of life.
You must have the courage to rebel against the over-consumption of the media and the exhaustion of trends, and find your peace by following your own road. Cowboyisms do not define status symbols; they define sayings or cultural aspects of cowboys entailing virtues such as loyalty, honour, respect, chivalry, integrity, and self-reliance. Materialism, greed, and cruelty do not prevail in a cowboy’s world—such is clear in different unwritten ‘cowboy codes,’ such as the ‘Code of the West.’ It is clear that in today’s society, these morals—once the backbone of cowboy life—are too often ignored, especially by those who wear the title without living the code. In an age where image outweighs integrity, ‘cowboy’ status risks becoming nothing more than a fashion statement. For all who seek to bring justice, fairness, and respect to our world—especially now, when division runs deep—it is necessary to take a page from the cowboy’s book: to act with loyalty when it is inconvenient, to work hard when no one is watching, and to stand firm against injustice even when it costs you comfort.
Calling out injustice and revolting against conventional lifestyles through hard work is what the cowboy is called to do. Through their own doing, they curate change in their own lives, resulting in the influence of those around them. Cowboyism is no longer a plethora of sayings and costumes; it is a dynamic way of causing social change based on self-reliance and moral conduct. It should inspire a new way of being and garner respect for those surrounding us in every context. Everybody wants to be a cowboy, and whether you are a canuck from the north or a buckaroo from the south, you are called to the same responsibility of rebellion.