The Western has long been built on myths that both obscure and promote a history of racism, imperialism, toxic masculinity, and violent colonialism.
Still, the Old West looms large, says cultural critic and historian Richard Slotkin. Today’s Western filmmakers know they are part of a tradition and take the task seriously, even the irreverent ones like Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino called a spaghetti Western and, at the same time, “a Southern.
While the Western presents a highly manufactured, racist, and imperialist version of U.S. history, in Texas, the myth of exceptionalism is particularly glorified, perpetuating the belief that Texas cowboys, settlers, and lawmen are more independent, macho, and free than anywhere else. Texas was an especially large slave state, yet African Americans almost never appear in Texas-based Westerns, a further denial of histories.
The Texas Ranger is a key figure in the universe of the Western, even if Ranger characters have fraught relationships to their jobs, and the Ranger’s proliferation as an icon serves the dominant Texas myth. More than 300 movies and television series have featured a Texas Ranger. Before Chuck Norris’ role in the TV seriesThe Lone RangerMeanwhile, the Ranger’s job throughout Texas history has included acting as a slave catcher and executioner of Native Americans.
There are directors who are challenging the white male gaze of the West, such as Chloé Zhao, whose recent filmr centered on a Lakota cowboy, a work nested in a larger cultural movement in the late 2010s that highlighted the untold histories of Native cowboys, Black cowboys, and, historically Mexican cowboys whose ranching practices are the foundation of the U.S. cowboy tradition.
Despite new iterations, the Western has not been transformed. Still a profoundly patriotic genre, the Western is most often remembered for its classics, which helped fortify the historical narrative that regeneration through violence was necessary for the forging of a nation. In Texas, the claim made by Mrs.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Climate change may mean more extreme rain after wildfire in western USUnder severe warming scenarios, the risk is growing that areas of the western US will experience extreme rainfall within a year or so of being hit by a wildfire
Read more »
'Star Trek': Leonard Nimoy's Spock Ears Donated to SmithsonianLeonard Nimoy's Spock ears, worn in 'Star Trek: The Original Series,' will soon be on display at the Smithsonian.
Read more »
Yuli Gurriel an inspiring force for Astros’ numerous Cuban prospectsThe first baseman, revered in his native land long before he defected to become a major...
Read more »
37th Annual Tucson Folk Festival celebrating all weekend long April 1-3The Tucson Folk Festival is celebrating 37 years of American/Folk music all weekend long. Over 100 performances are scheduled across five staging areas in downtown Tucson near Jacome Plaza from Friday, April 1 to Sunday, April 3.
Read more »
Yuli Gurriel an inspiring force for Astros’ numerous Cuban prospectsThe first baseman, revered in his native land long before he defected to become a major...
Read more »
Pajaro River levee rebuild awarded $67 million in federal infrastructure fundsSurrounding communities have seen decades-long saga of damage and death due to flooding.
Read more »