Modern day cowboys

Today many of the movies, TV shows, video games, and books have had an underlying influence from the traditional western and cowboy style films. I Immediately thought of the film the Book of Eli which gives a modern spin on the classic western. It takes place in a post apocalyptic world where a war has left the world in ruins with very few lives remaining. Eli must take matters into his own hands and save humanity by traveling only with a machete, pistol, and the last bible on earth. He has been walking for 30 years trying to find a safe place where its message can be shared. This is to give people something to believe in because life isn't really great in the post apocalyptic world.  He finds a town which seems to be well established and decides to stay there before he continues his journey but is faced with a power hungry dictator who has declared himself as the mayor of the town. The mayor is searching for the bible and figures out Eli has it but the mayor wants it for himself. I do not want to spoil the movie but things get complicated for Eli and who knows if he will ever make it to his destination. 

The main character Eli shows very familiar aspects to a cowboy-esque type of character. In the beginning scenes he is shown as this lone warrior machete wielding badass who will let nothing stop him from reaching his goal. It just reminds me of a cowboy riding through towns on his horse weilding a pistol and a whip defeating all the bad guys. The protagonist in this movie being the mayor shows comparison to a classic western leader such as mayor or sheriff. He shows disregard for the people and will do things that only help himself. Throughout this Eli and the mayor deal with a power struggle as the townspeople start to realize how corrupt the mayor is and that Eli is just trying to help them. 

The video has been deleted so I am unable to watch it to pull out specific points. The overall character attributes show an influence of the western genre as well as the physical setting. The setting takes place in a world that has been left in ruins but is slowly rebuilding itself, there is nothing but dried out land for miles with the exception of these ramshackle settlements. These settlements are deteriorating not from the war but from the corrupt leaders of the town. This is very similar to what you would see in a traditional western with very few towns with corrupt leaders and nothing but dried out land. Eli is similar to a cowboy in the sense that he is this self-sufficient badass who just wants to bring order to the community. 

Sheriff Woody... the well-known cowboy Who stars in Disney's Toy Story sequences 1-3. Woody, he is a cowboy doll and favored most by his owner, Andy. Woody is a cowboy in many different ways that it cannot be denied. You can tell by woody appearance that he is a cowboy. He wears brown cowboy boots and a flannel with a cow printed vest, is it possible to be anymore “cowboy” like? Not to mention his famous phrases like "you're my favorite deputy "and "there's a snake in my boot!"

 It was said in the video that cowboys are adventure seekers and explorers. Sheriff Woody is most certainly a cowboy, considering these are the few traits Cowboys carry. Sheriff Woody is also white and a male, these are the "attributes of a cowboy" as stated in the video. Cowboys do not have to take place in the past, nor do they have to take place in the west. The setting of this movie does not take place in the West... nor does it take place in the past, but rather inside a modern-day toddler’s bedroom.

Justice Ain't Gonna Dispense Itself

As much as I really wanted to talk this week about John Marston from "Red Dead Redemption" he is actually an extremely typical Western cowboy character existing in a very classic rendition of the Old West atmosphere. So instead, I'll switch gears to another cowboy heartthrob who's just one of many varied characters in a video game I'm obsessed with lately:

Jesse McCree from Overwatch

Three guesses what the belt buckle stands for! (source)

Since in my discussion post I argued that it would be completely plausible for an Old West cowboy to be able to live in today's world, I'll further my point by using McCree as an example that's already in practice.

For those who haven't heard of Overwatch, the timeframe of the game takes place about 60 years from now, during which time the heroes (playable characters) are called back to their initial positions in a United Nations-style task force called "Overwatch" which was created in order to fight against the Omnic resistance - the Omnics being sentient robots who are fighting for their own rights. It turns into a pretty ugly war between the Omnics and the Overwatch force, taking many casualties and ruining many cities around the globe.

Jesse McCree gets involved in Overwatch only after the gang he belongs to - the Deadlock Gang - is infiltrated in a sting operation by Overwatch commander Gabriel Reyes (Later, Reyes becomes Reaper). The Deadlock Gang had long been holding the American Southwest captive to its illegal activities for decades and they mostly dealt in arms and munitions. On one of the game maps (called Route 66), the gang has blown up a bridge in order to obtain a nuclear warhead from a military cargo train passing overhead.

Route 66 map on Overwatch, note blown up bridge over the canyon. (source)

After most of the Deadlock Gang is captured, including McCree, he (much like John Marston) decided that he had enough of that life and wanted to atone for his wrongdoing by fighting for noble reasons and justice. Overwatch's leaders, Reyes specifically, wanted to recruit him to their cause and McCree accepted, though he later went into hiding when infighting between Overwatch members began its downfall. I'd also like to mention the fact that he'd lost part of his arm and had a robotic one to replace it, this sort of thing being the norm in this future era since a lot of the characters have robotic appendages or systems to use to their advantage.

John Marston from Red Dead Redemption (source)

The similarities even between McCree and other cowboys are not to be ignored either, since his "Deadeye" ability is the exact same that Marston uses in "Red Dead" and they look very similar to each other. McCree also has notable voice lines that are direct references to other Western movies and characters, for instance: "I'm the quick... you're the dead," he says at random in the game lobby (The Quick and the Dead), or, "I'm not good, not bad, but I sure as hell ain't ugly." (The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly). He also has several different "skins" or outfits in the game that hearken back to other classic Old West characters.

Here you can see what McCree sees during "Deadeye," also notice his robotic hand. (source)

So, here we have McCree, who in the year (est) 2045 or so is running around the Southwest with a gang of bandits, dressed in chaps, spurs, and a ten gallon hat, with his signature weapon being a six shooter known as the Peacekeeper. His "ultimate" attack ability is called "Deadeye" and when activated he shouts a classic throwback to many a standoff: "It's High Noon" and then yells "DRAW!" while simultaneously shooting any of the enemies he's locked on to. A tumbleweed appears behind him and gently rolls across the ground nearby. Yet it all takes place 60 years from now and no other characters think that he's odd or out of place. It's still very normal for the southwestern United States to look and operate much like it did in the 1800's with some modern upgrades alongside.

Dean Winchester- Modern Cowboy?

Throughout this week's assignments I couldn't stop trying to think of a perfect example of a modern cowboy, and my mind kept coming back to the first thought I had, Dean Winchester from the long-running television show from the CW network, Supernatural. Before I make my case, lets look at the definition of a cowboy that was provided in the mini-lecture:
1) Idealized Man/Romantic Notion
2) A man who brings order (to uncivilized places)
3) A man who escapes order (gets away from civilization)
And the types of cowboys mentioned are:
-Adventure seekers and Explorers
-Visitors and Wanderers

For those that have never heard of Supernatural, it is (at its base) a show about two brothers, Sam and Dean, that drive around the country and hunt monsters. To avoid making this blog post an explanation about the 11 season history of the show and talk about why everyone should watch it, I am going to leave the show at that description for now. Because I want to tell you all about Dean Winchester.

Dean Winchester has lived his whole life virtually off the grid and has drove around the country with his father since he was a child hunting monsters. His brother, Sam, doesn't fit the definition of a cowboy as much because he always craved normalcy, and went off to college as soon as he had the chance. Dean always accepted the way his life was and didn't see anything wrong with it. 

A Man Who Brings Order (to uncivilized places)
Dean's version of an uncivilized place could be found in someone's living room- he hunts monsters that intend on (and usually succeed in) hurting/killing people. Sometimes they are ghosts, sometimes demons, and sometimes a type of monster that only exists in storybooks. He is a protector of all humans, and he doesn't even get the recognition most of the time. 

A Man Who Escapes Order (gets away from civilization)
Dean has always lived off the grid, pretty much jumping between living in his car and living in run down motels in whatever town they find themselves hunting in all over the country. Dean doesn't have friends, just family and other hunters that he occasionally would communicate with, and he was basically always alone; hunting could be considered a lonely job, being the only ones that know the truth about whats out there. They live by their own rules, and often break the law in order to save people. 

So is he a cowboy? 
I absolutely consider him a cowboy! Particularly in the first few seasons, as things get rather complicated as the show goes on (as it is wont to do). Ignoring the technical definition, even just looking at him you would think of him as a cowboy. He is a rugged man from down south (Kansas) that even travels the country on his trusty steed: a 1967 Chevy Impala.

All he is missing is the hat, and he would be a full-blown cowboy. (which, incidentally, they played off of in an episode called "Frontierland" in season 6)