Line #7 Main/AmericansAreCowboys


1	[[quoteright:293:[[VideoGame/SuperdimensionNeptuneVsSegaHardGirls https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/96b957ac_a1dd_4aa2_9d20_f73c712bba15.png]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:293:[-You really can't get more American than that.-] ]]
3
4	->''"See? You can tell he's American from his blond hair and cowboy hat!"''
5	-->-- '''WebVideo/JesuOtaku''' on a side character from ''Anime/DigimonTamers''
6
7	Americans who tend to forget that the rest of the world exists often, when they remember, stereotype everyone else by their headgear. They will indicate that a character is [[SombreroEqualsMexican Mexican by simply slapping a sombrero on their head]], giving a Russian character an ushanka, a French one a beret, a Brit a bowler hat, an Irish a green top hat, an East or Southeast Asian a [[AllAsiansWearConicalStrawHats rice hat]], a South Asian or Middle Easterner a turban, and a Native American either a feathered headband or full-on feathered headdress. So what, one might wonder, is the stereotypical hat that ''other'' countries associate with ''America''? Well as it turns out, a cowboy hat.
8
9	In foreign media, Americans are often portrayed either as cowboys or dressed so similarly to an archtypical cowboy that it makes no difference. Expect a ten-gallon hat, button-up shirt, jeans, boots and maybe a vest, poncho or duster for good measure. Apparently in {{Eagleland}}, TheWildWest never quite ended. Might be a trigger-happy GunNut too.
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11	This is a case of SmallReferencePools, where America has become so synonymous with cowboy culture that people overseas use it to characterize the entire country. This is, of course, partially TruthInTelevision: TheWestern is a distinctly American genre (unless it's a CanadianWestern), and a lot of stereotypical cowboy traits are also stereotypes of Americans as a whole. Plus, cowboy fashion and culture ''is'' still idealized in certain parts of America, particularly in rural areas (especially in western states), and in CountryMusic. In fact, Americans from these regions are frequently stereotyped this way by ''other'' Americans; what this trope categorizes as a stereotypical American would be recognized by most actual Americans specifically as a stereotypical [[UsefulNotes/{{Texas}} Texan]] or more broadly as a stereotypical [[DeepSouth southerner]].
12
13	See {{Eagleland}} when talking about personality, and an UglyAmericanStereotype may combine both by wearing a cowboy hat abroad. WearingAFlagOnYourHead is another stereotypical American fashion, though it's by no means restricted to them. When talking about hair/eye colors, see PhenotypeStereotype. Sexy cowboy and cowgirl costumes may be a part of a GorgeousGaijin. If the character identifies more for being a ''Texan'' than an American, see EverythingIsBigInTexas.
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15	----
16	!!Example Subpages
17	[[index]]
18	* [[AmericansAreCowboys/AnimeAndManga Anime and Manga]]
19	[[/index]]
20	!!Examples:
21	[[foldercontrol]]
22
23	[[folder:Comic Books]]
24	* ''Franchise/{{Tintin}} in America'' had many Americans dressed as either Chicago mobsters in the city or cowboys in the country. Somewhat justified, as the cowboy era was not long dead.
25	* ''ComicBook/BratPack'': Kid Vicious' weapons and patriotic attire have a cowboy vibe.
26	* In ''ComicBook/Camelot3000'', the American president dresses like a cowboy and packs a pair of six-shooters - an obvious reference to UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan.
27	* In [[http://oneofakindantiques.com/product/2464/Arthur-Szyk-Caricatures-Set-Number-6-for-Esquire-1942 one]] of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Szyk Arthur Szyk's]] Anti-Fascist propaganda posters, America is depicted as a Gary Cooper-ish cowboy about to be stabbed in the back by a YellowPeril UsefulNotes/ImperialJapan, distracting him with an olive branch as he does so.
28	[[/folder]]
29
30	[[folder:Fan Works]]
31	* Despite the name and theme, the ''VideoGame/KantaiCollection'' fanfic ''Fanfic/PacificWorldWarIIUsNavyShipgirls'' has only one character playing this straight: Houston.
32	* Discussed and subverted in ''Fanfic/PowerRangersGPX'' with the American lead, who's a northern, Midwestern city-slicker that's never been on a farm in his life, lamenting the stereotype.
33	[[/folder]]
34
35	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
36	* ''WesternAnimation/FlushedAway'' features an obnoxious American tourist with a cowboy hat and Texas drawl.
37	[[/folder]]
38
39	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
40	* ''Film/CasinoRoyale1967'' depicts the American army as composed of cowboys and Indians.
41	* [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in ''Film/TheHuntForRedOctober''.
42	-->''[Ramius notes Mancuso's sidearm and comments in Russian to Borodin that Mancuso is a "buckaroo"; Ryan laughs]''\
43	'''Capt. Bart Mancuso:''' What's so funny?\
44	'''Jack Ryan:''' Ah, the Captain seems to think you're some kind of... cowboy.
45	* In the Mexican film ''Film/SantaClaus1959'' (the one riffed by ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''), the children from the USA are wearing cowboy outfits.
46	* ''Film/AustinPowersInternationalManOfMystery''. When Dr. Evil calls up the United Nations Secret Meeting Room to give his ultimatum, many of the occupants are dressed in costumes indicating their native countries (two Japanese are dressed as a geisha and a sumo wrestler, a British representative is wearing a Beefeater costume, a Spaniard is dressed as a matador, etc.). One of the characters (presumably an American) is dressed as a cowboy.
47	* One old Creator/JackieChan film featured him traveling to America and fighting a bunch of hairy, obese, slovenly cowboys who rolled around in mud. Knowing how this trope usually connects with reality, it was probably supposed to be set in Chicago or uptown Manhattan.
48	* The German BigBad of the first ''Film/DieHard'' film mocks John [=McClane=] as being a "cowboy" several times throughout the movie, hence [=McClane=]'s "Yippie ki yay, motherfucker" catchphrase. It morphed into meaningless {{Magic Franchise Word}}s in the many sequels, but in the original context, it served as a punchy InsultBackfire against the smugly elitist European BigBad in the first movie:
49	-->'''Hans:''' "You have me at a loss; you know my name, but who are you? Just another American who saw too many movies as a child? Another orphan of a bankrupt culture who thinks he's Creator/JohnWayne? Franchise/{{Rambo}}? [[Series/{{Gunsmoke}} Marshal Dillon]]?"\
50	'''John:''' "Was always partial to Creator/RoyRogers, actually. I really like those sequined shirts."\
51	'''Hans:''' "Do you really think you have a chance against us, Mr. Cowboy?"\
52	'''John:''' "...Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker."
53	* In ''Film/DieHard2'', when the terrorists want to make a demonstration, they intentionally crash an airplane from British Airways. When they contact the plane's crew, the leader adopts a "cowboy" accent to keep the crew from suspecting anything wrong.
54	* In the movie adaption of ''Film/TheGoldenCompass,'' [[TokenAmerican Lee Scoresby]] wears a cowboy hat to compliment his Texan drawl. The only difference being that he's not actually American - Texas is a separate sovereign nation in this universe.
55	* The American characters in ''Film/TheMummy1999'' (save for main character Rick O'Connell) are all very cowboy-esque, wearing cowboy hats, riding horses and being very fond of shooting guns.
56	* In the early Russian Film ''Film/TheExtraordinaryAdventuresOfMrWestInTheLandOfTheBolsheviks,'' the titular American capitalist is (naturally) accompanied on his trip to Russia by his faithful manservant, Cowboy Jeddy. Jeddy's duties seem to consist mostly of trick shooting.
57	* Major Kong of ''Film/DrStrangelove'', who wears a cowboy hat on duty, speaks with a Texan accent, and, of course, [[RidingTheBomb rides the bomb]]. [[TruthInTelevision Also, his actor, Slim Pickens.]]
58	* In ''Film/AnAmericanWerewolfInLondon'', the ominous British townsfolk in the Slaughtered Lamb pub make lots of cowboy jokes when they find themselves joined by a pair of American tourists.
59	* When [[NiceJobBreakingItHero the American astronauts destroy the Russian MIR station]] in ''Film/Armageddon1998'', [[RussianGuySuffersMost the Russian cosmonaut complains]] that [[DontTouchItYouIdiot he told them not to touch anything]], "but you're bunch of cowboys!"
60	* In ''Film/TheManFromUNCLE'', set in the 1960s, American protagonist Napoleon Solo calls Ilya Kuryakin "[[DirtyCommies the Red Peril]]". Ilya responds by calling Napoleon "cowboy".
61	* The [[Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory 1971 film adaptation]] of ''Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' depicted Mike [[PunnyName Teavee]], who's obsessed with watching violent westerns on television, as a loudmouthed American kid who dresses like a cowboy.
62	* In ''Film/KingsmanTheGoldenCircle'', the Statesmen are the American equivalent of Kingsmen and are all cowboys named after liquor, favor revolvers and even use technologically-enhanced lassos as weapons. Their style of dress is much more like a real modern cowboy's, favoring Carhartt jackets and denim over the usual, more stereotypical garb.
63	* ''Film/BramStokersDracula'': As in the original novel, the only American in the story, Quincey, is a cattle rancher from Texas who dresses in Western attire and carries a large bowie knife to formal parties.
64	* In ''Film/BohemianRhapsody'', while Queen is performing "Fat Bottomed Girls" during the USA tour, Freddie adds the line "Ride them Cowboys!" after "Get on your bikes and ride!".
65	* Justified in ''Film/{{Hidalgo}}'' since Frank Hopkins is an actual cowboy from the halcyon days of TheWildWest, and even performed for Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild Wild West travelling show. Throughout the film, almost everyone in the race addresses him as "Cowboy" to the point of it becoming a RunningGag.
66	[[/folder]]
67
68	[[folder:Literature]]
69	* ConversationalTroping between Literature/TommyAndTuppence in Creator/AgathaChristie's ''Literature/PartnersInCrime'', where Tuppence is describing her fantasy of meeting a dashing romantic American man who has lived in the wilds and can rope wild steer, and Tommy sarcastically asks if he's also wearing chaps and a ten-gallon hat.
70	* In ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'' the one American character, Quincey Morris, is a wealthy Texas cattle rancher who carries a large bowie knife. In one moment, Morris leaves a meeting with other heroes where they're trying to figure out how to cope with vampires; a few seconds later, bullets come flying through the window. This is played with, however, in that he's intentionally puffing himself up to be the cowboy stereotype when he's with Lucy, if only to make her laugh and cheer her up.
71	-->'''Quincey:''' I'm sorry, I thought I saw a bat out there.
72	* Played with and ultimately subverted in the case of Robert Tendyke in the German horror-fantasy-occasionally-SF series ''Literature/ProfessorZamorra''. The man ''owns'' a US-based {{megacorp}} (one that's usually depicted as at least reasonably ethical at that), is fond of dressing like a cowboy to the point of cliche, still has more than enough time to spare to play quasi-professional 'adventurer' even when he's ''not'' already involved in the latest case of the title character...and eventually turns out to have been born some four centuries ago as the long-estranged son of the demon Asmodis and an unfortunate Roma woman of very European extraction. The "cowboy" act is just a deliberate part of his modern-day identity.
73	* In one of the Otto Stahl novels, our German anti-hero is being trained to [[DressingAsTheEnemy impersonate a US soldier]] prior to the Battle of the Bulge. His instructor apparently believes this trope and encourages Stahl to adopt a hip-swinging saunter, causing Stahl to gripe that he feels like a male prostitute selling his ass on the [[RedLightDistrict Reeperbahn]].
74	[[/folder]]
75
76	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
77	* In an episode of ''Series/TheYoungIndianaJonesChronicles'', where young Indy is imprisoned in a maximum security German P.O.W. prison during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, he is approched by two Russian prisoners who ask him if he is a cowboy since "All Americans are cowboys", when Indy asks them to clarify, they ask him if he knows how to use the lasso which Indy replies he does, prompting an overjoyed "A COWBOY!" reaction in them. Because, it turned out that they had been crafting a rope from all the strings of the mail envelopes for the purpose of escaping.
78	* The first ''Series/DoctorWho'' with a US setting was "The Gunfighters", which saw the First Doctor, Steven and Dodo mixing it up with Wyatt Earp and Johnny Ringo.
79	* Sky is under this impression in ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures''. Justified in that she is [[YoungerThanTheyLook younger than she looks]] and has been watching ''Franchise/ToyStory''.
80	* ''Series/DadsArmy''. Walmington-on-Sea is hosting the first US troops on British soil, so Captain Mainwaring asks Sgt Wilson how he should greet them. Wilson suggests, "Howdy partner, put it there" while offering to shake hands. Mainwaring scoffs at this, saying [[YouWatchTooMuchX he's been watching too many cowboy movies]]. This becomes the inevitable BrickJoke when the American captain enters and holds out his hand to Mainwaring. "Howdy partner, put it there!"
81	* ''Franchise/SuperSentai'':
82	** ''Series/NinjaSentaiKakuranger'' featured Jiraiya, the Japanese-American Black Ranger. When not transformed, he wore a cowboy outfit, dual [[RevolversAreJustBetter six-shooters]] and all.
83	** ''Series/ShurikenSentaiNinninger'' ramps it up further with Kinji Takigawa aka [=StarNinger=], who not only wears a cowboy outfit when unmorphed but his ''Ranger form'' has a built-in cowboy hat and poncho ''and'' his mecha is modeled on a bison (but he's still played by a Japanese actor). When adapted for an actual American audience in ''Series/PowerRangersNinjaSteel'', his counterpart Levi needed more than "he's American" to justify the cowboy elements and he was made a country-western singer.
84	* In ''Series/PennyDreadful'', the lone American main character is introduced as a [[TheGunslinger professional sharpshooter]] at a Wild West show in Victorian England.
85	* In ''Series/TheLeague'', Taco landed a role on an Algerian soap opera called ''Sands of Passion'' as Buck, an American pastiche and self-described "rapper-slash-cowboy-slash-cautionary tale" dressed like a cowboy and whose catchphrase is "Bang bang, what’s the hang?"
86	* In ''Series/TrueBlood'', Japanese businessman Gus has his US office in Dallas. In an attempt to "fit in", he dresses like a cowboy businessman and speaks in a ridiculously fake Texan accent. The other characters would often look at him in such a way that he was trying way too hard.
87	* {{Discussed}} on ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' between Gibbs and a visiting officer from the British Royal Marines.
88	-->'''Brit:''' You Americans really are like Creator/JohnWayne, aren't you?\
89	'''Gibbs:''' Creator/GaryCooper.
90	[[/folder]]
91
92	[[folder:Music]]
93	* The late Mexican composer of songs for children, Francisco Gabilondo Soler ''Cri-Cri'':
94	** In his song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qe80tTI1uo "El Ratón Vaquero"]] (The Cowboy Mouse), which also has GratuitousEnglish in its lyrics.
95	** Not to mention the song was a giant TakeThat against Walt Disney, since Disney tried to destroy Soler's reputation because Soler refused to sell the rights of his songs to him.
96	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZJXWkWeS2k "My Name is Potato"]] from Rita Pavone.
97	-->"Sure! I'm an AMERICAN potato!"
98	* The name of the Finnish novelty band Music/LeningradCowboys refers to the fact that they pretend to be Russian and play American rock and roll.
99	[[/folder]]
100
101	[[folder:Pinball]]
102	* In ''Pinball/{{Diner}},'' the only American customer among the multinational group is Buck the Texan.
103	[[/folder]]
104
105	[[folder:Podcasts]]
106	* In episode three of ''Podcast/MysteryShow'', a German chef recalls arriving in Texas and being very disappointed not to be met by someone on horseback.
107	[[/folder]]
108
109	[[folder:Theatre]]
110	* Prevalent enough in Germany back when ''Theatre/TheRiseAndFallOfTheCityOfMahagonny'' was first produced that a production note specifically insisted "Wildwest- und Cowboy-Romantik" was to be averted.
111	* Michael Flatley's ''Feet of Flames'' has a few cowboys to represent America's involvement is WWII.
112	[[/folder]]
113
114	[[folder:Video Games]]
115	* The American VideoGame/{{Bomberman}} in ''Super Bomberman 3'' is dressed like a cowboy.
116	* The primary love interest, and thus the most promoted character, in ''VideoGame/SakuraWars V: [[VideoGame/SakuraWarsSoLongMyLove So Long, My Love]]'' is Gemini Sunrise - Texan samurai cowgirl. That said, the game takes place in New York City, with the other American characters fitting much more into the category of "city-folk".
117	* {{Implied}} in ''VideoGame/ShirenTheWanderer'', with one NPC named "Foreign Vagabond" who wears a combination of cowboy gear and BraidsBeadsAndBuckskins.
118	* Tina from ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' had a [[SexyWhateverOutfit sexed-up cowgirl outfit]] in the first game and every game since, and her dad Bass (who is also a HoaxHogan for good measure) has a full cowboy getup as his default costume in the second. They're both American, in case you couldn't tell.
119	* In ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'', Ken, an "America the Beautiful"-style {{Eagleland}}er,[[labelnote:*]][[ButNotTooForeign well, half-Eaglelander]][[/labelnote]] wears cowboy gear as one of his alternate costumes. Even though he's probably from California.
120	* ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'': As Unova is based off America, male Pokémon Rangers are this. Clay, however, is a subversion, as he's an immigrant from the Pokémon world equivalent of Japan.
121	* ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire]]'' play this straight; Aarune is dressed and speaks like a stereotypical cowboy despite hailing from Unova, the equivalent of the New York/New Jersey area.
122	* A recurring theme in the ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlertSeries'', especially as later games began undercutting AmericaSavesTheDay. Exceptionally Texan General Coville from [=RA2=] kicked it off, but it became all too apparent in [=RA3=] (listen especially to the Century Bomber...). Two of the Allied combat tracks are actually ''called'' "American Cowboys" and "How The West Was Won".
123	* Johnny from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear''. American? Check. Massive cowboy hat? Check. IaijutsuPractitioner? Hmm, ''that's'' new.
124	* A rare western example from Creator/BlizzardEntertainment's ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'':
125	** Cassidy/[=McCree=] is one of the several American characters in a game starring a MultinationalTeam. He also looks and acts like a cowboy, complete with the iconic hat and a six shooter. He even says "It's high noon" when activating his [[ImprobableAimingSkills ultimate]]. Keep in mind that this game takes place in the ''future''.
126	** One of Cassidy/[=McCree=]'s former gang members, Ashe, joined the cast later on. She too is sporting the classic outlaw look, complete with a lever action Winchester and a sawed off shotgun.
127	* In ''VideoGame/AlphaProtocol'', this is referenced. Hong Shi mentions that he doesn't want to banter with an "American cowboy," and one of Grigori's complaints about American agents is that when they're not [[ConsummateProfessional too uptight]], they're "[[CowboyCop too much cowboy]]!"
128	[[/folder]]
129
130	[[folder:Web Original]]
131	* The Platform/YouTube channel ''[[https://youtube.com/@kklein?si=O2VQK1ULb6FG4LVJ K Klein]]'' is mostly about linguistics. National languages are represented by stick figures wearing versions of that country's national dress. British English is a man in an England football shirt, American English is a man in a cowboy hat.
132	* ''Lightning Sentai Blitzenger'': Ashley Washington is the sole American member of the team -- everybody else is Japanese. She is also associated with cowboy motifs, with her wearing a cowboy hat and boots in her casual wear, and her weapon of choice as a [[HenshinHero Blitzenger]] being a gun.
133	[[/folder]]
134
135	[[folder:Western Animation]]
136	* Bounced around in ''WesternAnimation/DangerMouse''. In one episode set in America, the only American DM meets is a cowboy. In another set in New York, there's no Wild West theme or cowboys at all (though there ''is'' a Film/KingKong ShoutOut).
137	* Clay from ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown''. Probably justified in that he came from a cattle ranch in [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Texas]].
138	* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' had Hank forced to act like a stereotypical cowboy, including wearing cowboy boots, hat and driving a Cadillac El Dorado convertible, in an effort to appeal to a potential customer who believed that this was the way all Texans behaved. Eventually Hank gets fed up and tells the customer that if all he cares about is "cowboy bullshit" he can go with [[TheRival Thaterton]], but if he wants the job done right to stick with Strickland. The customer goes with Thaterton.
139	** Mentioned in ''Returning Japanese'' when Hank is asking passing Japanese people if they've seen his his dad to no avail. His half-brother Junichiro breaks it down for him:
140	-->"What do you expect, running around like crazy cowboy? It's not Texas, shoot off guns, pow, pow, pow!"
141	* Hank from ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'', due to him being built in the United States instead of England like most of the other locomotives, speaks in a Texan accent, while the real locomotive class he was based on was from Pennsylvania.
142	* Roswell from ''WesternAnimation/GeneratorRex'' has a cowboy hat and talks like a cowboy.
143	* One TV Funhouse animated segment from ''[[Series/SaturdayNightLive SNL]]'' dealt with a Chinese cartoon about heroically doped-up figure skaters. The American competitor is portrayed a gawky hick in full cowboy garb who can only say the word "Golly!"
144	* Sandy Cheeks from ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' is the only character who is explicitly identified as American (more specifically, she's from Texas) and she plays every cowboy cliche in the book straight as an arrow.
145	* ''WesternAnimation/MollyOfDenali'' applies this to Texas in "[[Recap/MollyOfDenaliS1E6CultureClashPartyMoose Culture Clash]]." This episode is a WholeEpisodeFlashback that tells the story of when Trini Mumford moved to Alaska from Texas. Molly and Tooey then watch a bunch of westerns that lead them to assume that the Mumfords lived on a ranch in Texas and rode horses all day. Then Molly and Tooey pretend to be cowboys to impress Trini. It doesn't go well.
146	[[/folder]]
147
148	[[folder:Real Life]]
149	* After 9/11, Saddam's administration mentioned that the "The American cowboys are reaping the fruit of their crimes against humanity."
150	* UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan and UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush both maintained a cowboy image, having plenty of photo-ops in cowboy hats and acting like ranch guys. While neither one ever really worked with cattle, Reagan [[ButIPlayOneOnTV had acted in Westerns]], was quite fond of horseback riding, owned a horse named El-Alamein (likely after the UsefulNotes/WorldWarII battle), and later became something of an AscendedFanboy of the Western genre, buying and maintaining a working horse ranch where he cleared brush and chopped firewood himself. Bush, meanwhile, had been governor of UsefulNotes/{{Texas}}, the state most identified with cowboy imagery, and also owned a (non-working) ranch outside of Waco that, during his Presidency, almost acted as a second Camp David (it was nicknamed the "Western White House"). In his post presidency Bush (who had been born in Connecticut) sold his ranch. Make of that what you will.
151	* UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson, the first Texan in the White House, had a cowboy image.
152	* UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt was a cowboy, among other things. Mark Hanna, who'd argued against [[KickedUpstairs kicking Roosevelt into the Vice Presidency]] [[ReassignmentBackfire for exactly this reason]], had this to say.
153	-->'''Hanna:''' I don't believe it! The goddamn cowboy's President!
154	* There's also a second layer to this trope: In America, every white person west of the Mississippi is stereotyped as a cowboy, unless they live on the West Coast. And we do literally mean "the Coast" -- inland UsefulNotes/{{California}} and eastern UsefulNotes/{{Oregon}} and UsefulNotes/{{Washington}} are as steeped in this trope as UsefulNotes/{{Arizona}} and UsefulNotes/{{Montana}}. The "Bakersfield sound" in CountryMusic is a prime example, having been created in the '60s by the descendants of Dust Bowl migrants to California's Central Valley. And even in the eastern US, you'll find some appropriation of cowboy iconography in the rural areas, especially in the South.
155	* The term ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowboy_diplomacy cowboy diplomacy]]'', sometimes used by critics of certain aspects of US foreign policy.
156	* A frequent complaint from American intellectuals and academics about their European (particularly French) opposite numbers is this bizarre identification of the cowboy as one of the most important things in the American psyche. One episode of ''Radio/ThisAmericanLife'' includes a bit where a [[http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/362/got-you-pegged?act=2 visitor to Germany goes into the phenomenon]] (and why it's stupid) in detail.
157	* The reason for this stereotype seems to be that, way back when, the majority of early American entertainment media that made it to other countries had a Western theme. Westerns were hugely popular in the U.S. at the time, but they weren't exactly SliceOfLife storytelling (most Americans back then didn't live on the frontier; otherwise it wouldn't have been a frontier), something many non-Americans at the time could not have known (at least, without immigrating to the States themselves and encountered other regions of America than just the West). This phenomenon predates motion pictures; Buffalo Bill's Wild West performances made [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Bill#Buffalo_Bill.E2.80.99s_Wild_West_Tours_Europe many successful European tours]] and were perhaps many Europeans' first exposure to American culture and media (and Americans in general).
158	** Creator/KarlMay [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_May might have had something to do with this]], as his WildWest books had left an indelible impression that many in German-speaking Europe had of the United States in general. In fact, one fan of his, upon assuming political office, drew inspiration in part for his vision for Germany from May's novels (and the RealLife American frontier culture in general). Unfortunately, that fan was UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler, who was prone to liken the conflicts between Germans and Slavs (especially Russians) of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII to UsefulNotes/ManifestDestiny and CowboysAndIndians (with Nazi Germany, in Hitler's mind of course, taking the role of the "Cowboys" with the Soviet Union and its Slavic peoples being the "Indians" [=/=] Native Americans).
159	* The Frontier Thesis of Frederick Jackson Turner explained the unique American Culture (democracy, individualism, optimism, comfort with violence) as being created by Westward Expansion. His idea being that the first few centuries of American Society were defined by a continual push against the wilderness, with frontier people having to rely on each other for day-to-day survival, but gaining wealth as individuals once the area was secure (which always came eventually). Turner's influence on the study of U.S. history was massive, and his popularity helped establish the cowboy as representing the differences between the U.S. and other Anglosphere countries (or Europe).
160	* The only American character seen in the ''Ride/ItsASmallWorld'' ride at the Ride/DisneyThemeParks (not counting a lone Inuit) for some reason actually dresses up in stereotypical cowboy garb that is found only in the last part of the ride.
161	** Strangely enough, in a reversal of the trope, that is true in the ''American'' versions of the ride. "It's a Small World" in Disneyland Paris has an entire North America section with more than just cowboys (though it does have some).
162	* Truth in television for tens of millions of Americans, especially those who live in the West and South. Pick up trucks of all makes are sold with cowboy imagery, the Western dominated as a genre in books, television, and movies well into the latter half of the 20th century, and American children to this day play dress-up as cowboys complete with hat and cap six-shooter. Many Americans see themselves as such, and it helps that the image of a individual who does what's right and is still tough and rugged has near universal appeal. In a recent poll of favorite actors Americans still put John Wayne at 5th, despite the handicap of having been dead since the 70s.
163	* This is invoked by the American Outlaws, an organized supporters group for the United States men's and women's national soccer teams. As implied by the group's name, they use a lot of Western-inspired imagery, including members frequently attending matches wearing cowboy hats and American flag bandanas.
164	[[/folder]]

Context Main / AmericansAreCowboys