In praise of cowboys

Americans are often derided by the rest of the world as cowboys--especially when lead by folks like Reagan and W--and yet this marvelous piece by Andrew and Judith Kleinfeld defends what it means to be a "cowboy." It is no coincidence that Silicon Valley is on the frontier of a frontier nation--and the boldness exhibited in our business culture owes much to the cowboy culture of America. A culture, this piece makes clear, that is foreign to many nations. Here's the conclusion, but the whole piece is worth reading:

When foreigners see us as cowboys, they are not mistaken. As a people, we still exhibit a high degree of courage, independence, aggressiveness, competence, and spirit. Diplomatic Europeans have responded to tyranny over the latest century mostly with accommodation, like the townspeople in "High Noon." Cowboy Americans, on the other hand, have hungered to confront and defeat tyrants, in real life as in legend. Our Western experience--love of freedom, little deference to wealth and status, an idealistic drive for justice, and a willingness to be ferocious toward these ends--continues to drive much of what is best about America.

So can they call us cowboys? You bet. Because we are. Our response ought to be that of the Virginian when he was described as a son of a bitch: "When you call me that, smile!"