The Western gunfighter

Just a Thought:

The decline of the popularity of the Western is correlated with the decline of the average pay for a man's job. 

In the 1950's an average man's standard wages could support a family and buy a house.

Today, it is impossible for most men to support anyone besides themselves. To have a family and a house requires a job, a family nest egg, and a wife that works. Today it is virtually impossible for any man to have a job that will support a wife and family.


Theory:

The Western gunfighter is a stylistic drama that correlates with an individual man fighting against society to protect his family. When there was economic stability, men worked, and women stayed home to take care of the family, then the Western gunfighter story seemed relevant.

Today, when most men cannot support a family, and many cannot even find a decent job, when over 50% of marriages end in divorce, and 80% of divorce is initiated by women, and when suicide, drug addiction, ill health, and being overweight is common among men, THEN the gunfighter story is no longer relevant to the men of today.


William Schaeffer 
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