Cowboy

A cowboy is an informal term used to describe someone who is a cattle rancher. As the name implies, this is someone of the male gender, though rarely if ever actually a "boy". Their job duties include tending and raising cattle, and managing the affairs of a cattle ranch or farm. Historically, the term cowboy has evolved to include just about anyone associated with the American Southwest, whether they be cattle ranchers or not. This includes sheriffs, outlaws, gunfighters, bank robbers, rodeo performers and ranch hands. In modern context, cowboy may also refer to anyone who is an enthusiast of the timer era or culture. So if you happen to be strolling down a street in Texas or Utah and you see guy boasting a ten-gallon hat, crap-kicker boots and lots of flannel... just think of it as Western cosplay. In fiction, cowboys appear primarily in films of the Western genre.

Modern cowboys
There really is no such thing as a "modern" cowboy - not in the strictest sense, anyway. Nobody is out driving a herd of cattle across a scenic prairie at sunset. Mostly, such individuals responsible for such chores work at a farm and just load cattle up onto a truck for delivery to a slaughterhouse.

People like to dream though, don't they? Ever since they were children, red-blooded American boys always fantasized about being a cowboy. They'd wear big goofy hats and straddle a stuffed horse head on a stick (worst toy ever, by the way) and gallop around with cap pistols yelling "Bang! Bang!" That fantasy never truly leaves us though.

Adults engage in cowboyesque behavior at various venues such as rodeos, where grown men are paid money to wear the appropriate attire, do stunt riding on a horse and impress the rubes with lasso tricks. Let's face it though, when it comes to the ability to sling a lasso, there is only one true professional, and she ain't no cowboy.

Some bars, taverns and other drinking establishments pattern themselves after Western culture, wherein some patrons may feel comfortable boasting their cowboy hats, cowboy boots and really, really, REALLY big belt buckles. These folks can usually be found enjoying a line dance to the tune of "Achy Breaky Heart", 'cuz, let's face it... Billy Ray Cyrus needs all the residuals he can get, right? I think he's living off Miley's money these days. The highlight of going to a country western themed bar however is the mechanical bull, where people pay money to get themselves tugged, pulled and tussled atop this mechanical device (which bears absolutely no resemblance to a bull mind you), until they either puke or it pitches them off.