Good article. It brought back memories of my childhood when the old cowboys were still around cutting up. There is another aspect to these responses. It wasn't just the speaker being stoic. It was socially unacceptable to ask silly questions. Gus saying the Indians didn't introduce themselves was a friendly reminder that that was a silly question. Interjecting silly questions in a serious and dangerous situation can cause people to lose focus and not take care of business.
When I was a kid, you were expected to be aware of your surroundings, to keep your wits about you and darn sure don't expect others to take care of you when things were getting serious. This includes asking others to explain something to you that you could figure out on your own or which wasn't relevant to the task at hand. This is a cultural norm which has been lost in the modern world.
There was another norm too. And that was never suffering a fool. I heard it said many times that fools get people killed. Which they do. Case in point, Trump. Someone should have conked his head on the bar like Gus did to that smart-aleck in the San Antonio bar a long time ago.
Something tells me the old cowboy attitude may be coming back given the dangers this fool of a president has put us into.
Thank you, Cynthia. Great memories. I appreciate you sharing them. I knew some old timers who would have done that, and would have said pretty much what Gus said, "Whacking a surly bartender ain't much of a crime."
I truly enjoyed that. Well done.
Thank you so much, Wayne. I'm glad you enjoyed the piece.
Good article. It brought back memories of my childhood when the old cowboys were still around cutting up. There is another aspect to these responses. It wasn't just the speaker being stoic. It was socially unacceptable to ask silly questions. Gus saying the Indians didn't introduce themselves was a friendly reminder that that was a silly question. Interjecting silly questions in a serious and dangerous situation can cause people to lose focus and not take care of business.
When I was a kid, you were expected to be aware of your surroundings, to keep your wits about you and darn sure don't expect others to take care of you when things were getting serious. This includes asking others to explain something to you that you could figure out on your own or which wasn't relevant to the task at hand. This is a cultural norm which has been lost in the modern world.
There was another norm too. And that was never suffering a fool. I heard it said many times that fools get people killed. Which they do. Case in point, Trump. Someone should have conked his head on the bar like Gus did to that smart-aleck in the San Antonio bar a long time ago.
Something tells me the old cowboy attitude may be coming back given the dangers this fool of a president has put us into.
Thank you, Cynthia. Great memories. I appreciate you sharing them. I knew some old timers who would have done that, and would have said pretty much what Gus said, "Whacking a surly bartender ain't much of a crime."
Thanks, that was a great article, I can really picture those wild boys out in the wilds! 🏞️🏜️
Thank you for your kind words, Misty.
Very good. Going into new circumstances i always have found intoxicating. Zest is the word!