What Makes You Country? 

Juab Edition

The stereotypes around cowboys and country fanatics have been shaped and changed throughout history. The truth is growing and evolving through time, but what is reality when it comes to cowboys? Are they redneck, dirt hustlin hillbillies, or are they something much different? The Juab journalist team brought this question to the high school students. First we asked the controversial question, “What makes a cowboy?” In a quote by Keira Pettit, who does not consider herself a redneck, her response to this was this:

“To me, a cowboy is a preppy redneck, someone who takes care of cattle and does farm work.” 

In an effort to further gain an understanding of the students’ standpoint, I asked this question of a wide variety of social classes of people. 

Raleigh Hammond, who considers himself more blue-collar than not, said, “Living on a ranch, taking care of cattle, and making it your full-time job to be a cowboy is what makes you country.”

Brianne Nicholls, who says she is a redneck with a background in farmwork and agriculture, says that “your lifestyle, goals, and what you do for a living define whether or not you are a cowboy. A good example is the Aagards, a family who lives in Levan, who have a lifestyle that, in my opinion, is country.”

As you can see, most of these people’s responses have been coming from a standpoint of more clean, blue-collar lives. So, I decided to get an opinion from a person who has a considerably more redneck point of view. I got someone who is known to be “country.” His response was this: “It’s not a thing you are; it’s in your blood to be country.” 

So, after many interviews, interactions, and conversations that got concerningly heated, I think we can come to an agreeable conclusion after all this time.

Being a “cowboy” is not just one way or thing to be. There is not one specific idea that is right unless you include them all. Being a cowboy, or, as a whole, being country, means that you know what you want and you’re not afraid of a little mud or dirt to get there. I believe that being country is knowing how to work hard in uncomfortable situations and work past obstacles. We see this type of behavior often on farms, which is where the stereotypes come from. But being country does not mean you have to dedicate yourself to a life of farm work. It can also represent a person who cooks great food and enjoys the little things in life.

At the end of the day. Being country is being your own person, who is not afraid of a little hard work and maybe a little home cookin’