In the 1952 movie High Noon, Gary Cooper plays a retired town Marshall who decides that he must face off against a gang member who is returning to town. The Marshall’s new bride is a pacifist and doesn’t want him to face this villain. Also discouraging is that the townspeople will not stand by him. He must face the gang alone.
Growing up near Tombstone Arizona, yes THAT Tombstone, I also lived in Globe Arizona, both frontier mining camps. Good article, but I should point out that these towns had the reputation they had for good reasons. Mark Twain comment about Virginia City is pertinent,
“Money was as plenty as dust; every individual considered himself wealthy, and a melancholy countenance was nowhere to be seen. There were military companies, fire companies, brass bands, banks, hotels, theaters, “hurdy-gurdy houses,” wide-open gambling palaces, political powwows, civic processions, street fights, murders, inquests, riots, a whiskey mill every fifteen steps, a board of alderman, a mayor… a dozen breweries and half a dozen jails and station houses in full operation, and some talk of building a church. The “flush times” were in magnificent flower! Mining camps had a reputation for violence, young men, a strong male honor culture,whiskey, dangerous mines, it was “ Hell on women and horses” they said. It really wasn’t till settlers with their families arrived, along with organized religion that things calmed down. Your right though, Hollywood lies...
It's true enough in US public schools. Much worse today, but the dynamic was there in my day 40+ yrs ago. I suspect that large institutional schools are in many ways a more artificial situation than being stranded on an island AND parents are doing a worse job before the peer group takes over as primary influence.
Excellent article.
Growing up near Tombstone Arizona, yes THAT Tombstone, I also lived in Globe Arizona, both frontier mining camps. Good article, but I should point out that these towns had the reputation they had for good reasons. Mark Twain comment about Virginia City is pertinent,
“Money was as plenty as dust; every individual considered himself wealthy, and a melancholy countenance was nowhere to be seen. There were military companies, fire companies, brass bands, banks, hotels, theaters, “hurdy-gurdy houses,” wide-open gambling palaces, political powwows, civic processions, street fights, murders, inquests, riots, a whiskey mill every fifteen steps, a board of alderman, a mayor… a dozen breweries and half a dozen jails and station houses in full operation, and some talk of building a church. The “flush times” were in magnificent flower! Mining camps had a reputation for violence, young men, a strong male honor culture,whiskey, dangerous mines, it was “ Hell on women and horses” they said. It really wasn’t till settlers with their families arrived, along with organized religion that things calmed down. Your right though, Hollywood lies...
"Lord of the Flies" is a lie too:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/09/the-real-lord-of-the-flies-what-happened-when-six-boys-were-shipwrecked-for-15-months
Good point, Bretigne!
It's true enough in US public schools. Much worse today, but the dynamic was there in my day 40+ yrs ago. I suspect that large institutional schools are in many ways a more artificial situation than being stranded on an island AND parents are doing a worse job before the peer group takes over as primary influence.
very encouraging! great research
Sounds like a depressing movie
All they had to do was clone Marshal Dillon.
“Lord of the Flies is about human nature” vs “lord of flies is about british nature”