Deep Dive Zoom: Myth of the Wild West and American Exceptionalism

In our last Zoom, we got to talking about American myths and how they have distorted our history to tell a different story. The "Lost Cause" myth of the Civil War is an example most of us are aware of. But there also is a myth of the Wild West, and it's been used by Evangelicals to justify their theology of strong men and rugged individualism. Film and television of the 50s and 60s helped develop and reinforce this Western myth. Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan both used it to gain votes. We will watch a short video on this topic and then discuss it.