Dear HCN,
I take exception to
HCN’s definition of who is and who is not a
Westerner. I was born and raised in Arizona and, except for a short
exile in the South, I’ve lived in what I thought was the West all
my life. I love the West and have devoted a substantial part of my
life to learning about Western lands and Western peoples. Ed
Marston, however, informs me that, contrary to my long-held belief,
I’m not a Westerner, apparently because I live in a city and
because I’m an environmentalist. In his review of Daniel Kemmis’
fairy tale, This Sovereign Land (HCN, 2/4/02:
The West can govern itself), Marston makes a firm distinction
between “urban environmentalists” and “Westerners.” I find it
ironic that a New Yorker would have the gall to designate who is
and who is not a Westerner. If I’m not a Westerner, what am
I?
I think HCN’s selective
definitions of the West and Westerners (not at all limited to
Marston’s recent review) are directly tied to your ridiculous
glorification of ranchers. Maybe I need to remind you that the vast
majority of Westerners are not “cowboys” and never have been. In
fact, the majority of us live in cities (the West has been one of
the most heavily urbanized regions of the nation since the 19th
century). In addition, contrary to HCN’s
opinion, the West does not stop at the eastern slope of the
Cascades and the Sierra – it extends all the way to the Pacific
Ocean (yes, believe it or not, Californians, Oregonians,
Washingtonians and British Columbians are all Westerners). I think
Marston’s understanding of the West and Westerners is based less on
reality and more on Easterners’ fantasies about “life on the range”
developed from watching too many cowboy movies. I think
HCN needs to be reminded that the West is about
a lot more than cowboys (thank God!). Can we have a little more
reality and a little less myth?
Cain
Allen
Vancouver, British Columbia,
Canada
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Who is a Westerner?.
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