American Mythology

Since I've been sitting around doing a whole lot of nothing this summer I've had a lot of time to think. But, instead of thinking about anything productive, I've been thinking about American Mythology.
You can fault the Americans if you want, but they sure have some interesting stories to tell. That's not to say that we as Canadians don't. But since most of our popular culture is based on American popular culture, these myths tend to dominate our own stories of Louis Riel or Montcalm.

Besides, American mythology tends to be a lot more sinister than our those in Canada. When Robert Johnson sold his soul at the crossroads of 61 and 49 in Mississippi to learn rock and roll, it was to the devil. This harmless menace in American mythology is one of the main reasons I think people are so attracted to it.

Other American myths either have this sort of threatening air or the are a story of the underdog. The old west is a perfect example of this. It has just enough fact that the fiction is believable. After all, there was a shootout at the Ok Corrall. It was in a town in a desert at the farthest edges of civilization. And the name of the town was Tombstone. The people that were actually involved seem larger than life by todays standards. Especially names like Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Other names in the old west conjure up images of heroes and rogues. Billy the Kid did exist. There are photos of him. That is in stark contrast with King Arthur or Hercules, who no one can definitively prove existed. Whereas in Kansas when Wild Bill Hickock outdrew 4 men in a gunfight, their names were in the obituaries the next day. And the theme of menace has also turned into tragedy. The assassination of JFK is one of the most important stories of American mythology, especially considering 95% of Americans believe that he was killed in a conspiracy. And then there is the death of Elvis, the King of Rock and Roll, that a considerable number of people don't even believe happened.

Then there is the aspect of the underdog. When the Thirteen Colonies declared their independence, it was from the most powerful nation the world had ever seen. Yet they managed to pull ahead and win the war. When Ford won the LeMans 24 hours in 1966 it was only after they were told by Ferrari to give up on racing because Ferrari was so dominant that no one could challenge them. When Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, it was only after the Soviets had already beaten the US into space. This story of the underdog is not just seen in America, but it is still a major theme in American folklore.

Well. Back to the job search. Maybe I'll get lucky and I'll find myself in another American myth, that of the successful entrepreneur, and my beer business will really take off.