Why you really didn’t want to be a mysterious stranger in the old west

Although I like learning about the real old west, I also have a great affection for what I call "The West of the Imagination", which includes all kinds of things that are pretty far-fetched. And my favorite character is the lone stranger, who drifts into town, never looking around, never acknowledging anyone, and who is inevitably confronted by a group of local men, who don't like him. Of course, he's the hero and they're all just lowlifes, according to the story, and he guns them down.

Of course, in the real old west, and even in the modern west, acting like that would probably get you in trouble, or even killed, no matter how handy you might be with a shootin' iron. And unless you've never gone anywhere, or moved into a new neighborhood as a kid, you already know that.

Yeah, I know that it wouldn't be much of a story if a stranger drifted into town from the high plains and asked where he could get a good meal, or where he might stay? If you've ever been a stranger in a strange land, or maybe a new kid on the block, you know that there are people who already live there, and they are suspicious of you until you can prove that you don't pose a threat to them.

In an extremely crowded city, where people come and go all of the time, you can afford to not acknowledge anyone, not say hello, not even give a nod to someone walking by. But in the wide-open spaces, where everybody knows everybody, that just ain't gonna fly. You're just gonna come off as a psychopath. And if a group of men gathers around to let you know that they don't like the way you're behaving, you can compare it to a group of boys setting the new kid on the block straight about a few things. 

Speaking as a man who used to be a boy, I know that when you're surrounded by strangers, on their territory, it's good to try to find some common ground. People like people who have something in common, and in my experience there's always something. If you've ever been a boy you know that, and it could be anything, such as hating cookies that have raisins instead of chocolate chips.

Standing mysteriously in a corner and being asked to be left alone may be the way to act if you're starring in an old western, but in real life it's no way to live. Those people around you can become your friends, be part of your team, watch out for you, but you gotta acknowledge them. Tip your hat and say howdy.