Hudson Sutler: Putting the Cool in Cooler Bags

Knights slaying dragons and rescuing the damsel in distress is the origin point for many of our images of what chivalry is. Men have a culture of thinking about these moments and donning the shining armor, picking up the sword and shield, and going to war for the people we love. Today, the ideals of chivalry are a Hell of a lot different. We aren’t living in an age where danger lurks around every corner. Now, an argument could be made that the reason we live in that age is that there are still knights in armor going to battle every day for our ideals, but on a day-to-day basis, our level of chivalry is much different.

That also brings us to the age’s number one question when it comes to chivalry: is it dead? Women often tell me when talking about relationships that chivalry is dead. That men no longer seem interested in the honor of etiquette and manners. And men tend to tell me that they aren’t uninterested in chivalry, it is dead because women killed it. They don’t want it anymore. Feminism has told them all that chivalry is a device of male oppression. Women are strong and independent, and therefore no longer need a man. So, which is it? Did men abandon it? Did women kill it? The answer…yes. Both of these things are true.

Nearly a century and a half ago, the Old West was one of the most fascinating cultures in the world. It was filled to the edge with rugged men, brave women, and a desire to explore the unknown and build sometihng for themselves. Of course, among the beauty and majesty of the unsettled west was a danger unrivaled across the plains in civilization. Unexpected weather, wild animals, and Native tribes defending their land all posed grave threats to the people expanding from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. And, if you were able to survive all of that, you still had to contend with the unscrupulous cowboys in the harsh cattle towns.

Because this hype, the romanticism surrounding the west creating myths and legends we still talk about today. From the duals in the street at high noon to the lawmen keeping the towns safe from the gunslingers. Perhaps the most famous example of this is Wyatt Earp and his brothers along with Doc Holliday’s exploits in Tombstone, Arizona. Years of films and novels built the Shootout at the OK Corral up as the most iconic real-life event that embodied everything we believed the Old West was. And today, 145 years ago, was the day it happened. But, how much of this is true? And how much was embellished fantasy to fill a romance?

As a writer, I am the first to tell you that everyone should read more. I am an avid reader. But, I have actually been strugling recently with a pretty heavy bout of a reading slump. I typically read about 2-3 books a month. I am a huge fan of a bang, bang, shoot em up, but I expanded my genre to include everything from horror to legal thrillers, autobiographies, and historical non-fiction. I was asked the other day if I thought I was well read and I had to pause. My instint is to say yes, but then I thought about the definition, and all of a sudden I was in the middle of a philisophical conversation about whether or not I was, in fact, a well read man. So, I dove deep into the subject and came back with this thought: Being well read is different for most men, and here is how you should look at it.

The man who does not read good books is no better than the man who can’t. – Mark Twain