EPISODE · Mar 7, 2025 · 1H 41M
The Spirit of the American West (w/ David McGarry)
from History Impossible · host Alexander von Sternberg
The American West (or the “Wild West” as it’s still sometimes known) is arguably one of the defining features of the United States’ history and culture, if not the most defining feature. After all, much of the world has the image of the American cowboy (or less often, the American settler) planted firmly in their heads when they think of “Americans.” And while certainly not consciously, many Americans think of themselves in this way. There is a lot to be critical of the reality of the “American West,” not least of which being the brutality that it unleashed at various times and in various places. But there is also something—many things really—that we are at risk of losing if we completely demonize the time period and setting. This can even be seen in much of the media that has been created around the American West lately, with few exceptions (the Red Dead Redemption series of video games being one of those few exceptions). In losing the aspirational aspects of the American West even in much of the media, something more seems to be lost, up to an including the kind of models many young American men can aspire to.It may or may not surprise many of you that this is not exactly my wheelhouse, but it is not. I don’t know a lot about the American West beyond the more brutal stories I mentioned earlier and an awareness of it in the context of cinematic history. So that’s why with this special episode of History Impossible, I was joined by the prolific and talented writer David McGarry, who has had his work appear in esteemed publications including Reason and National Review, as well as his his own Substack, The Thoughtful Spot. David and I actually connected through a new writing venture that both of us have taken part in, a start-up known as Keinrath Publishing. I recently told you all about Keinrath when I put out the piece linking you guys to my essay for them covering the 1876 election, and like me, David put out a piece there covering, you guessed it, the spirit of the American West. I recommend not just David’s essay, but everyone’s essays there (including long-time friend and collaborator Daniele Bolelli!) because Keinrath is doing something really cool: offering thoughtful analyses of history and current events in long form, in which just a dollar will let you read each. It’s a great way to support writers like us, but honestly, Keinrath is just a great organization run by good people, and I would love to see them get some love. So go check them out when you get the chance. And I’m really happy to say that this will actually be the first of two interviews I’m doing with fellow authors there. So stay tuned for the next one very soon.In the meantime though, please enjoy this conversation I had with David McGarry about the spirit of the American West, where it went, and how we might get it back.…History Impossible has been made possible by the following generous supporters on Patreon, Substack, and PayPal. Please consider donating today to help keep me free and this show alive:David AdamcikDavid AlsbachRajan AthulRobert BabeonMichael BeachBenjaminGreg BosaiJohannes BreitsameterCarol ABCCharles CCurtis ChristiansenClayton ConnellCliffydeuceCRB.CyrdaddygorgonDannyLynda DavisPaul DeCosterRegina Dick-EndrizziNeil DickensNathan DiehlBob DowningDramicasMartin E.Gavin EdwardsHowie FeltersnatchPierre GhazarianJayson GriesmeyerNathan GroteBenjamin HamiltonPeter HauckHenryEric HodgesCarey HurstMike JarulicJoe6245Russell JohnsonLionel JosephThomas JustesenMike KalninsBryn KaufmanLeah KodnerBenjamin LeeConstance LoucksMaddyMounty of MadnessJose MartinezMike MaylebenJudy McCoidKyle MohneyKostas MorosRyan MortensonCameron NeedhamSkip PachecoMel PaddenDavid PageMolly PanJeff ParrentSr. PowellBrian PritzlAnaR737PJ RaderGleb RadutskyAleksandr RakitinReptilycusMatthew M. RicePhillip RiceTerry RosenChris RoweDan SJon Andre SaetherJake ScaliaEmily SchmidtJulian SchmidtAndrew SeeberNeil SheehanJoshua SimpsonCameron SmithJerry Spanglertimetosuccedd1995Thomas SqueoAthal Krishna SundarrajanJared Cole TempleWard Van RoyPierre VorupuniRobert VSJonny WilkieMichael WroblewskiF. YouGreg ZinkBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/history-impossible--5634566/support.
What this episode covers
The American West (or the “Wild West” as it’s still sometimes known) is arguably one of the defining features of the United States’ history and culture, if not the most defining feature. After all, much of the world has the image of the American cowboy (or less often, the American settler) planted firmly in their heads when they think of “Americans.” And while certainly not consciously, many Americans think of themselves in this way. There is a lot to be critical of the reality of the “American West,” not least of which being the brutality that it unleashed at various times and in various places. But there is also something—many things really—that we are at risk of losing if we completely demonize the time period and setting. This can even be seen in much of the media that has been created around the American West lately, with few exceptions (the Red Dead Redemption series of video games being one of those few exceptions). In losing the aspirational aspects of the American West even in much of the media, something more seems to be lost, up to an including the kind of models many young American men can aspire to.It may or may not surprise many of you that this is not exactly my wheelhouse, but it is not. I don’t know a lot about the American West beyond the more brutal stories I mentioned earlier and an awareness of it in the context of cinematic history. So that’s why with this special episode of History Impossible, I was joined by the prolific and talented writer David McGarry, who has had his work appear in esteemed publications including Reason and National Review, as well as his his own Substack, The Thoughtful Spot. David and I actually connected through a new writing venture that both of us have taken part in, a start-up known as Keinrath Publishing. I recently told you all about Keinrath when I put out the piece linking you guys to my essay for them covering the 1876 election, and like me, David put out a piece there covering, you guessed it, the spirit of the American West. I recommend not just David’s essay, but everyone’s essays there (including long-time friend and collaborator Daniele Bolelli!) because Keinrath is doing something really cool: offering thoughtful analyses of history and current events in long form, in which just a dollar will let you read each. It’s a great way to support writers like us, but honestly, Keinrath is just a great organization run by good people, and I would love to see them get some love. So go check them out when you get the chance. And I’m really happy to say that this will actually be the first of two interviews I’m doing with fellow authors there. So stay tuned for the next one very soon.In the meantime though, please enjoy this conversation I had with David McGarry about the spirit of the American West, where it went, and how we might get it back.…History Impossible has been made possible by the following generous supporters on Patreon, Substack, and PayPal. Please consider donating today to help keep me free and this show alive:David AdamcikDavid AlsbachRajan AthulRobert BabeonMichael BeachBenjaminGreg BosaiJohannes BreitsameterCarol ABCCharles CCurtis...
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The Spirit of the American West (w/ David McGarry)
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