COWBOYS
BARN OWL
Below is the post for week #7 of 2026.
COWBOYS
BARN OWL has posted in rural county papers as a paid ad for the last year. Paid because it is important and there are less ways each day to reach the rural population that doesn’t involve corporate media. In Jackson and Clark counties in Wisconsin, BARN OWL arrives on every kitchen table in the Shopper or the county paper of record. It may not always be read - but it is now part of the conversation.
I am preparing the next jump for BARN OWL. Adding another Wisconsin county to BARN OWL’s reach means buying another ad in a new paper. The printer who publishes my county paper also owns papers in two adjoining counties so I get a good rate when adding a paper. With the new exposure in Trempealeau County, I hope to attract enough interest and financial support and make the addition permanent. That will depend on response in that county and from supporters on Substack and Buy Me A Coffee. Today I received a $25 check from a local couple with a note that says “Thank you so much for being a fantastic “Barn Owl” in these tumultuous times!” There is more support out there than you would imagine.
If you would like to add these articles to your local paper, they are available free of charge. Your task will be to find a way to pay the ad price in your local paper so that your neighbors hear another point of view, whether they like it or not. It is a small drum of resistance, and offers another perspective where such access is limited. There is a hunger for what we are saying.
Support BARN OWL by subscribing on Substack, by mailing a check or by buying me a coffee at buymeacoffe.com/barnowl01. Committing to a monthly donation helps me plan ahead.
COWBOYS
The American cowboy didn’t need any help from anyone, surely not the government. He is a symbol of American freedom and individualism. We are told to be like him. Our culture praises people who succeed on their own, who go from “rags to riches”,
or who “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.”
Is there another message hidden in this cowboy ideal?
Inside is a message that if someone does not succeed, they are the only one to blame.
If someone can’t pay their bills, it’s their fault. If someone isn’t earning enough, it’s their fault. If a single mother is struggling, it’s her fault. They should budget better, work harder or should not have had the kids.
Some of this may be true. People must take responsibility for themselves. And most people do. Yet, in TV, politics, school and daily conversation, we hear how this can only be our fault.
· “If everyone exercised and ate well, we wouldn’t need health care.”
· “If smoking causes cancer, people should just stop smoking.”
· “If you want to Fight pollution - pick up litter, recycle and use a cloth bag for shopping.”
The problem with blaming the average person is that the wealthiest people have more resources and power to change problems than the average person.
But often what they do actually adds to the problem. Factories won’t reduce pollutants. Health care needs are ignored. Companies won’t pay good wages or benefits.
You’re told if you don’t like the government, vote them out. If people discriminate against you because of your race, gender or sexual preference, try harder to “blend in.”
So, take responsibility for making a better life for yourself.
How do you do that?
Join a union for better wages. Vote. Use birth control. Work with others to pressure government for more rights. Push for safer cigarettes.
BUT
Then you might be stopped by the SAME FOLKS who told you to fix your problems on your own. Unions are outlawed. Voting gets harder. Companies hire expensive lawyers to avoid responsibility. Social programs are cut.
Powerful groups shame you and limit your choices for health care.
You just have to wonder: who sold you this Cowboy culture anyway?
By Ben Boardman and Friends. Paid by gifts from supporters
Help us pay for BARN OWL space in the local paper.
Submit comments or questions to 57boardman@gmail.com
Send donations to PO Box 57, Melrose, WI 54642 or to buymeacoffee.com/barnowl01
