In popular culture, the cowboy is mostly depicted as a solitary, strapping white male who happens to be good with a gun and will resort to violence when needed. The reality was that cowboys worked in groups, weren’t all white (or big), and weren’t required to have gun skills to work the job. If this is the case, why did/does popular culture portray cowboys the way they’re shown? Please provide two to three possible answers.

In popular culture, the cowboy is mostly depicted as a solitary, strapping white male who happens to be good with a gun and will resort to violence when needed. The reality was that cowboys worked in groups, weren’t all white (or big), and weren’t required to have gun skills to work the job. If this is the case, why did/does popular culture portray cowboys the way they’re shown? Please provide two to three possible answers.