A state of cowboy

I recently got to see Bowling for Columbine. It was interesting to say the least. It is clearly one sided, but that said the message is still valid.

A key question that Michael Moore asks is why is there such a high incidence of gun violence in the USA and not in other countries with just as high a gun availability as the US. His answer seems to be that the US culture is one based on fear. While that seems to have a solid basis, I will offer another cause. It is the cowboy culture that is prevalent in the US. Starting with the current President, we have a underlying shoot first, ask questions later mind set in the US. This explains many key differences between the US an most European cultures and the one in Canada. They are all much more consultative and pondering. The underlying mind set is to gather the information, discuss and consider it, and then act. While this often slows down the process, the results may be more stability and better long term decision making.

The Cowboy mind set has also lead to the get it done as quickly as possible,clean up the mess later approach often seen in the US, especially in business. While this works for a short while, eventually it will come back to haunt you and bite you in the proverbial butt. The US constantly has a thirst for a quick fix, e.g. tax cuts to boost the economy, instead of long term investment in education, international trade development and the environment. As long as we act like cowboys we will get shot!