Friday, May 05, 2006
TV Rec
Did anyone else watch Texas Ranch House on PBS? It's basically PBS' version of a reality show. There have been other installments such as Frontier House and 1900 House. Anyway, Texas Ranch House was interesting enough. But the social interactions between the participants truly made viewing the program worthwhile. In the end, the ranch became a tacit war between the ranch hands/cowboys and the ranch owners/Cooke Family. I'd agree with the experts' assessment that the Ranch owner made several mistakes while the ranch hands successfully brought the cattle to market. At the same time the ranch hands were truly chauvinistic (at times). In the end, the program shows just how tenuous the ranch owner and ranch hand relationship must have been. Back then, over a century ago, ranch owners and cowboys solidified a working relationship. Perhaps this program has something to say about modern society in that the modern participants weren't able to get along. In my opinion, both sides of the ranch are somewhat to blame. Anyway, if anyone else caught this program please share your thoughts. Thanks.
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3 comments:
The fact that the owner refused to negotiate for the freedom of his worker shows that he values his ranch hands lower than his cows. He also did not make any hard bargain while selling his cattles, and yet double the price and penny pinching while selling his horses to his people. Who would not resent if your employers treat you this way? He is the man who can not keep his words. That is exactly how nowaday real life business/managers are doing: treating their employees as disposal garbages. It's all summed up in the quote of his wife (or daughter?): "They're lucky to have a job".
Enjoyed your post--I've been surfing the TX ranch house posts this afternoon. So far you're almost alone in criticizing the cowboys (even faintly). Admittedly, I haven't seen the first couple of episodes, but how chauvinistic were the cowboys really? Those accusations really started wearing thin the more I saw of Maura--she constantly talked about how much she wanted to help out, but then kvetched and whined and got really picky about just what she would and wouldn't do.
In the end, it looked like she really wanted to have it both ways--get to wear jeans and do some 'non-girl work' to strike some moral blow against the all-boys club, but still get to live in the house and eat with the much more generously-provisioned Cookes.
I also wonder if instead of really being chauvinistic they were just more guilty of not giving respect that hadn't been earned? What really grated on Mrs. Cooke's nerves was how much the cowboys respected Robby--who was out there with them in the heat and dirt while she and her vacillating husband duffed around the house. It seemed like it was just easier for her to attribute that lack of respect to sexism.
Appreciate your thoughts.
I didn't catch Texas Ranchouse, but I did love Frontier House and its British counterpart.
The servants knocked boots in the owners' bed on the last day!
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