Final answer:
Popular culture portrays cowboys as solitary, gun-slinging individuals, a portrayal rooted in escapism and entertainment such as dime novels and Wild West shows, but actual cowboy life was diverse, cooperative and often mundane, with much influence from Mexican vaqueros.
Step-by-step explanation:
The portrayal of cowboys in popular culture as solitary, all-white, and skilled in violence differs substantially from the historical reality because of several factors. Firstly, the myth of the Wild West, as shown in dime store novels and popular media, was created to offer an exaggerated narrative that provided escapism and excitement for the readers and viewers.
This fictionalized version of the West featured larger-than-life characters and thrilling confrontations that were more appealing than the more mundane, challenging, and collaborative real life of the cowboy. Another reason is that shows like Buffalo Bill's Wild West helped to institutionalize these fictional tales by showcasing dramatic reenactments of Wild West myths, further entrenching these stories into the public's collective memory, and overshadowing the diversity and reality of the time.
Cowboy culture in reality borrowed significantly from Mexican vaqueros, with many cowboys being African American or Hispanic, contrary to the popular image. Moreover, life for them was less about gunfights and more about hard, tedious work managing cattle and dealing with natural threats and disease.
Nonetheless, popular culture continued to propagate the solitary, gun-slinging white cowboy as a symbol of rugged individualism and adventure, aspects that appealed to the imagination of the public.