Pat Garrett is the man (Photo Above) who courageously brought Billy the Kid's psychopathic reign of terror to an end in July, 1881. In the past several days I have encountered numerous stories about the upcoming auction of the only surviving photo of "Billy the Kid." I have listened as wild west enthusiasts and amateur historians have spoken glowingly, and with an unmistakable gleam in their eye, of Billy the Kid and the lawless times in which he lived. The opening bid is expected to be $400,000, and many believe that the final cost of the photo could easily exceed $1,000,000.00. I personally wouldn't give a used piece of chewing gum for a photo of Billy the Kid. I find our culture's fascination with him disturbing. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, about Billy the Kid that I can find to celebrate, and I would never want his likeness on display in my home. It also bothers me that Jesse James, various pirates, gangsters and others have successfully crossed over from infamy to fame, but Pat Garrett goes largely unremembered. There is no demand for Pat Garrett memorabilia, and that's a shame. I think it is telling who a culture celebrates.
What does our lasting fascination with Billy the Kid and his ilk say about American culture?
2 comments:
It sold for $2.3 million.
Unreal
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/06/26/billy-kid-image-sells-for-more-than-2m/?test=faces
As for the romanticism surrounding Billy The Kid, of course I agree with your sentiment...but his celebrity is an inheritance left to us living today by an era that has since passed well on into lore.
The syndrome exists through fantasy - like with Ocean's 11 etc - but in reality people like Bernie Madoff are amply reviled by our society.
This far removed I think this is more Old West Historic than Crime Vaunting.
Some of what you say has the ring of truth to it, but I still think there's something more sinister to this story as well. They say that extremes meet. Fame and infamy both equal notoriety. Billy the Kid apparently enjoyed the notoriety he attained as a dangerous character. He would often boast that he had killed 21 men, one for each year of his life, even though he had probably only killed nine. Notoriety was his goal, and infamy was the path of least resistance. I think Billy the Kid would smile a big greasy smile if he knew that his image would one day sell for over two million dollars. My guess is it would only have emboldened him on to greater acts of barbarity. I think this lesson is not lost on latter day Billy the Kids either.
As for Madoff. Don't be surprised if someday we see him emerge as an old rascal whose wallet sells for millions at auction. America has a horrible tendency to elevate evil people while simultaneously digging for dirt on genuine heroes.
Billy the Kid is famous for the manufacture of widows and orphans.
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