Forging a Better Reputation
I remember as a kid being fascinated by movies about famed outlaw, Billy the Kid. Not that these movies were good (though, the one with Dracula is pretty funny), but they intrigued me by how glorified the Kid was in these films. He was a hero. A legend. An honest man.
I knew it was a load of crud.
Billy the Kid was a murderer, horse thief and a jerk of the highest order. He was Atilla the Hun without an armed horde. He was Al Capone without a Tommy Gun. He was Charlie Sheen without the anglicized name. (Second movie reference today, can you guess it?)
However, somewhere along the way he became a folk hero. Now, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson wants to hold a hearing to see if he should pardon Billy the Kid. It's meant to be fun, but some people are rightly insulted.
Billy the Kid got one of the biggest public relations makeovers in history. It's somewhat of a mystery, but somewhere along the line his story changed. It makes you wonder what bad guys of the modern era will one day emerge with better reputations?
I knew it was a load of crud.
Billy the Kid was a murderer, horse thief and a jerk of the highest order. He was Atilla the Hun without an armed horde. He was Al Capone without a Tommy Gun. He was Charlie Sheen without the anglicized name. (Second movie reference today, can you guess it?)
However, somewhere along the way he became a folk hero. Now, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson wants to hold a hearing to see if he should pardon Billy the Kid. It's meant to be fun, but some people are rightly insulted.
Billy the Kid got one of the biggest public relations makeovers in history. It's somewhat of a mystery, but somewhere along the line his story changed. It makes you wonder what bad guys of the modern era will one day emerge with better reputations?
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment