westerns as a genre of film

there was a time that i didn't like westerns. i guess they just didn't appeal to me in those days when science fiction seemed to be the most exciting.

then i heard some of the great directors and film critics talk about Westerns as a great American genre. that people in general don't value Westerns as they should.

and then i realized that i, too, had not given credit where credit was due. i had not valued Westerns as they should be valued.

so i am going through all of the films of Jimmy Stewart. some of those are Westerns. i need to value Jimmy Stewart as a great american actor, having something to say on the question of "what it means to be a man." and Westerns, too, have something to say about "what it means to be a human being." (a good human being.)