I really do think bringing Lois to a rodeo is a good way to spotlight the differences of country vs. city. It's a way to describe what's mostly a misconception between people raised in two different environments. People from the country hate that city folk demean what they do without knowing anything about it (i.e. that they're lazy, uneducated, sexist gun-lovers with no culture or class). Strangely enough, people from the city hate the same assumptions brought against them from people from the country (i.e. they have no concept of God or morality, and are all lazy, tattoo wearing, loose people on drugs.) Neither assumption is all true or all false, or even region specific.
Clark, having been raised in the country around farmers, livestock, horses, and hunters understands that culture and mindset far better than Lois, who is more quick to jump to assumptions about them. He's also traveled the world more than she has, and is more easy going, therefore, would be more difficult to be the fish out of water as opposed to Lois. (The closest he comes is during the NK arc.) Clark knows that sure, there are people who abuse animals, but it's not the norm. Like child abuse, sadly it's universal and doesn't just happen in the country. Country folk sure do hate city folk coming into their domain looking down upon them and telling them what they're doing is wrong without knowing a single thing about it.
Having lived both in the country and the city, I feel like I don't really fit into either group very well, but I love to people watch and I can tell you both groups have interesting characters in them.
Originally posted by Christina:
Personally, I don't know if animal cruelty would be a hard enough investigation on it's own. It WOULD be a perfect sidebar to a larger one, though. Another idea is to have the rodeo in town before Clark gets into the Daily Planet (and Lois is just starting out/is on Perry's doghouse) and get assigned to cover it. Clark's there as a rodeo clown (the JOB that is meant to make it safer for both buckaneer and bull) trying to uncover something.
Yes, that's exactly what a rodeo clown's job. Well, one of their jobs.
Do rodeos come to the big cities in the North-East?
I know they do here in the west, but that's because all cities here on the west have cowboys their roots. I can't picture a rodeo coming to New York, Hartford, or Boston. A dressage or jumping event, yes, but a rodeo? Not so much. (I mean a serious rodeo, which is a sporting event, not an 'entertainment show', such as bringing the circus to town.) Please correct me if I'm wrong about this. I can't see the DP footing the bill to send a reporter out of town to cover a rodeo unless there was a big story in it.
I could see Clark taking a week, or a long weekend off, to go help an old friend from Mid-West U. or Smallville, who's noticed some strange goings on at some rodeo competitions. Maybe there's doping of other people's animals, or rigging of some events to make it less safe for the rider and animal, or thefts of the winning horses, or what appears to be a serial killer hitting the 'rodeo royalty', killing off the queens or princesses. Lois follows Clark under the guise of exposing the animal cruelty that she's heard about at such events, only to find Clark in loud hot pink checker pants, a flannel shirt, striped suspenders, a huge cowboy hat, and white makeup.
) If you don't want to get him on a horse, you could make him a rodeo clown.
I could certainly see Lois take offense at the unfairness of *that* (because I did). FYI: many of these cowgirl competitors looked more like beauty queens.
