I can't speak for every one, but when I think of different countries, I get particular images. Germany musters up a mental picture of folks in lederhosen. For Japan, it is a kimono. For me, America is chaps and a cowboy hat.
The American west, men on horses driving cattle. Perhaps a romanticized pictoral of America, but it is my ultimate vision of my country. The cowboys numbers have dwindled. He has been banished to traveling rodeo's and the occasional dude ranch, but he still survives this technological wonderland we call America. While maintaining the mainstay of his life, many a cowboy has kept up with the modern world. The 70's and 80's saw the emergence of the Urban Cowboy, the 90's and the new millennium has seen the Cyber Cowboy.
The jury is still out on whether that is a good thing or not. Personally, I'm still skeptical about the whole Urban Cowboy gig.