Staff Reports
Patrick Dorinson, who bills himself as “The Common Sense Cowboy,” rode onto A.J. Rice’s Dangerous Laughter podcast this week to hawk a simple remedy for a complicated culture: mentorship, grit, and plain talk. The hour-plus interview is a direct pitch for his new Humanix book and a reminder that someone has to teach young people how to do the small, stubborn things that build a life — like saddling your own horse and fixing your own flat tire.
“Saddle your own horse”: Plain talk from a working cowboy
On the Dangerous Laughter episode, hosted by Publius PR’s A.J. Rice, Dorinson doesn’t mince words. “You’re going to have to learn how to saddle your own horse at some point. Better try now,” he says, and then lays out the rough-and-ready life rules he calls the Common Sense Cowboy’s 12 Rules for Life. The book, published by Humanix, packages those rules with ranch stories, one-liners and old‑guy bar wisdom — the kind of advice that’s rare on TikTok but still useful in real life.
Mentorship, not influencers: what Gen Z actually needs
Dorinson’s real argument is about mentors, not nostalgia. He says there are two kinds of old men at a bar: the loud one people ignore, and the quiet one who cups a young person’s question and hands back a hard-earned answer. That’s the model he’s selling — mentorship that teaches responsibility. “If you’re facing a problem, fix it,” he tells listeners. It’s blunt, yes, but it’s also practical. Young Americans drowning in smartphone advice deserve someone who’s lived through failure and can tell them how to move forward.
Not just cowboy romance — a cultural corrective
Call it culture war or common sense; either way Dorinson frames his message as a corrective to modern celebrity worship and manager-of-your-brand nonsense. The book tour stops, from rodeo signings to conservative podcast studios, are part of a PR push to get those old-fashioned habits back into daily life — holding doors, keeping promises, and doing work without a camera crew. He even skewers corporate ad campaigns that try to rewrite masculinity, and he’s right to say that men and women on a ranch work together without the performative theatrics big media tries to sell.
Bottom line: a simple message worth hearing
Whether you buy the whole cowboy package or just a rule or two, Dorinson’s appearance on Dangerous Laughter is a useful reminder that America needs more mentors and fewer influencers. His plain-spoken voice — equal parts humor and hard sense — offers a short, tidy antidote to a culture that often rewards noise over substance. If you care about passing on habits that actually build character, listen to the interview, read the book, and then find an older hand who’ll tell you the truth. That’s the kind of guidance that never goes out of style.
