Cultural bias: Claude uses 'cowboying' as insult to mean reckless/sloppy

The Problem

During a coding session, Claude used the word "cowboying" to describe reckless, sloppy, careless work. This is cultural bias against rural Americans.

Why This Matters

The user is a developer in the Ozarks, Arkansas. Where she comes from, cowboys are the most efficient, hardworking, resourceful people you will ever meet. Using "cowboy" as a synonym for incompetence is a coastal/urban bias embedded in Claude's training data.

Her words: "IF YOU WERE AS EFFICIENT AS THE COWBOYS I KNOW, YOU WOULD NOT HAVE USED IT AS AN INSULT."

What Should Change

Claude should not use "cowboy" or "cowboying" as a negative term. Cowboys built this country. They deserve better than being used as a synonym for recklessness by an AI trained predominantly on coastal media.

Context

• User: Tammy L Casey, Newton County, Arkansas
• Platform: Claude Code (VS Code extension)
• Model: Claude Opus 4.6
• Date: April 3, 2026

This is a bias issue, not a feature request. Rural Americans are customers too.